The Portsmouth connection firing rivals to Championship in battle with Plymouth Argyle, Barnsley and Sheffield Wednesday

And George Hirst has spoken of his conviction he would hit the goal trail for the Tractor Boys, as the finishes now flow.

Hirst grabbed his fourth goal in as many appearances, as Ipswich swept aside play-off chasers Wycombe with a 4-0 success at Portman Road yesterday.

The man who bagged 15 goals at Fratton Park last term opened the scoring, with Blues favourite Conor Chaplin doubling the advantage of Kieran McKenna’s side before the break.

That goal took Chaplin’s total to the season to 21 goals with Ipswich recording their eighth win on the spin, as they hit powerful form at the right time.

As with his stay at Pompey, Hirst has taken time to get going at Ipswich.

The 24-year-old bagged just a single FA Cup goal in his first 12 outings, after his January loan move from Leicester.

But the touchpaper has now been lit after a period of settling in.

Hirst told TWTD.co.uk: I always knew the goals would come and speaking to the gaffer, he said the same to me.

‘He reiterated that, as long as I'm doing the right things and putting myself in the right places, the chances are going to come, especially playing in this team where we're creating a lot of chances each game.

‘So it was just about trusting the process a little bit and putting myself in the right place at the right time. I feel like now I'm reaping the rewards of that.

‘For me, the pressing, the running and trying to be that focal point for the team is a massive part of my game and I do feel like when I'm playing my best football, I am that and I find myself being in the right position at the right time, doing things without really thinking about it.

‘If you ask anybody, that's when they're playing the best football. I’m enjoying the run I'm on, I'm not taking it for granted, there’s a lot of work that I need to do and a lot of work this team needs to put into to hopefully get where you want to be.

‘I've taken it game by game and hopefully if I can keep scoring, we’ll keep heading in the right direction.’