Take a Bow, Tigers

JARROD BOWEN and Hull City ended their miserable runs to send winless Ipswich Town to the foot of the Championship.

No Championship player had more shots without a goal than striker Bowen until yesterday, but his 16th effort of the season, in the third minute, broke his duck and sent Nigel Adkins’ side on their way to a valuable win.

The victory was only Hull’s second of the season and spared Adkins an unwanted club record of seven home games without a win.

The Tigers boss was delighted with Bowen, who scored 14 last season, and a back four which kept its first clean sheet of the season.

Adkins said: “Jarrod has shown that determination we needed. He has shown a real desire and tenacity to score, which was typical of our performance. It was dogged.

“We have been playing really good football without winning at home, but we have that victory now, a clean sheet and three points and it is a good start to a tough week.” Jackson Irvine’s last- minute strike settled the game, but Ipswich would have been fortunate to get everything after relying on half chances at set-pieces and hardly forcing a save from David Marshall.

Boss Paul Hurst admitted: “Both their goals were avoidable and came from our mistakes and terrible decisions on our part. You can talk about systems, but keeping the ball out of our net and being ruthless and having enough desire is far more important.

“That was probably the poorest we have been and it is getting to the stage where, of course, everyone is concerned with the run of form and results.”

Bowen opened the scoring in the third minute, although Ipswich defender Jonas Knudsen had the last touch off his backside after failing with his last-gasp goal-line clearance.

Bowen (above) ran on to Fraizer Campbell’s slick pass into the visitors’ area and clipped the ball over keeper Dean Gerken and, although Knudsen scrambled back to clear the danger, he could only nudge it over the line.