“Absolutely Frustrating”- Kieran McKenna deliver honest verdict amid 2-1 defeat to Oxford United

Blues manager Kieran McKenna said it felt as though his side had “gifted” Oxford United their 2-1 victory, lamenting missed opportunities and two preventable goals.

Mark Harris opened the scoring for Oxford in the 24th minute after an error from Azor Matusiwa.

Leif Davis equalised eight minutes into the second half, but despite Ipswich looking the stronger side, Przemyslaw Placheta struck on the counter in the 77th minute to secure the win for the hosts.

“It’s a frustrating one. It feels like we handed the game away tonight,” McKenna admitted.
“There were two key elements: we weren’t clinical when we controlled the game, and we conceded two poor goals.

“We started well, created chances and got into great positions, but didn’t take them. The same happened at 1-1 — we had chances to go in front but didn’t convert.

And then we gave away two goals that shifted the momentum, the stadium energy, everything.”

McKenna said the second Oxford goal energised the hosts and their supporters, delaying Ipswich’s ability to react.

“Even at 2-1, the players kept going and we still had two big chances to level. That would’ve shown huge character.”

The defeat came after a six-match unbeaten run, including three straight away wins. McKenna acknowledged it was a setback but not unexpected during a congested fixture period.
“We’ve taken a knock, we’ll review it in the morning, and prepare for Tuesday,” he said.

McKenna accepted comparisons with earlier losses to Middlesbrough and Charlton, suggesting the team is still learning together.

“We’re experiencing things for the first time as a group. It won’t be as consistent as we want and there will be errors — we just need to limit them.

“For the second goal, it’s similar to those previous games. We were pushing for a winner and knew Oxford’s threat would come from a counter-attack or a long throw.

You have to stay switched on, and we didn’t defend the situation well enough. We made a mistake and got punished.”

Ipswich created several chances across all stages of the match, with Davis’s impressive volley the only one converted.

“On the balance of play, we should probably take something from the game — but football isn’t played on paper,” McKenna said.
“It’s a low-scoring sport. Goals change games. They took their moments and we didn’t.”

Town dominated possession with 73%, and McKenna downplayed suggestions Oxford set up to sit deep.
“They didn’t arrive to defend. Early in the game they tried to press us. We moved the ball well and forced them back.

Naturally when a team gets pushed into their final third, they pack bodies in to defend crosses and block central areas — they did that well.”

He added that breaking down compact teams remains an area of improvement but not the main issue on the night.
“We created more than enough chances to win. That wasn’t the problem.”

McKenna also confirmed Jens Cajuste missed the match after rolling his ankle.
“It’s not major ligament damage, but he was nowhere near being fit. We’ll monitor him day by day.”