Nigerian forward Chuba Akpom says he is ‘extremely grateful' for the backing of Ipswich Town supporters after finally scoring his first goal for the club in a 2–0 win away to Hull City, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 30-year-old, on loan from Ajax, struck in the 73rd minute to seal victory after Marcelino Núñez had opened the scoring with a superb header.
Akpom’s close-range finish, a simple tap-in after Dara O’Shea’s header forced a parry from Ivor Pandur, ended a frustrating spell in Suffolk during which he failed to score in his first 12 appearances.
Chuba! pic.twitter.com/KrYTPQn8Oi
— Ipswich Town (@IpswichTown) November 26, 2025
The relief on his face was clear, and in the moments after full-time he admitted the significance of both the goal and the fans’ unwavering backing.
“I needed a sweaty one like that, to be honest,” he said as per the SuffolkNews.
“Every striker wants to score goals and I'm really thankful to the fans. There’s been games where I’ve come on and they’re still singing my name and I haven’t even got my first goal yet. That really gave me a big push. I’m glad to get off the mark.”
He added that their encouragement “makes you want to give that extra 10 per cent”, especially for long away trips such as the visit to Hull.
“Thank you to all of you guys that are doing it and I appreciate it a lot.”
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Relief for Akpom as Ipswich build quiet momentum
Akpom’s goal initially appeared to have a hint of offside, but replays suggested he was kept level by defender Ryan Giles.
“I was looking at the linesman just praying,” he admitted. “I thought ‘oh gosh, come on’. I’m glad it counted.”
The Super Eagles-eligible forward confessed that the barren run weighed on him mentally.
“You start to overthink it. It’s not something I'm used to… I just had to show some patience and I'm glad it went in today.”
He believes the goals will now flow if he maintains high work-rate and discipline:
“If I keep doing the right things, keep working hard and keep playing for the team, I'm sure they will.”
He also backed fellow new arrivals to contribute soon:
“To be a successful team, everyone needs to be chipping in.”
Though predominantly used as a No. 10 under Kieran McKenna, Akpom was deployed centrally after replacing George Hirst. It is a role he knows well:
“Yeah, for the majority of my career. I can do a job wherever. As a nine, I'm closer to the goal. Wherever he wants me to play I’ll give 100 per cent.”
Victory in Humberside marked Town’s third successive away win and stretched their unbeaten run to six matches. The result lifted them to fourth in the Championship table, three points off the automatic promotion places with a game in hand. Even so, Akpom urged caution.
“It’s nice but it’s too early… We have a lot more work to do,” he said. “It’s just about consistency and consistency is the hardest thing in football. We just need to stay humble and keep working hard.”
He admitted his slow start stemmed partly from a disrupted pre-season at Ajax.
“I’m getting there,” he said. “I'm working hard in training… Hopefully things go up from here.”
With McKenna rotating heavily in attack, Akpom emphasised the need for every player to be ready.
“We’ve got basically two teams here… Whenever you get the chance, you just have to take it.”
Ipswich travel to Oxford United on Friday, eager to extend their impressive momentum.
