Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna felt mistakes on a team and individual level led to his side conceding five times as they were beaten 5-3 at Wrexham.
Having been behind twice via ex-Blues striker Kieffer Moore, in only the sixth minute, and Josh Windass, the Blues levelled, first through Anis Mehmeti, netting his first goal for the club, and then Ivan Azon, his first as a starter to make the scoreline 2-2 at half-time.
Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna. Photo: Barry Goodwin
Cedric Kipre’s brilliant 25-yarder shortly after the break appeared to set Town on their way to what would have been their first comeback win since April 2024, the 3-2 home defeat of Southampton.
But goals from George Thomason, Callum Doyle and ex-Town forward Nathan Broadhead saw the Blues suffer their second defeat at the Racecourse Ground in eight days, the Welshmen having dumped them out of the FA Cup at the fourth round stage last weekend.
“Really disappointed with the outcome, disappointed with ourselves, obviously, on the goals that we conceded,” McKenna said.
“We’ve come away from home and we’ve scored three really good goals and it should be enough to win you the game, but we’ve conceded some really poor ones and some clinical finishing from Wrexham.
“It was really frustrating because it was on the cusp of being a really good day for us with some of the qualities that we showed and, ultimately, the goals we’ve conceded and the mistakes we’ve made as a team or on an individual level have cost us the result we wanted.”
Reflecting on the goals conceded, McKenna said: “I think there were different periods [of the game]. We’ll have to analyse them all. We conceded the first goal, it’s a really good strike from Kieffer but we should defend the basic flick-on better.
“But the response was good and we got the goal back. We’re most disappointed with the second goal, to be honest, and that was a phase where we weren’t defending with enough intensity as a team and we didn’t stay strong enough as a team to defend that goal. As a group, that’s probably the one we’re most disappointed with.
“Again, we scored a great goal before half-time, we got back to 2-2 and I think we came out really well at the start of the second half. Another really good goal to go 3-2 up and we were pushing for the fourth goal, really.
“Maybe at 3-2 you can say, and I think it would be fair to say, that we didn’t manage the game well enough, we left ourselves a little bit open on a transition where they were able to counter through the middle of the pitch.
“At that point, we were really pushing for the fourth, so we could have managed that situation better.
“Having said that, the goal’s a little bit lucky as well in terms that we still have Dara [O’Shea], Darnell [Furlong] and Cedric behind the ball and we defend the 18-yard box well and block the shot ,and it just falls right to their player [Thomason].
“And then at 3-3, it’s going to be really tough and you’re going to have to stand up well and we didn’t do that on the set play, the first corner maybe that they had in the second half. We don’t attack the ball well enough and they score almost unopposed on the six-yard box [through Doyle].
“I think the last goal [Broadhead’s], goals like that can happen when you’re 4-3 down and you’re chasing the game and you make a little error.
“There was so much in there, the ultimate feeling is the frustration at a loss and anger and disappointment at the goals we’ve conceded.
“That overrides, certainly at the moment, the positives of the fact that we came back from behind and put ourselves in a winning position. We’ve scored three goals against a team who are hard to break down, especially after conceding early.
“We will be really honest and harsh with ourselves on those goals when we watch them back now as a group and try and rectify the mistakes that we’ve made.”
Asked why that elusive comeback win hasn’t yet come, McKenna said: “I’m not sure, I don’t think it’s ever one thing. It certainly doesn’t feel like it at the moment, but I do think there was actually a step towards it in there today in terms of how we reacted to going behind early, how we came back and we went from a losing position to a winning position against a good team away from home.
“So there is a step forward in that way. If anything what’s cost us is not seeing a game out when ahead and that’s something that we’ve done really well this season consistently.
“That’s the bit to reflect on a little bit more today than the comeback because in terms of coming back and scoring goals from behind and showing those qualities, I thought we showed some of them.”