Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna hails time well spent on the training ground

Posted Sunday, January 09, 2022 by PA

Kieran McKenna believes the extra time he has had with his players on the training ground has paid off after Ipswich swept aside Gillingham 4-0 at Priestfield.

The visitors blew away the League One strugglers with three goals in the opening 30 minutes, with James Norwood, Wes Burns and Macauley Bonne all finding the net.

A dominant performance was capped off by Conor Chaplin’s 85th-minute penalty after Max Ehmer bundled over Joe Pigott, securing back-to-back wins for new manager McKenna.

“It was a really pleasing performance,” said McKenna. “The quality of our football throughout was at a really high level. We scored three fantastic goals and we managed to control the game for long periods.

“We wanted to impose ourselves from kick-off and the early goals gave us a great start. Our intensity, aggression and organisation off the ball were also really good, which led to another clean sheet.

“The mentality in the group is really good. It has been a strange time, having had two games called off, but the time we’ve had on the training ground at this stage of the season has been like having half a winter break.

“We’ve worked hard technically and tactically, and that all paid off. The boys are hungry, they are itching to get out and play. We’ve got to keep our feet on the floor because Bolton next week will be a new challenge for us. It’s very early days.”

The result saw Steve Evans’ hosts slump to their sixth defeat in 10 winless league games, with their torrid afternoon summed up when Daniel Phillips was sent off for collecting two yellow cards in four minutes.

“There are no excuses – I’d love to come here and say it was this, it was that, but ultimately it was down to ill-discipline,” said Gillingham assistant manager Paul Raynor.

“People didn’t do their jobs defensively; we needed to play with intensity and be disciplined, which we did last week at MK Dons. We didn’t do that today. Teams like Ipswich don’t need a helping hand, but that’s what we gave them.

“Today was disappointing in all aspects of the game. We can’t be getting done with one-twos, with overloads, and people not staying with their runners. That’s basic football.

“Steve and I have not been in this situation too many times but when we have we’ve shown fight. We need people in the trenches with us and we need to get a response from the players.

“It’s up to us to put this right. It’s been a relegation battle for the last three or four weeks; there’s a gap to safety there now and we live in the real world. We need to win some matches quickly.”