Kieran McKenna welcomes distraction of the FA Cup as Ipswich beat AFC Wimbledon

Posted Sunday, January 07, 2024 by PA

Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna welcomed the distraction of the FA Cup as his side booked their place in the fourth round with a 3-1 win at AFC Wimbledon.

The Championship promotion-chasers were good value for their win at Plough Lane, as second-half goals from Axel Tuanzebe and Jack Taylor distanced 10-man Dons.

Having beaten Wolves and faced Fulham in the EFL Cup, McKenna wants another taste of the big time.

He said: “We’ve had a couple of Premier League teams this year and that gave us some good challenges. A big draw would be nice. We want to go far in the competition if we can.”

The Tractor Boys are firmly focused on reaching the promised land, sitting second in the Championship, but McKenna still sees value in a cup run.

“We’re coming out of a really busy period, but in the second half of the season the schedule isn’t as intense in the Championship in terms of midweek games, so we welcome the extra game,” he said.

Josh Davison put through his own net to give Ipswich the lead after eight minutes, but the hosts soon pulled level as Jake Reeves converted a penalty.

Tuanzebe restored the visitors’ lead after 40 minutes and Wimbledon’s prospects of mounting a second comeback were dented when Harry Pell, going up for an aerial challenge with George Edmundson, was shown a second yellow just before the hour mark.

His manager Johnnie Jackson railed against the decision, saying: “I feel like we’ve been robbed of an opportunity. Does Pell deserve to take no further part in the game because of that?

“He’s got eyes on the ball, he’s not looking at anything else but the ball, he doesn’t swing with his elbow at all. You can’t swing for a header without your arms coming up. I’m not saying he hasn’t been caught, but that’s football. It’s a poor decision.”

Taylor made it three in the final minute of normal time to send Ipswich into the fourth round for the second season running.

McKenna said: “It was a tough cup tie, but it was always going to be. It was everything you expect from an FA Cup tie – it wasn’t all our way.

“We certainly had chances to score more goals than we did, but we didn’t get the two-goal margin to make it 100 per cent comfortable until late in the game.”

Jackson added: “We competed with a top team in Ipswich, stayed in the game the whole 90 minutes, and I think we can feel a little bit hard done by.

“Even with 10 men, we’re pushing, forcing their keeper into saves. I don’t feel like that tells the story.”