Ipswich Town

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Ipswich made "too many mistakes" as they were beaten 2-1 by Championship leaders Middlesbrough on Friday night, according to head coach Kieran McKenna.

A Cedric Kipre own goal and Morgan Whittaker's first strike for Boro put the hosts in control before skipper Dara O'Shea gave the Suffolk side hope with a late header.

George Hirst missed a penalty for Ipswich with the score at 0-0.

"We made too many mistakes to win the game or to have too many complaints," McKenna told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"The night could have been different. We could have got the first goal on a couple of occasions, the penalty being the biggest one."

The defeat ends Ipswich's five-match unbeaten run and McKenna feels they failed to manage the game properly

"The bit of the performance I'm most disappointed about is how we managed the most difficult spells of the game - it became too open, too chaotic, we gave up too much," he added.

"To come away to a difficult place against a team in form and a crowd behind them, you can't make as many mistakes as we did. You need to be stronger and show more resilience to keep the ball out of your net."

Ipswich are next in action at home to Charlton on Tuesday, 21 October.

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The international break is finally over and the Championship weekend begins in style on Friday night as Middlesbrough welcome Ipswich to the Riverside (20:00 BST).

Rob Edwards' side will seek to get back on track after losing their unbeaten record and top-spot in the table last time out with a 1-0 defeat at Portsmouth on 4 October.

The Tractor Boys were 3-1 winners over Norwich in the East Anglian Derby the following day to jump up to ninth, but within striking distance of the top-three.

• Middlesbrough failed to beat Ipswich in the last league season they played together in 2023-24 (D1 L1), after winning five of the previous seven encounters (D2).

• Ipswich could win successive league games at Middlesbrough for the first time, after winning 2-0 on their last league visit in December 2023.

• Middlesbrough, who went down last time out to Portsmouth, could lose successive league games for the first time since April, while they haven't failed to score in three successive league matches since April 2022 (run of four).

• Only Coventry and Queens Park Rangers (both 11) have won more points in the Championship since the start of September than Ipswich (10), while they've scored 13 goals across their past five games since a 1-0 defeat to Preston North End.

• Nine of Ipswich's past 12 Championship goals have been scored by either Jack Clarke (4) or Jaden Philogene (5) – Clarke has found the net in four of his past five games, with three of those coming as a substitute.

Ipswich midfielder Azor Matusiwa says playing in the Championship is "more intense" than other leagues he has experienced and expects there is more to come from The Tractor Boys.

The 27-year-old played in France with Reims and Rennes after starting in his native Netherlands, before making the move to Portman Road in the summer.

"Every game I have played here it has been a full stadium, which was really nice and you can feel the love of the people, and how they support the club," Matusiwa told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"If I have to compare the quality in France you have more individual quality, but the teams are better in England - so it feels like a really good step for me.

"It is more intense compared to France, which is also intense, but you have time to play, it is not box-to-box for 90 minutes."

Following the international break Ipswich visit Middlesbrough on Friday (20:00 BST), where they will be looking to extend their unbeaten run to six games.

Boro have only lost one league game this season, a 1-0 defeat by Portsmouth.

"I think we can play much better than we are doing now," Matusiwa added.

"But as I have said before it takes some time, with new players and the players have to adjust that are coming from abroad and it will take some time.

"They might not be there immediately from the start, but at the end we will be there, which is a normal thing."

Listen to Matusiwa's full interview and more on BBC Sounds.

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Ipswich Town head coach Kieran McKenna expects forward Sam Szmodics to be fit for their next run of Championship matches despite him withdrawing from the recent Republic of Ireland squad.

The 30-year-old missed the World Cup qualifiers against Portugal and Armenia because of injury but McKenna says he will train ahead of Friday's match at Middlesbrough (20:00 BST).

"It's his ankle again," he said. "He needed a course of injections after the Norwich game to ease the symptoms he's been feeling.

"So he needed some time off his feet, some time away from the group training."

Szmodics had ankle surgery in March and also withdrew from the Republic of Ireland squad for friendlies against Senegal and Luxembourg in June, but McKenna is confident the treatment has had the desired effect.

"It seems to have worked pretty well and hopefully the time he's had off to rest will put it in better stead and he'll be ready for the block of games ahead," said the Ipswich boss at his pre-match press conference.

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Ipswich Town midfielder Jack Taylor has signed a new three-year contract with the Championship club.

Taylor has made 80 appearances since arriving from Peterborough United in 2023, although 55 of the 69 games he has played in the league have been from the bench.

The 27-year-old has scored seven goals for the Tractor Boys, including the winner at Wolves in the Premier League last season.

"I have had so many fantastic experiences over my two years at the club so far and have enjoyed every opportunity I've had to play for Ipswich Town, so it was an easy decision to extend my stay," he told the club website., external

"I have improved so much as a footballer during my time working under the manager and coaches here and I look forward to pushing on further over the next few years and helping the team achieve its goals."

Ipswich are ninth in the table following last weekend's East Anglia derby win over Norwich and will be away to Middlesbrough in their next game on 17 October.

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Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna has been named the Championship manager of the month for September.

After a slow start to life back in the second tier at Portman Road, the Tractor Boys began to find momentum in September, claiming seven points from a possible nine to stay unbeaten, including a 5-0 demolition of Sheffield United, a 2-1 win over Portsmouth and a 1-1 draw under the lights at Bristol City.

Chosen ahead of Charlton's Nathan Jones, Preston's Paul Heckingbottom and QPR boss Julien Stephan, he said: "I am happy to accept the award on behalf of all the staff at the club and thank them for the hard work they have put in since the start of pre-season.

"We are pleased with the progress we are making and have had some good results in recent weeks, but we are all aware we need to keep pushing over what is a long and challenging season in the Championship."

Sky Sports' EFL pundit Don Goodman said: "Ipswich didn't make the start that many expected but they certainly turned it around in September.

"Kieran McKenna's side are one of the favourites for promotion this season and he will be hoping September has set them on their way and will prove to be a catalyst for a Premier League return."

BBC Suffolk commentator Brenner Woolley said: "I'm really pleased for him. I think some people have gone a bit overboard in recent weeks when Town have only lost one game this season.

"He's not above criticism, some things have not gone right for him in 2025 but he deserves respect and time to build a new team, which is what he's trying to do.

"We're in mid-October and he's lost one game this season, away, through a penalty, against the team who are fourth in the league. It's not been a disastrous start.

"We are seeing some signs that could be very positive in the long term. There's still work to be done but there are signs this could click at some stage and be special."

Tractor Boys winger Jaden Philogene, who was nominated for player of the month after finding the net four times in the side's three completed matches in September, missed out on the award to Hull City forward Oli McBurnie.

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Hosts Blackburn Rovers will face Ipswich Town once again on Tuesday, 2 December (19:45 GMT), following the controversial decision to replay the match after it was suspended in the 79th minute due to heavy rainfall.

Before the game was called off, Ipswich defender Jacob Greaves was dismissed early into the second half for a tackle on forward Yuki Ohashi as the Japanese drove towards goal, and Todd Cantwell later converted a penalty for Rovers to take a 1-0 lead.

The English Football League confirmed the match would be replayed in full the following Thursday, prompting a strong reaction from Blackburn boss Valerien Ismael.

Greaves was required to serve his suspension; however, Cantwell's goal will not stand for the upcoming replay.

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Charlton Athletic and Ipswich Town lead the manager and player of the month awards for September after both sides have remained undefeated and climbed up the Championship table.

Tractor Boys winger Jaden Philogene has been nominated for player of the month after finding the net four times across the side's three completed matches in September, including a hat-trick during their 5-0 drubbing over Sheffield United.

Charlton's James Bree bagged two goals and two assists over their four games to earn his nod.

Addicks boss Nathan Jones and Ipswich's Kieran McKenna both earn manager of the month nominations for their roles in their unbeaten months but face tough competition against Preston North End's Paul Heckingbottom and Queens Park Rangers' Julien Stephen.

Both also enjoyed an undefeated September, with Preston and QPR currently residing in the top six.

Sheffield Wednesday captain Barry Bannan and Hull City's Ollie McBurnie round out the player nominations.

McBurnie scored in each of the side's four games to produce five goals in September, while Bannan helped earn Wednesday five points with an opening goal in their first league win of the season against Portsmouth and two assists.

Marc Webber
BBC 5 Live at Portman Road

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The bogey has been lifted.

Ipswich fans have waited 16 years for a moment like yesterday. And for all the joy of being in the Premier League, nothing feels better than a derby win.

Jaden Philogene's wonder goal and Marcelino Nunez's post-match celebrations using a Norwich blogger's statue request are what grabbed the headlines. But there is a very interesting tactical subtext which played out in that victory.

Ipswich's third goal came off the bench. Nunez came on after 75 minutes and, within minutes, supplied the through ball to fellow 75th-minute replacement Ivan Azon who hit the post, before another 75th-minute joiner, Jack Clarke, hoovered it up.

It was the second game in a row where Kieran McKenna delivered a tactical masterclass and made the right change at the right time.

Bringing on former Canary Nunez clearly boosted the atmosphere at a time momentum could have flagged. But by making a triple change from an impressive bench, it also added known scoring ability to passion.

Tactical substitutions with a full Ipswich bench could be the tool that pushes the Tractor Boys further up the table after the international break.

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Former Ipswich Town striker Alex Mathie believes the current team is "only going to get better" following Sunday's 3-1 win over East Anglia rivals Norwich City.

The three points lifted Kieran McKenna's side to ninth in the Championship, just two points outside the play-off places - with the highlight provided by Jaden Philogene's stunning 30-yard strike which made the score 2-1.

"It was a great finish from Philogene again - he's really on fire just now, every time he shoots, he scores," Mathie, who netted a hat-trick against the Canaries in 1998, told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"To just have the confidence to do that with his left foot, which is not his strongest foot - it was unstoppable, it really was.

"It's a massive confidence boost. We go ninth now with a game in hand and if we win that we'd be top three. We're only going to get better because the team is still building.

"We've got a lot more to come - I think we can still play better, we still need to sort the playing out from the back a little bit because they had the high press and we were getting ourselves in bother."

McKenna guided Ipswich to promotion two seasons ago but Mathie believes to do so this term would be an even bigger achievement, given the summer turnover at Portman Road, with 11 new players arriving.

"We've got the best young manager - if he can get us up there challenging, and promoted this season, he's done the best ever job because he's got a brand new squad and for a manager to do that in a short space of time would be fantastic," the Scot added.

Ipswich are next in action following the international break when they travel to face Middlesbrough on Friday, 17 October.

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Heavyweight boxer Fabio Wardley has "full faith" that Ipswich Town will get the job done in Sunday's East Anglia derby against Norwich City.

Town fan Wardley fulfilled a long-held dream to fight at Portman Road when he stopped Justis Huni in the 10th round in June.

And he is hoping Kieran McKenna's team can produce a knockout performance of their own and secure a first derby win over the Canaries since 2009.

"It's a massive occasion every time it comes around, I'm looking forward to it," Wardley told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"We're finding our feet a bit more now, finding a bit of form, the team is gelling.

"It's always got that added spice, that added grit, to it; there's always a bit of extra emotion going into that game."

He added: "I don't know if I've got any words of advice; the boys are well drilled. They know exactly what they've got to do, they know how big the moment is on Sunday. I believe in them, they've got my full faith."

Wardley will return to the ring against Joseph Parker at the O2 Arena in London on 25 October.