Kieran McKenna praises flying start as Ipswich beat Burton

Posted Sunday, February 20, 2022 by PA

Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna hailed his side’s blistering start after Kayden Jackson’s first-minute goal set them on their way to a 3-0 win over Burton.

Jackson struck after just 42 seconds and second-half strikes from Wes Burns and Bersant Celina sealed victory.

The win extended Town’s unbeaten run to four games and McKenna was pleased to see his side “stand up” to the threat posed by their opponents.

He said: “It was a good game and Burton came and made it a really competitive game. They came and threw everything at it which we thought they would do.

“They were going to come and go against us, so it made for an entertaining game.

“We got off to a great start, delighted with the goal, delighted with our intensity to try and transition so quickly and the first half was a competitive affair.

“They came and pressed us high and tried to regain the ball and mostly tried to win set-plays and play off their throw-ins and corners. They had a lot of balls in and around our box that we had to stand up to.

“I thought every time we managed to get our foot on the ball and play through the lines we had a threat, we had good penetration and good movement.”

Jackson latched on to a through-ball from Burns to open the scoring, but Albion came within a whisker of equalising when Lee Evans headed off the line following a shot by Jacob Maddox.

Burns fired home Town’s second in the 62nd minute and Celina tapped home the third in the 78th minute.

An unhappy Burton boss Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink said his team played like “schoolboys”.

Hasselbaink said: “We spoke about what their (Ipswich’s) triggers were and we opened their trigger.

“We were very naive, very silly and it makes it very difficult after the goal. We were in the game, the ball got cleared off the line and we were unlucky.

“I think we played like schoolboys today and, when you come to these places, you have to man up, you have to stand up and you have to play the game properly.

“Even if you don’t score, don’t let them score 2-0, stay in the game because the last 10, 15 minutes you can open the game up.

“They’re a good side, it’s a big club. We are Burton, we are disappointed, but it’s the manner of how we lost. It’s disappointing. I don’t like how we have lost and it should have been a lot better.”