Ipswich Town

"I don't think either team is performing anywhere near their best at the moment. It's two average Championship teams. It's so tricky to call.

"It's the most important game in the season and you've got to be at it. If you're at it, you win the game."

Brenner Woolley, John Wark and Graeme Mac preview Sunday's East Anglian derby against Norwich City, when Ipswich Town will look for their first derby win in 16 years as they host a Canaries side unbeaten in the league on the road this season.

Listen to the full discussion from BBC Radio Norfolk and more Ipswich Town on Sounds.

Image source, Rex Features

Ipswich Town goalkeeper Alex Palmer says "performances are getting there" after Tuesday's hard-fought draw at Bristol City.

A second-half penalty from Jack Clarke cancelled out Rob Atkinson's 18th-minute header to give the Tractor Boys a point and extend their unbeaten run to four matches.

"We've probably not worked the goalkeeper enough but I felt like we played well, even though we struggled to create those clear-cut chances," Palmer told BBC Radio Suffolk.

Town went to Ashton Gate hoping for a third win in a row, following three home games that yielded seven points.

"Obviously we want to replicate our home form that I feel like we've found," Palmer said.

"We're going into games trying to win - we're not playing for points.

"Every game in the Championship is tough. Everyone wants to beat us and we know that, but there are plenty of positives."

Among those positives, Palmer added, were the full debuts of striker Ivan Azon midfielder Marcelino Nunez, two of six changes made by manager Kieran McKenna.

"That shows how good the squad is that players can come in and rotate," said Palmer.

"It's a tough league but special mention to the boys making their debuts - they played really well."

Ipswich turn their attention to the small matter of Sunday's East Anglia derby against Norwich City at Portman Road (12:00 BST).

"It's going to be a feisty affair. They're good for the fans and good for football and one you can only look forward to and enjoy," Palmer said.

Image source, Getty Images

Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna defended his decision to make six changes to his starting line-up following the 1-1 draw at Bristol City.

With the East Anglia derby against Norwich looming on Sunday, McKenna's selection at Ashton Gate, saw both last weekend's scorers, Jaden Philogene and George Hirst, dropped to the bench.

"It sounds a lot but we made three or four (changes) on Saturday - we're going to need everyone to contribute and with games coming up we need to get everyone up and running and we saw some good signs of that tonight," he told BBC Radio Suffolk.

Town fell behind after a good start against the Robins but Jack Clarke earned them a point with a second-half penalty.

"Across the balance of chances it probably was the right result," said McKenna.

"We had to work hard to get back into it and put together some good moves - a really good one for the penalty.

"It's not a huge step forward but for us as a group coming away from home, imposing ourselves on the game is a step forward.

"Conceding the first goal and finding a way to get something from the game is a step forward."

Ipswich Town are now settled in the Championship and close to "clicking", says attacking midfielder Sammie Szmodics.

Town travel to Bristol City on Tuesday (19:45 BST) on the back of successive wins for the first time since May 2024, following a tough year in the Premier League last season.

"I think once the transfer window shut, it settled everyone because you now know who you are competing with," Szmodics told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"When you look at the squad, it is a top squad and we are moments away from clicking.

"We have all got our heads around what the manager wants to do when it comes to bringing on players and so as an attacking player you know what is going to happen when it gets to 65 minutes."

The 30-year-old has struggled on and off with injuries since joining Ipswich last summer but managed the full 90 minutes in Saturday's 2-1 win against Portsmouth.

"I have had a niggly ankle injury with my deltoid ligament," Szmodics added. "I am still managing it every day with strappings and a bit of work [but] I am able to get through 90-minute games, so I'm happy.

"Injuries are tough, absolutely. I have never had an injury like this before in my entire career. I turned 30 not long ago and I have never really struggled with an injury so it is new to me, but I am managing it."

Listen to Szmodics' full interview and more on BBC Sounds.

Ipswich Town will not be distracted by the prospect of next weekend's East Anglia derby against Norwich City when they take on Bristol City on Wednesday, says striker George Hirst.

"That's got none of my attention just yet. It's the next game on, it's Bristol that has all our focus and that's how it has to be," Hirst told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"I don't think any of the boys have spoken about next Sunday. When the time comes, we will - we know how big a game that will be when it does come, but we've got business to attend to in the midweek.

"It's going to be lively, it's going to be frantic (against Norwich), one of those kind of games but it's at the back of the mind right now."

Hirst scored his third goal of the season in Saturday's 2-1 win against Portsmouth, a result which left Town 12th in the table, just three points away from the top six.

And he is reasonably happy with his form so far in a new-look side assembled by head coach Kieran McKenna.

"I should have scored more, I could have scored more, but it is what it is, hopefully I'll keep ticking along and keep getting the goals as and when they come," the 26-year-old said.

"It wasn't my best game (against Portsmouth), there were a few bits I was sloppy on, but it's just work on the training ground (to put that right) and I got the goal regardless of all that.

"If I can have a bad game and come off with a goal, hopefully when I do play well, it's a good sign."

Image source, Opta

Bristol City will seek to get back to winning ways at Ashton Gate as Ipswich head west on Tuesday night (19:45 BST).

After going down 3-1 at home to Oxford United in their most recent home game, the Robins drew 0-0 at Preston on Saturday to stay fourth in a tightly-packed chasing pack behind early leaders Middlesbrough.

Though they lie 12th, the Tractor Boys are only three points behind after beating Portsmouth 2-1 at the weekend, though they have only picked up one point from their two away games thus far, with the third at Blackburn abandoned 10 minutes from time, with Town trailing 1-0, and to be replayed in full.

• Bristol City lost both league meetings with Ipswich Town in 2023-24 when they last faced each other, more than their previous 10 league matches against the Tractor Boys beforehand (W6 D3 L1).

• After their 1-0 win in October 2023, Ipswich could enjoy back-to-back away league wins at Bristol City for only the second time ever, previously doing so in 2011.

• Bristol City have both scored and conceded in nine of their past 10 home league games, the exception a 0-0 draw with Charlton in August.

• Ipswich have won just one of their past 13 away league games (D5 L7), a 2-1 victory at Bournemouth in April.

• Bristol City are unbeaten in their past eight midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) league games (W4 D4) since a 0-1 defeat to Watford in November 2024.

Image source, Rex Features

Boss Kieran McKenna spoke to BBC Radio Suffolk following Ipswich Town's 2-1 win against Portsmouth.

"It felt like a pretty dominant performance, and we were two ahead for a large part of the game and looking like the more likely team to get the third goal," he said.

"It's important to keep building these blocks with performances and results, so whichever way the scoreline comes, as long as we got the win today it's a good one.

"There were some good things in the performance and some things to improve - to go and actually turn the control and domination in the game into a scoreline where the game is done, because at 2-0 it is never done."

Portsmouth will seek yet more away game celebrations when they visit Ipswich Town on Saturday (15:00 BST) for their first meeting in over a decade.

Pompey won just three games on the road last season compared to 11 at Fratton Park but are seeing a reversal this season, with the side losing two games at home but none away from home.

Ipswich will be keen to deliver that first away defeat and add a successive second win to their season - albeit the side were struggling against Blackburn Rovers last time out before the unruly weather forced an abandonment.

• Ipswich are unbeaten in their last four league games against Portsmouth (W2 D2), all in League One between 2021 and 2022.

• This will be the first Championship meeting between Ipswich and Portsmouth since 2011-12, with the Tractor Boys winning 1-0 home and away that season.

• Following a 5-0 win against Sheffield United last time out, Ipswich are looking to win consecutive league games for the first time since May 2024.

• Having lost 11 of their 12 away league games from December to April 9th (W1), Portsmouth are now unbeaten in five on the road (W2 D3).

• No team's Championship games this season have seen fewer goals than Portsmouth's (9 – F4 A5). Indeed, only Sheffield United (1.4%) have a lower shot conversion rate than Pompey (4.9%).

Ipswich Town's suspended game against Blackburn Rovers should not be replayed according to Rovers head coach Valerien Ismael, but the BBC Radio Suffolk team believes protocol states otherwise.

The game at Ewood Park was abandoned in the 79th minute after heavy rain left the pitch waterlogged.

Rovers were 1-0 up and with a man advantage when play stopped and the EFL board are yet to make a decision on what happens next.

"The full 90 minutes have to be replayed. It's a little bit annoying from [Blackburn's] perspective but Town could counteract with 'it was their pitch that let us down,'" said BBC Radio Suffolk's Brenner Woolley.

"But the abandonment was 100% the right thing to do."

Jacob Greaves was shown a red card in the 49th minute of the game but while the match itself will likely be replayed and the result overwritten, Greaves' sending off and subsequent suspension will stand.

The defender misses Saturday's visit of Portsmouth (15:00 BST), with academy product Andre Dozzell returning in the blue of Pompey.

"I think he's a real good player. He's good on the ball, he's comfortable and he's been doing well," said John Wark.

"It's a difficult game but we're at home and we should win. We've got to win."

Listen to the full conversation and more Ipswich Town on Sounds.

A potential move to take the Championship play-offs down to eighth place would damage the competition's credibility, according to former Huddersfield, Stoke and Middlesbrough defender Tommy Smith.

The EFL board is set to discuss proposals to increase the number of teams in the end-of-season play-offs from four to six but Smith, who was promoted to the Premier League with Huddersfield via the play-offs in 2017 is not a fan of the idea.

"It's not for me - I think it suits teams who don't really have a chance to get in the top six," he told the BBC's EFL podcast 72+.

"From a credibility point of view the top six is there to be aimed at and you have to earn your place in it."

The play-offs were first introduced for the 1986-87 season where sides finishing third down to fifth were involved along with the team third-from-bottom in the top flight.

After two seasons the format was changed to be played out between teams finishing third to sixth in the second tier.

"To finish eighth in the Championship and potentially get promoted to the Premier League it just doesn't sit right with me," added Smith.

"Notoriously over the past years getting into the top six is tough and when you get in there after a long hard season it feels brilliant, so to make it a top eight it dilutes it."

Image source, Getty Images

Former Ipswich Town striker Alex Mathie said it will be boss Kieran McKenna's "biggest achievement" if he can get the side in contention at the top end of the Championship this season.

McKenna led a settled squad to successive promotions, taking Ipswich back to the Premier League, but last season's relegation from the top flight was followed by a significant churn of players over the summer.

They took six points from five games prior to Saturday's rain abandonment at Blackburn Rovers, when 10-man Town were losing 1-0 with 10 minutes to go.

"It's going to take time for McKenna to mould his team the way he wants them to play," Mathie told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"It will be a his biggest achievement to get this team up there challenging.

"At this moment in time, if we got to the play-offs, I'd be delighted with that - but it's going to be a tough ask for them. There's a lot of teams have got a head start on them, but who knows what they can do?

"I can't see us getting in the top two, we've not hit the ground running. But if we get to the play-offs, we might be able to peak at the right time."

Jacob Greaves and Dara O'Shea started the Blackburn game in central defence - prior to Greaves being sent off - and Mathie said he was not yet convinced by them as a pairing.

"They seem to get caught out. They go galloping forward and leave one there on their own, and that's what happened for the [Blackburn] goal," Mathie said.

"One ball over the top killed us, so I think they need to work on that together - as individuals. They are two very good centre-halves, but as a pairing, they are still to gel for me."

Ipswich Town defender Darnell Furlong says the "ambition of Ipswich is insane" following his move from West Bromwich Albion.

The 29-year-old got an assist and kept a clean sheet on his Tractor Boys debut, in their 5-0 win against Sheffield United last Friday.

"It was a really nice game to be involved in," he told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"I knew it would be a real tough game and it was to begin with, so it was nice to start with a strong performance.

"I didn't know it was the first clean sheet of the season until after the game, but really nice to do it at Portman Road."

Furlong departed the Baggies after six seasons with the West Midlands club.

"It is a strange feeling when you leave somewhere that you have been for a long time, it can be quite daunting," added Furlong.

"It is never easy to leave a club that you've been with for so long, where you enjoy and like playing.

"But, as I said to the manager when I first spoke to him, the ambition, from the outside when you're not part of it, it's insane to see what they are trying to do and where they are trying to go."

Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna says his team's collective energy has been "boosted" by their 5-0 win against Sheffield United last weekend.

The win was Ipswich's first of the Championship season and their first at Portman Road since January.

"There has been a really good energy - although there was before the Sheffield United game anyway, we are pretty good at that in general," McKenna told BBC Suffolk.

"We have had that feeling since the international break really - the team was in a positive mindset and when you get a result like we did, it gives everyone a bit of confidence in the direction of travel."

Six Ipswich players have started all five of the club's opening five Championship games so far this season, with McKenna admitting opportunities will come for others, when the games start to come "thick and fast".

"I have said it many times, if you want to be one of the top teams in the division, you need to have really good strength in depth with different qualities and it feels like we have that," the head coach added.

"Only 11 players can start and if we want to be a top team in this league then we need to have a top bench and if you want to have two good players for every position, you are going to get good players miss out of the squad."

The Tractor Boys will be looking to make it back-to-back wins when they visit Valerien Ismael's Blackburn Rovers on Saturday (15:00 BST).

"We are expecting a tough game," McKenna added. "It is a different Blackburn team to the one we faced a couple of years ago, probably only a few of the same players, but they have a really good manager, who is experienced at this level."

Listen to more from McKenna and Ipswich Town on BBC Sounds.