Bowen pulls the Tigers’ strings
HULL CITY boss Nigel Adkins hailed his side’s display as they earned a first home league win of the Championship season, beating rock-bottom Ipswich.
He was delighted with a victory which moves them up the table to 17th position.
“Three points, a clean sheet, first home win of the season, dogged performance, well done to the players and well done to the supporters,” he said.
“We started off really well getting the goal through Jarrod Bowen and then, for me, it was stop-start in the second half.
“We get into half-time 1-0 up, the goalkeeper has made two really good saves from Bowen, and it was that dogged performance from us, but towards the end, the second goal we’ve gone and scored was really good play, Jackson Irvine has showed fantastic desire and tenacity to outmuscle the defender and go for it.”
Results elsewhere meant that Paul Hurst’s side prop up the second tier following a dismal day for them in East Yorkshire.
The Ipswich boss rued some costly mistakes. He said: “We didn’t start the game well enough, not just the goal, but overall. We gave Hull a shot of confidence that we spoke about not doing.
“Both goals are very avoidable. I’m not saying we would have got that equaliser, but the second goal kills it altogether.
“They were terrible decisions on our part and overall we have been punished again for our mistakes.
“If you keep making mistakes, the higher up you go, they (the opposition) are going to take them and it makes the task more difficult.
“We had chances, but we didn’t take them, and it’s mak- ing life difficult for us.” It took three minutes for the Tigers to gain the ascendancy in front of their own supporters when Bowen chipped the ball into the net beyond goalkeeper Dean Gerken.
Fraizer Campbell threaded Bowen through on goal, as the midfielder coolly dinked over Gerken with centre-back Matthew Pennington unable to prevent the ball from crossing the line.
The Tractor Boys’ attempts to find a route back into the contest were limited, with Jordan Graham curling wide and Jon Nolan driving over late on in the first half, while Stephen Kingsley was on hand to thwart Gwion Edwards’ volley.
In the second half, Hull upped the tempo, with Bowen lively throughout, but he was thwarted twice in the half by Gerken.
Ipswich tried to pick themselves up and find an equaliser, though the closest they came was through Graham, who could only shoot straight into the grasp of City’s Scottish goalkeeper David Marshall.
Hull, searching to kill off the game, went close as Gerken stopped Bowen with his foot, before bravely diving at the feet of the midfielder during a one-onone situation.
But the Suffolk outfit’s misery was compounded in the 89th minute when Australian Irvine was fed by Evandro.
He gobbled up the chance by drilling low beyond the despairing dive of Gerken to wrap up a big win.