admin“Manager Kieran McKenna WARNINGS to players amid Coventry City clash as he is looking to bounce back from the disappointments at Oxford and Blackburn.
Ipswich Town return to Portman Road on Saturday as league leaders Coventry City arrive in what will be their toughest home test of the season.
Manager Kieran McKenna is eager for a reaction after a frustrating week that saw his side lose 2–1 at Oxford and then scrape a late 1–1 draw at Blackburn, thanks to Sindre Walle Egeli’s first goal in English football.
Town appeared to be hitting form after a six-match unbeaten run pushed them into the play-off places, but recent results have halted that momentum. Now they face a Coventry side who have set a blistering early pace that no other Championship team has been able to match.
The Sky Blues, who reached last season’s play-off semi-finals, sit 10 points clear at the top with 43 points from 18 games—15 more than Town.
They’ve won five in a row and 11 of their last 12, while scoring a division-high 50 goals—reaching that figure faster than any second-tier club since Sheffield Wednesday in 1958/59. Only Stoke have conceded fewer goals.
Away from home, Coventry have been ruthless: six wins, two draws, and only one defeat—a 3–2 loss at Wrexham in October, in a match they had been leading until former Town striker Kieffer Moore hit a hat-trick.
They have scored 25 away goals, the most in the division by some distance, and are yet to concede first in any away fixture.
McKenna says Saturday’s showdown is exactly the type of test his side should relish.
“It’s one to really look forward to,” he said. “We’re playing the team at the top of the league, in brilliant form, and it’s the kind of game players, staff and fans all want.”
The Town boss also praised Coventry manager Frank Lampard—appointed in November 2024—and the club’s long-term squad development.
“They’ve done a fantastic job,” McKenna said. “Their recruitment over the last few seasons has been outstanding. They lost big players like Gyokeres and Hamer but reinvested really smartly.
They’ve brought in strong international players and developed young British talent. Their squad has had time to grow together and it shows.”
McKenna contrasted Coventry’s stability with the rebuild taking place at Ipswich, who underwent significant squad changes in the summer.
“The biggest difference is consistency,” he said. “Coventry could start seven to ten of the same players from when we last faced them in the Championship.
They’ve had years together. We’re in a completely different stage—lots of new players, new partnerships, new relationships.”
He added that Town are still forming their strongest XI.
“Three months together, plus international breaks, isn’t much time. We’re building those connections, but that process takes time. We’ve taken steps forward and steps back. Tuesday felt like a step backward, so now we need to take two steps forward.”
McKenna expects Coventry to attack, unlike recent visitors who have set up defensively.
“Teams who want to play openly give you a different type of match,” he said. “When Sheffield United, Norwich and Portsmouth came here and tried to play, we scored goals and came out on top. Against teams who sit in, it’s been more frustrating.”
He believes the next two fixtures—Coventry on Saturday and Stoke next Wednesday—will offer opportunities for Town to test themselves in more open contests.
Coventry striker Ellis Simms, widely linked with Ipswich before joining the Sky Blues in 2023, is among the threats Town must handle.
“They’ve recruited really well. They’re an example of what can be achieved without parachute payments,” McKenna said.
Town beat Coventry 4–1 in the FA Cup in February, but McKenna dismissed the relevance of that result.
“Different teams, different priorities. I’d love to say we gained loads from that win, but it’s not really the case.”
He also recalled fondly last April’s 2–1 win at Coventry, part of the late surge that secured promotion, but insists it has no bearing on Saturday’s match.
“A great night, but no correlation to this game,” he said. “We’ll keep the good memories, but it’s a completely new challenge.”
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