Kieran McKenna made a surprise selection when asked to highlight the most significant game in Ipswich Town’s 2025/26 Championship promotion campaign.
The Blues beat QPR 3-0 at Portman Road on the final day of the season to secure second spot in the table and a third automatic promotion in four years.
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Asked to pick out either his favourite game or most significant moment, McKenna paused for thought and replied: “We’ve had some brilliant highs. Of course, the two Norwich games will stand out. I think the Sheffield United game here (5-0 win) was lift-off for the group.
“But when you look back at the seasons, honestly, the significant moments can be the losses. Losing here 3-0 to Charlton (last October) – that’s the significant moment.
Jack Clarke reacts after the 3-0 home defeat to Charlton (Image: Ross Halls)
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“Where we were at with the group at that point to where we’ve got the group to now – the clean sheets that we’ve had since then, the resilience that’s grown in the group…
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“Wrexham away (5-3 away loss in February) was another. Yeah, we didn’t show our best face, but also that game could have went either way. We conceded five goals away from home though and you feel that hurt.
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“In the end, for me, those are the signposts in the season. It’s about the tough days, how you come through them as a group, how you react and how you pull together tighter.
“That’s been right the way through the journey. To be honest, I could go back to Bristol Rovers (0-0 away draw midway through the League One promotion season).
“Maybe that’s just my way of looking at it. But those are the days that you show yourself as a manager, as a staff member, as a player. The struggle over the course of the season, I think, has brought us all tighter.”
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