Bru: Full steam ahead for the Tractor Boys...
IPSWICH Town finished 2016 with a stunning late win over Bristol City and midfielder Kevin Bru hopes his side have laid the foundations for a rip-roaring second half of the season.
Brett Pitman hit a stunning late bicycle kick as the Tractor Boys condemned the West Country outfit to a fifth straight Championship defeat.
Bru flicked in Tom Lawrence’s cross to give the hosts a first-half lead.
But they were pegged back by on-loan Tammy Abraham’s close-range effort after a mix-up in the Ipwich defence.
But Pitman’s fourth goal of the season – against his former club – earned Mick McCarthy’s side their second win in their last three.
“The fans, ourselves and the whole club will be happy with the win, so now we can start the new year with a victory,” said Mauritius international midfielder Bru.
“Against Fulham, we didn’t show the aggression and the identity of Ipswich, but here I think we played well and were more like ourselves.
“I’ve seen Tom Lawrence on the left and I knew he would cross on his right foot, so I just needed to touch the ball and it would go in so I’m happy.
“It was a fantastic goal [from Brett Pitman] and I think he played well. He was good for the team and I am happy for him because he was injured but it has been a great comeback for him.
“We’re in on Saturday, so we have to now make sure we train well for the QPR game and hopefully we can take something from that game too.”
Bristol City, who have failed to win in their last 12 visits to Portman Road, have now lost eight of their last nine league games – their only points in that time coming from a 2-0 victory over Ipswich at Ashton Gate earlier this month.
And manager Lee Johnson knows he will need to strengthen the squad in January to halt the slide.
“I think it’s evident we need to do something in the transfer market and hopefully we can get one or two deals over the line early on in the window,” said Johnson, who could well have £11m from the sale of Jonathan Kodjia to Aston Villa to spend.
“We’ve got a young group and we need leaders; a bit of experience around them.
“We definitely have targets in mind and we’re in the market, which is good. Certainly, we are in the mix.”