Kieran McKenna pleased to see Ipswich keep their play-off hopes alive

Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna said his team produced a “very good performance” in their 1-0 victory over Plymouth in Sky Bet League One.

The only goal of the Portman Road contest came in the 37th minute when Sam Morsy netted, following a pinpoint cross from James Norwood.

Morsy’s sidefooted effort from inside the six-yard box was enough to move Ipswich to within five points of the play-off places.

McKenna said: “It was a very good performance, especially first half and I liked all aspects of our game apart from probably being greedy and we could have been more than 1-0 up.

“I thought our intensity was good and we pressed high up the pitch really well, (were) connected and aggressive off the ball and on the ball we got joy with the things we had in our game plan in the areas we wanted to hurt them.

“We got joy from that and it came to fruition with the goal and probably could have been more than one at half-time.

“The second half was a little bit different, we started a little bit passive but we connected our passes again and I thought we controlled it well and I can only criticise us not getting that second goal.

“It was a really good spin by James (Norwood), a good cutback and a good goal.

“It’s only three points for us but it’s an important step in our development to beat teams around and about us.”

After seeing his fourth-placed team concede their first goal in seven games,
Plymouth boss Steven Schumacher said: “I was gutted with the result.

“We knew before we came here it was going to be a tough game.  We knew Ipswich have been in really good form and we knew we were going to have to be at our best and be clinical with the chances that we got.

“I felt 15 minutes of the first half we started quite well, we had a lot of possession but didn’t really make the most of it and once Ipswich got their goal it gave them some momentum and they were the stronger team after that.

“The second half I thought our lads gave it everything. We put in all the effort that we could put in but we probably lacked a little bit of quality in the main moments and didn’t threaten their goal and in the end they probably deserved to win the game.

“It was the seventh game in 22 days and it has taken a lot out of us but to take 18 points from those seven games in brilliant,

He added: “I felt that we gave Ipswich a good game. It was a really tough game and we pushed them all the way.

“‘They had a little bit more energy as they did not play midweek but one set piece might have fallen for us.

“We knew that it was going to be hard but we just take it on the chin and move on. We just lacked that killer instinct.”