Hurst: Very Pleased Overall Saturday, 28th Jul 2018 19:01 Manager Paul Hurst was “very pleased” with the way his team performed in their friendly against West Ham, despite falling to a 2-1 defeat. “A tough test, one that going into the game I said I thought we needed,” he said. “A different kind of test. “I wouldn’t say we were dominated, we certainly saw enough of the ball I felt for large parts of the game. “Towards the end of the game they probably saw it out a little bit easier, I think partly because of the changes we made and a little tweak to the shape which didn’t allow us to get as much pressure on the ball. “But overall, I’m very pleased. It was nice to walk out and see what a game is like with a crowd in here, and a good crowd at that, especially for a pre-season game. It just whets the appetite for that opener against Blackburn.” He was happy with the way his players carried out his tactics: “[They did that] very well. At the MK Dons I said we saw real signs, we’d seen glimpses, but there were more today, especially against better quality players, a better team. “Were they absolutely flat out? I’m not going to say that that was the case. They showed moments where their quality shone through and we had to be organised and on our mettle to read situations. “Most of the time I felt we did, there were certainly some we’ve highlighted to the players where they’ve got to understand and sense danger a little bit quicker, but overall I thought we tried to press. It’s difficult when you’re playing against good players who are comfortable on the ball. “But we actually carried a threat today, I thought that was the most threatening we’ve looked strangely in pre-season, which is pleasing when you’re going up against a team.” Goalscorer Ellis Harrison took his chance with great confidence and his manager felt he impressed on his first Portman Road appearance. “He did,” Hurst said. “We still want him to improve, we don’t want that to be his best performance in an Ipswich Town shirt, but it’s great for any striker to get off the mark and he did that. “You’d have to ask him, I’m not sure whether or not he might be disappointed he didn’t score the header or feel he was a little unlucky hitting the post. “He’s got a little bit of everything to his game that you’d want from a centre forward. He’s not electric, but he’s quick enough, he’s strong, he can win his headers and he’s quite clever on the ball at times. “That’s a big part of the reason we brought him to the football club. He can be pleased with the start he’s made but we won’t be letting him rest on that goal. “But he was a focal point for the team and that’s what we need with that sole striker. It’s a tough role but he certainly played it well.” Andre Dozzell created that goal and caught the eye in the first half but Hurst says there’s plenty more to come from the 19-year-old. “We probably have a slightly different view and that’s not being too hard on Andre,” he said. “I’m not really judging him at the minute because he’s not fit. “That might sound strange to you guys when he’s played a lot of minutes there, he played more than I was probably expecting him to. “But one thing, I don’t want this to be misunderstood or anything, I think Andre Dozzell’s a real talent, I think everyone’s pleased that he’s an Ipswich Town player and on our books, but at this moment in time he’s nowhere near the fitness levels that he would want and we want. That’s not a criticism, that’s just the fact of where he’s at. “And we need to do all we can to get him up there because there’s bits where he’s shown his quality, the pass for the goal was probably the stand-out moment, and when we get him right we’re going to have a very good player on our hands.” How close was today’s team to next week’s line-up against Blackburn? “Good question, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to give you a totally honest answer on that because we’re clearly going to look to do some business in the coming week which may influence that starting line-up. “A couple of lads on the bench would certainly come into consideration, but in all truth, we haven’t probably got too many to select from. “You look at our midfield today and I thought they all did alright at times, and perhaps well. But that’s a massive ask for the three lads that started in there in a Championship game, or certainly to play consecutively. “They conducted themselves very well. It was pleasing to get Trevoh out there. I thought in the short space of time he was on he showed some real quality and it was nice. It felt like a new signing going on the pitch even though we’d had a short spell with him. “We’ll see, I think. As I said, that very much includes myself. I’m not trying to keep you guessing but genuinely, let’s see what this next week brings.”
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