Kieran McKenna hails Ipswich for taming Tigers and climbing league table

Kieran McKenna admitted Ipswich Town were far from flawless, but applauded their resilience as they climbed to fourth in the Sky Bet Championship with a 2–0 victory at Hull City.

Ipswich managed to keep quiet a Hull side who had found the net in each of their previous 13 games. However, the visitors struggled to create much of their own attacking danger until former Tigers duo Jaden Philogene and Chuba Akpom entered the match in the 66th minute.

Philogene immediately made an impact, delivering a dipping cross with his first involvement that allowed an unmarked Marcelino Núñez to head in the opener.

Moments later, Akpom scored his first goal for Ipswich, sealing a third consecutive away win for the Blues.

Reflecting on a run that has now stretched to six matches unbeaten, McKenna said:
“We showed the qualities you need on nights like this, especially on a difficult pitch. Both teams found it hard to adapt.

When things aren’t perfect and you don’t have the control you want, you must stay intense and stay united. Our defensive structure was outstanding.”

He added:
“We improved after the break, got more rhythm in possession, adjusted to the conditions, and our confidence grew after the first goal. From that point on, it looked like we could score several.”

Ipswich are now just three points behind second-placed Stoke City, but McKenna stressed that league position is not his focus with so much of the campaign remaining.

“Of course, you’d love to be top of the league and win every match, but it doesn’t matter to me or the group where we sit right now,” he continued.
“I measure progress in other ways. We are advancing, not always in a straight line, far from perfect, lots still to improve — but we must stay together, stay calm, and keep working on every aspect.”

McKenna concluded:
“Mentally, this current run has shown how much progress we’ve made in understanding what it takes to succeed in the Championship.”

Hull, meanwhile, slipped to a third loss in their last four games and dropped to eighth place. They had created the better chances before Núñez struck, a moment head coach Sergej Jakirović described as devastating.

“The key moment was their goal,” Jakirović said. “We have to defend that situation. It wasn’t even a sharp cross. We train for these moments, which makes it even more painful.”

Hull are still without a penalty this season, and Jakirović argued they should have been awarded one when Kyle Joseph and former Tigers defender Jacob Greaves collided as they chased the ball. Both players fell, yet the decision went in Greaves’ favour.

“This is something that worries me,” Jakirović added. “When it’s 50-50, the call goes against us. We’ve played 17 matches and still haven’t had a penalty. I have several examples of clear penalties. I know the rules very well, so I’m concerned.”