Hull City's Tim Iroegbunam is going for goals to take his game to next level

The midfielder's 58th-minute strike helped turn the match against Ipswich Town, cancelling out Florentino Luis' goal in a one-sided first half, and setting the Tigers up for a 2-2 draw which keeps them in the top half of the Premier League table after nine matches.

It was only Iroegbunam's second league start for Hull after joining in the summer, but his 64th top--flight appearance in all having previously played for Aston Villa and Everton. It was the first time he had found the net.

Both Iroegbunam and his coach Sergej Jakirovic see it as an important area to develop.

"I wouldn't say shooting is my strongest (skill), but it's one of my strengths," said the 23-year-old. “To be an all-round midfielder, you need to be able to score. I've been working on it.

"I want to be No 8, (going from) box to box. I know I can play in the six (holding midfield role) also, but I feel like if you can do both, why not?

"I scored in the Championship a few years ago (twice, on loan at Queens Park Rangers). That was amazing but this was a different feeling."

Like too many of Hull's summer signings, Iroegbunam arrived on the back of a disrupted pre-season and has unsurprisingly had niggles since, but Jakirovic sees him developing into a key player in the part of the pitch where Hull are best stocked.

"I think he will get better and better," he said.

"We need goals. It's not just about Mo Belloumi and now I can say Oli McBurnie (who has scored in the last two games).

"But we need goals from the left side as well, and we need midfield players because we are capable to do this."

Hull were far too passive in Saturday’s first half and fortunate only to go in 1-0 down but the half-time introduction of Matt Crooks for John Egan brought new energy, and after setting up Iroegbunam, McBurnie scored himself from a free-kick. The only disappointment was that for a third time in four matches, the Tigers drew a game they had been ahead in."The first half wasn't really a good performance from us," admitted Iroegbunam . "We came out in the second half and showed ourselves.

"The half-time message was more just this happened, now stay calm. It was more just how he wanted us to go about it in the second half, in that new formation.

"Obviously, with a 10 (a player behind centre-forward McBurnie), it helped us get pressure on the ball in areas where we weren't able to in the first half.

"It's hard to keep a lead. I feel like we just needed to show more game management and maybe be smarter, more streetwise. Unfortunately, we didn't.

"But we've still got a point and we're happy with it."

Jakirovic was frank about why Sorba Thomas, Robinhio Vaz and Lucas Gourna were left out of his 20-man squad for the game.

"They need to train much better, especially Vaz," he explained.

"He has to improve his match fitness."