Ipswich Town striker George Hirst on switch to Portman Road, Blackburn Rovers and Portsmouth loan spells and promotion hopes

George Hirst says a move to Ipswich Town this window was a 'no-brainer'.

The Leicester City striker has made the switch to Portman Road on a loan deal until the end of the season, after being recalled from his spell at Blackburn Rovers.

He is a player that Town have held a long-term interest in, having previously lodged a bid to sign him last summer.

After Hirst was made aware of the fresh interest, he knew where he wanted to be playing.

"I found out about the interest and just wanted to get it done," he said in his first interview as an Ipswich Town player.

"I knew there was a little bit of interest in the summer, but I chose to go down a different route and test myself with Blackburn. It's not quite panned out, so when they came back to me and said they were still interested, it was a no-brainer.

"I met with the gaffer in the summer and spoke to him in the last couple of days again. He's been good, I've had really good honest conversations with him and from what I hear about him off other people and other lads who have worked under him, they've all had nothing but good things to say about him. For me, that was quite a big thing. I couldn't wait to come here and work under him myself."

Hirst joined Blackburn on the final day of the transfer window last summer, but started just two games during his time at Ewood Park.

When asked about the move, he said: "I don't regret it. It's not a regret thing at all.

"Do I wish I played more? Do I wish scored more? Yeah, but I think if I had scored 15 goals I'd have wished I'd scored 20. It's one of those things that happens in football."

The 23-year-old has been pitched with trying to beat one of his former sides to automatic promotion during his time at Ipswich Town.

Hirst started his career at Hillsborough with Sheffield Wednesday, before swapping the Steel city for Leuven, just east of Brussels, in 2018.

"It was my boyhood club and my dad playing there, there was always that little bit of added pressure on my shoulders which is something I signed up for. I think I've always dealt quite well with pressure as I've always had that little bit of extra pressure that other lads might not have had growing up.

"At the end of the day I'm here now, and will try keep them below us."

The striker made his first foray into League One with Portsmouth last season, scoring 15 times in all competitions.

Looking back on his time at Fratton Park, Hirst said: "It got off to a rocky start. I didn't really play as much as I would have liked, but I knew when my chance came I could take it and I could get in the team.

"Ultimately once I was given that opportunity to do so I think it ended up being a really good season for me."

And Hirst says he is now looking forward to knuckling down at Portman Road during the second half of the season.

"Being at the top end of the table is where everyone wants to be playing. You want to be fighting for things and fighting for the chance to get promoted," he added.

"I can't wait to get going. If I could have been here in time for the game on Saturday I would have been.