Ipswich Town

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Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna bemoaned his side's inability to kill Oxford off in their 2-1 win at Portman Road.

Jaden Philogene and Chuba Akpom scored in the first half, either side of Will Lankshear's equaliser.

Although pleased with the result, McKenna believes Ipswich made it more difficult than it needed to be.

"It should have been more comfortable for us," McKenna told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"The game was there; we got the goal in the first half and played some great stuff through the pitch. We lacked a clinical edge.

"We shouldn't have given away a goal with that level of control. It was harder than it needed to be."

Having climbed into the automatic promotion places, McKenna will hope his side learn lessons.

"We knew the game wasn't dead; it was a good reaction to their goal. But we wanted to win the second half. I thought we had good periods, but if you don't kill the game off, it is always going to be edgy."

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Promotion-chasing Ipswich Town welcome relegation-battling Oxford United for a clash with permutations at both ends of the Championship table on New Year's Day (15:00 GMT kick-off).

The Tractor Boys moved within two points of the automatic promotion spots with an excellent 2-0 win at leaders Coventry City on Monday night.

Kieran McKenna's side have won four of their past six (D1 L1) and have only suffered one defeat at Portman Road so far this season (W7 D4).

The U's have won just one of their past six games (D1 L4) and are three points adrift of safety having played a game more than Portsmouth in 21st.

• Ipswich Town lost 2-1 to Oxford United in the reverse fixture back in November and could suffer a league double to the U's for the very first time.

• Oxford have only won two of their 12 away games against Ipswich in the EFL (D3 L7), winning 2-1 in October 1988 and 1-0 in February 2020.

• Ipswich have only won their opening game in one of the past 17 calendar years (D9 L7), beating Gillingham 4-0 in 2022.

• Oxford have won their opening league game in both of the past two calendar years, last doing so in three consecutive years between 2016 and 2018.

• Oxford's Mark Harris netted the opener in his side's 2-1 win against Ipswich earlier this season but only against Carlisle in 2023-24 and Norwich in 2024-25 has he scored home and away for the U's in a league campaign.

Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna's described Wes Burns' goal in only his second appearance since a lengthy injury lay-off as one of the top moments of the season.

The Wales international's strike sealed a 2-0 win at Coventry City - Jack Clarke having put Town ahead - and completed a seasonal double over the Championship leaders.

"The second goal was one of the moments of the season, a special moment for Wes, a brilliant moment for the medical staff that have worked with him, even as a manager there are some goals that are more special and Wes scoring that one in the last game of the year was a top moment," McKenna told BBC Radio Suffolk.

The victory cut the points gap between Coventry and Ipswich to 10 and ended the Sky Blues' unbeaten home record.

"In the first half, we took control of the game from the off, showed real confidence, belief, intensity - the quality of our play and connections through the pitch were really good and showed the growth in the team," said McKenna.

"We stuck at it in the second half and got the reward of the goals that the performance deserved. We should have been ahead at half-time and when you're not, a dangerous team like Coventry can score at any moment in different ways.

"Of course it gives the group a bit more belief in themselves and the direction of travel - I know we work hard and work well but you want results to validate it and of course big results can validate it a little bit more."

Ipswich are next in action at home to Oxford United on New Year's Day.

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Luke Woolfenden hopes his patience will pay off with an extended run in the Coventry side after finally breaking into the starting line-up.

The defender, who arrived from Ipswich at the start of September, has had to wait for his opportunity with the Championship leaders but will start his third successive game against his former club on Monday [18:00 GMT].

"The timing of it has probably not helped me a bit," the 28-year-old told BBC CWR.

"Coming on deadline day, with the boys already flying, there's no reason to change the team. I knew that coming here. So it's just about being patient and biding my time.

"It has been difficult coming off the bench, getting minutes here and there and not really knowing when you are going to start. But I've really enjoyed being here, so it hasn't been an issue for me.

"The boys are winning [so] they're not going to change the team. Now that I'm in the team, we'll see what happens."

Woolfenden's first home start came in the Boxing-Day victory over Swansea, which gave him a proper taste of the CBS Arena atmosphere.

"It's different playing to being on the bench." he said.

"It gives you goosebumps at the start when they sing that song. My little girl has been singing it over Christmas.

"I was giving her a bath the other day and she came out with 'We'll Live And Die in These Towns'

"The fans are unbelievable and they do get right behind you."

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Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna said his side failed to make the most of some excellent positions in the 0-0 draw with Millwall.

"I thought we found some great spaces against one of the best pressing teams in the league," McKenna said.

"We played through their press and controlled their press really, really well. We got into great situations carrying the ball through the middle of the pitch, working to wide areas.

"We created some chances and even with the shots we had, on another day one could go in and we can win the game 1-0 – I don't think that's too far away.

"But also we could have done a little bit better on the last pass sometimes and we could have had even more big chances."

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Millwall welcome Ipswich Town for an important encounter between two sides battling it out in the Championship play-off places on Friday (13:00 GMT kick-off).

Since a run of three straight victories, the Lions are now without a win in three (D1 L2) and are one point clear of QPR in seventh.

The Tractor Boys have won three of their past four games (L1) and are five points behind Middlesbrough in the automatic promotion places.

• Millwall have lost three of their past four home league games against Ipswich (L1), more than they had in their previous 16 (W8 D6 L2).

• Ipswich Town have won five of their past eight league games against Millwall (D1 L2), completing the double over them the last time they met in 2023-24.

• Millwall have lost just one of their previous seven league games on Boxing Day (W4 D2), though that defeat did come last season at the hands of Norwich (1-2).

• Ipswich have won just one of their past six Boxing Day league games (D3 L2), beating Oxford 3-0 in League One in 2022.

• Ipswich have kept just one clean sheet in their past 27 away league games, winning 2-0 at Hull City last month.

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Ipswich Town defender Cedric Kipre believes their home win over bottom club Sheffield Wednesday could be "massive" in the context of the season.

"We needed to bounce back from the last game [defeat by Leicester City], we needed a response and did it well," he told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"There's a lot of pressure in games like this. People expect you to win, but in reality it's a tougher game than they expect."

Kipre headed the opening goal, his second of the season, but Ipswich needed a third from Jack Clarke to make sure of three points - and third place in the table - after Wednesday had fought back to 2-1.

"Set-pieces are very important in the Championship. Two, even three or four times a week, we work on them - it's a very important part of the game. I don't set any targets for goals but if I can get five, that would be good," he said.

"I try not to look at the table, I take it game after game and we will see at the end of the season."

Kipre has played the last six games, having been alternated with Jacob Graves as Dara O'Shea's partner in central defence earlier in the season.

"I'm ready to play every game, but it's the manager's decision in the end. If he wants to do some rotations, I have to accept it," he added.

Marc Webber
BBC Final Score reporter

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The festive period can often mean a lot of travelling for some - and Ipswich Town are no exception.

The Tractor Boys will only play one of their next four Championship games at home between now and the FA Cup third round on 10 January.

That may be a problem for them, as they've proven to be a bit travel sick in their away record so far.

On the road, Ipswich have lost four, drawn three and won three. Their away goal difference is +3.

Their overall goal difference is the second highest in the league at +15 and they have only lost one game in 12 at Portman Road (W7 D4).

So, you can see why - much like some of us dread having to visit certain relatives at Christmas - Ipswich are perhaps not looking forward to the next few days.

The journeys to Millwall, Coventry and Portsmouth will be no walkovers, as all have the ability and the need to get a win for their own ambitions.

The next couple of weeks could be crucial for the Tractor Boys' attempt to bounce back into the Premier League.

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Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna felt his side have much to learn from their 3-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday at Portman Road.

Ipswich have climbed to third in the Championship, but McKenna claimed there were good parts and bad bits to their performance.

He told BBC Radio Suffolk: "It's good to get the win, it's good to get the three points.

"The first half, we weren't great. It was a tense performance. We got the first goal from a set-play, but we knew at half-time we had to play better and I thought for most of the second half we did that.

"It's another lesson in how the game is and it's not over at 2-0. We eased off for a few moments, they got their goal from a set-play and the game was alive again.

"It was a bit nervy, but then we got the third goal and it was over.

"There are lots of lessons to learn in there and there were bits where we played well, bits where we didn't, bits we managed and bits we didn't manage so well. There's lots to take from it. We'll take the lessons and move on."

Sheffield Wednesday will look to break a resolute Ipswich Town on the Tractor Boy's own soil when they make the trip on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

Wednesday have scored the least goals of any Championship team this season (15) and will face a tough challenge to add to that tally against an Ipswich side racking up clean sheets at Portman Road.

But the Owls' one and only win this season came on the road, while the hosts lost last time out to Leicester City to show they are not infallible.

• Ipswich did the league double over Sheffield Wednesday when they last faced in 2023-24, as many victories as they'd managed in their previous 11 against the Owls (D5 L4).

• Sheffield Wednesday failed to score in both meetings with Ipswich in 2023-24, having found the net in 18 in a row against them before this. They've never gone three without a goal against the Tractor Boys before.

• Ipswich have won 22 points in home matches in the Championship this season, with only Coventry (26) and Middlesbrough (23) winning more. The Tractor Boys have only conceded one goal across the most recent five on home soil in the league, keeping four clean sheets.

• Sheffield Wednesday have only won one of their last 13 away matches in the Championship (D7 L5), with that lone victory in this run coming at Portsmouth back in September (2-0).

• Ipswich's Marcelino Nunez has been directly involved in eight goals in the Championship this season (3 goals, 5 assists), only once having more goal involvements in a single campaign (10 for Norwich in 2024-25). Indeed, his five assists are already his most in a Championship season to date.

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Ipswich Town full-back Darnell Furlong is certain they will be "up there" in the promotion battle at the end of the season despite Saturday's 3-1 defeat by Leicester City.

Town went into the game on the back of clean-sheet wins over Coventry City and Stoke City but were outplayed at the King Power Stadium, where Abdul Fatawu scored one of Leicester's goals from his own half.

"It's very frustrating. We had a great week and wanted to make it the perfect week, but things went against us," Furlong told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"They scored against the run of play at the start, we were doing well to that point, and then conceded another goal which we won't concede again this season.

"That put us massively on the back foot, we tried to come back, we always believed but I don't think we managed to show exactly the qualities to get back and score three goals."

Furlong said they were still "growing" as a team despite being fifth in the table and rejected the idea that their exertions against leaders Coventry and Stoke might have been a factor in their loss.

"No, I don't think so. We've got a great squad, we're fit, we train hard and this is what we prepare for," he said.

"We've shown what we're capable of so it's a case of washing our hands of this one and go again on Saturday.

"The squad is more than good enough, it's just about putting things together, we're a new group, still learning each other and how we want to be, but I have no doubt that come the end of the season we'll be up there, we're too strong not to be."

Ipswich are at home to bottom club Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.

Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna saw Town's fine run ended by Leicester in a 3-1 loss at the King Power Stadium and he felt the Foxes' two stunning first-half goals decided the game.

McKenna told BBC Radio Suffolk: "It was a bit of a strange game. The goals had a big bearing on it, which is obvious to say, but they've scored two worldies in the first half.

"They've scored a goal just before half-time, which is as good as you'll see anywhere, and it changes the feeling for both sides.

"It simply wasn't our day.

"We know a Leicester team with confidence and they score two goals like that, then you're facing one of the best teams in the league for sure."

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Stuttering Leicester need to pick up some form soon if they are to live up to their expectations of making a push for promotion.

They'll be looking to bounce back on Saturday against Ipswich (15:00 GMT) after squandering a two-goal lead in Wednesday's 2-2 draw with Bristol City.

In-form Ipswich are unbeaten in their past three games and could make it three wins on the spin if they claim three points at the King Power Stadium.

Kieran McKenna's side, who sit fourth in the Championship, have tasted defeat just once across their past 10 matches (W6 D3).

• Leicester City are unbeaten in their last six league games against Ipswich Town (W3 D3) since a 1-0 defeat back in March 2013 under Nigel Pearson.

• Ipswich are winless in their last 11 away league matches against Leicester (D5 L6) since winning 2-1 on Boxing Day in 2002.

• Leicester lost their last home league game, going down 3-2 to Sheffield United – they last suffered consecutive home Championship defeats in March 2024, with the second of those defeats coming against Martí Cifuentes when he was QPR manager.

• Ipswich Town have picked up 10 points in their last five away league games (W3 D1 L1), more than in their previous 15 games on the road combined (9).

• Leicester have lost nine home league games in 2025 – only twice before have they lost more: 10 in both 1914 and 2007.

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Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna says it is hard to acclimatise to the Championship again after relegation from the Premier League.

The Tractor Boys visit Leicester City on Saturday (15:00 GMT) for a meeting between two sides who dropped down from the top flight last season.

Town are fourth - five points off the automatic promotion spots - but the Foxes have endured an inconsistent season so far and sit 13th, three points back from the play-off places.

"It's probably different for different clubs but it is difficult and especially if you don't get off to a good start and you can't get that momentum and turn it around if you're coming off a losing season," McKenna told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"Trying to get that turned around is certainly not easy. You've seen all different things over the years. You've seen teams get off to a good start then everyone is happy and things push on.

"You've seen Luton compete in the Premier League and then get relegated straight through [to League One]. And then you've seen everything in-between over the last decade.

"It's certainly a challenge and turning around momentum in all aspects from the season before is difficult and that's what we're still fighting to do here."

McKenna says Leicester are "probably not happy with where they are and it's not gone as well as they would've liked".

However, he is still expecting a difficult game and says it will take a "big performance" to pick up all three points.

"It's of course a challenge coming down from the Premier League," McKenna added.

"Still when I watch them, they're very often the better footballing side in a game. They play very well through the pitch and play some good football.

"They still have really good players. I think Marti [Cifuentes] is a really good coach. He did a really good job at QPR, certainly when we faced him in the Championship last time around, I thought they were really well-organised."

Listen to McKenna's pre-match interview in full on BBC Sounds.