Ipswich Town 3-0 QPR
by Asif Burhan
at Portman Road

IPSWICH TOWN stormed back into the Premier League at the first attempt on Saturday afternoon. Two goals in the opening 10 minutes against QPR at a rocking Portman Road effectively sealed the win the home side required to finish in second position in the Championship and guarantee automatic promotion.

Leif Davis had already gone clean through on goal in the first minute before he went on the overlap to set up the opening goal, which was bundled over the line by the recalled striker George Hirst. Just six minutes later Hirst provided the assist for Jaden Philogene to turn inside Daniel Bennie, steady himself, and poke the ball home.

The pace of the game inevitably dropped after Ipswich’s fulminating opening. It took the introduction of top goalscorer Jack Clarke shortly after the hour mark to reinvigorate the home side. Clarke went close himself before Jack Taylor — involved in every goal — forced his way through in the 85th minute only to be denied by QPR goalkeeper Joe Walsh. The loose ball was swept home by substitute Kasey McAteer.

Despite the group of stewards lining the perimeter of the pitch long before the end of the game, thousands of Tractor Boys fans flooded onto the field as soon as the final whistle confirmed Ipswich Town’s return to the top flight. It took almost an hour for the security personnel to clear the pitch sufficiently for the trophy presentations to take place.

Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna has now steered the club to three promotions in the past four seasons since taking over what was then a League One club in 2021. The Suffolk side were 16 points adrift of safety in the Premier League last season, winning only four games all season and the assumption will be, without major investment, the club will go straight back down again.

However, McKenna feels that experience will only benefit them this time. Speaking to the media on the pitch after the game, he said: “The club’s definitely in a better place. We climbed so quick and we had some brilliant people at the club and a really good culture, but in so many ways we were not ready for that step and I think the club in pretty much every department now is in a much, much, much stronger position, and those things add up.

“Of course we know it’s still a massive step and there have got to be a lot of good decisions made over the course of the summer, but I think the club is in a far, far, far stronger position than it was standing here two years ago, so that’s a good base to, hopefully, have a big summer.”

Automatic promotion means the club have avoided the potential pitfalls of the play-offs thereby shortening their season by three weeks. McKenna, who shared the special moments which followed the victory with his children on the pitch, said he was not going to rush off on holiday or begin preparations for the new season yet.

“I can’t give you a timescale,” he said, “but I’ve promised myself I’m going to enjoy this one and switch off a little bit first of all. Kids are in school, a couple of weeks until half-term, so I can’t jet off anywhere too far, but I’ll enjoy it over the weekend with the family and with the staff, that’s for sure and try to give it a little bit of time and then everyone turn their minds to what’s next.”