Ipswich Town’s 4-2 victory over Preston North End left fans thrilled once again, marking another home game filled with goals and another impressive win. It couldn’t have been any better!
Many of us, including myself, had concerns about facing Preston after two previous defeats. We wondered if they would come to Portman Road with a determination to disrupt our winning streak. The way they lined up before kick-off seemed to suggest that.
As expected, they tried to play aggressively with some robust challenges, but we’ve grown stronger and more resilient lately, and we weren’t easily intimidated. The only result of their tactics was a series of yellow cards.
During the first half, we displayed the beautiful, flowing football that has defined our remarkable start to the season. When we play at our best, even formidable teams like Preston can’t keep up with us, and they currently sit in third place in the league.
However, unlike our outstanding 90-minute performance against Hull earlier in the week, our energy levels dipped at the beginning of the second half. Preston took control of possession, and we struggled to regain our momentum.
This is where the magic of McKenna shines through. Everything our manager does seems to turn to gold, and I propose we nickname him ‘Midas McKenna.’ He made five substitutions, and each of the new players contributed to Kayden Jackson’s decisive goal, which secured the match.
This also speaks volumes about the depth of our squad. It was almost as if we decided to stop fooling around and finish the game in style. As the chant goes, ‘We score when we want.’
McKenna mentioned that the sluggish start in the second half might be attributed to fatigue from playing seven games in 21 days. If that’s the case, the upcoming international break is perfectly timed.
One player who certainly didn’t show any signs of fatigue on Saturday was Brandon Williams. After a challenging start with the team, Williams has steadily improved and delivered a fantastic performance against Preston, displaying aggressiveness and determination. His goal was a thing of beauty and reminded me of a similar goal by Mauricio Taricco. It appears that Williams is on his way to becoming a cult hero just like the Argentine.
As we approach a quarter of the way through the Championship season, the league table brings immense joy and almost feels unbelievable. We are eight points clear of Preston in third place and are the top scorers in both divisions. Even the most optimistic Ipswich fans couldn’t have anticipated this level of success.
While we should savor this incredible period, I can’t help but have some lingering concerns, perhaps due to two decades of frustration. I find myself worrying about what might happen if Egypt calls up Sam Morsy for the African Cup of Nations.
But then, I remind myself of our owners’ commitment to strengthening the team in January. We witnessed their transformative spending in the transfer window earlier this year, turning a decent League One team into an unstoppable force. The prospect of them repeating this feat is truly exciting.
We’re already dominating our opponents, as demonstrated in our match against Hull last Tuesday, where all their shots came after we were 3-0 up. We could have beaten Preston by an even larger margin if not for conceding some poor goals.
So, I’ll put my worries aside for now. There’s so much to celebrate and enjoy. We have a well-deserved break to catch our breath, reflect on these extraordinary couple of months, and eagerly anticipate the exciting times that lie ahead.”
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