On promotion pressure…
“There’s always nerves at this stage of the season. There’s no doubt about that. Saturday (0-0 draw at West Brom) was always going to be a tough game for many, many different reasons. We know it wasn’t our best performance of the season, but I thought we were good value for a really important point from a very losable game against a strong opponent on the day. It sets us up well for this week.
“You encourage the players to stay away from as much of the external noise as they can, not think too much about the outcome and just really focus on the details within the performances that will give us the best chance.
“But, of course, you’re dealing with human beings and it’s impossible to block everything out. There’s going to be that extra bit of tension going into the games, but that’s a privilege at this stage of the year.
“We’ve worked really hard to be in this position and we’re super motivated to go and make the most of it.”
On facing a Southampton side that are unbeaten in 17 league games and who pushed Manchester City all the way in an FA Cup semi-final on Saturday…
“We’ve faced some of the most in-form teams in the division over recent weeks and Southampton are very much one of those as well. It’s going to be another big challenge, but we believe we’ll give them a tough game.
“They had a big game at Wembley, playing maybe the best team in the world, and all the stuff that comes with that. But we had a big game ourselves too.
“Southampton, to be fair, are the only team with a schedule resembling ours over the last few weeks. So maybe it’s one game that we cannot talk so much about freshness.
“They’ve found a base system and template now that seem to be suiting them well as a team. Of course, confidence and momentum has been a massive thing. They’ve won on the small margins a lot.”
Southampton need a win to keep their top two hopes alive going into the final weekend. For Ipswich, anything but a win would leave them still needing a victory from their home finale against QPR to be assured of second spot. So, with this being something of a ‘free hit’, how will McKenna approach this game?
“From Birmingham to Middlesbrough to Norwich, we’ve faced a lot of teams who were probably in the ‘last chance saloon’ over recent weeks. It must be a pretty busy saloon because we seem to have played someone who’s been in it every week!
“It’s clear that both teams want to win and neither team are going to be holding out for a draw. I think we all know if the game’s tied in the last 10 minutes then neither of us are going to be sitting on a draw.
“If the answer to trying to win the game was playing seven up front then we’d do that. It’s about picking a team and a strategy and a game plan that we think gives us the best chance to win the game, whatever that takes. That, as always, is about the balance of respecting the opponent and their threats and also looking at our strengths and how we can impose them.
“There’s not an away game we’ve gone into this year where we’ve not tried to win. There are times in away games, late on, where you can kind of accept and say that the point is not bad – Saturday was probably one of those. But if it gets to that point late on tomorrow then both teams are going to be going for the win. No one’s going to settle for a point.”
On potentially all-but sealing promotion at St Mary’s…
“Of course, that’s the dream scenario going into this week. But, honestly, I don’t put too much energy into thinking what a relief it would be or what it would feel like or anything like that. Because the energy and the thoughts need to go towards this performance and what it’s going to take.
“What the emotions will be if and when we get the result that we want this week, whether it’s on Tuesday or Saturday, I think we’ll deal with those when they come.”
On whether his group have the character to get over the line…
“Honestly, I don’t think there’s a magic recipe for this stage of the year. There’s no switch that you can turn on at this stage of the year to make all the tension go away. Over the course of the year you try and build all the things you’re going to need to be successful – trust, confidence, character, resilience – all the things that really sustain you when it comes down to the final reckoning. You hope that will shine through and will carry you over the line in the end.
“We think we’ve built that over the course of the year, but, for sure, it’s going to be tested this week. It’s really tough to win games at this stage of the year. But we believe in ourselves.
“The trust, the resilience in difficult moments, I think that has improved over the course of the year. There was evidence of it on Saturday, evidence of it at Charlton, evidence of it right through the last few months.
“I know we’re certainly not the finished article. I don’t think any team is ever the finished article. Right the way through to the last game, I still think we’re going to be learning and growing as a group and going through things for the first time together. But I think what we’ve come through over the course of the season puts us in a strong position.
“I know the players really want to step up and do everything they can, whether they’re starting or whether they’re on the bench or not in the squad. They all want, for themselves and for their families and for the supporters, to make this an incredible and historic week for the club. Everyone is prepared to do whatever they can to help that happen.”