McKenna: A Performance Which Had a Bit of Everything Saturday, 1st Apr 2023 18:41 Blues boss Kieran McKenna felt his side’s display had a little bit of everything as they won 2-0 against Derby County at Pride Park to move two points from the top of League One. Conor Chaplin’s 20th goal of the season gave Town the lead in the 17th minute before George Hirst sealed the Blues’ seventh win on the spin 14 minutes from the end. “Proud of the players, really,” McKenna said. “A really good performance, a really tough game as we knew it would be against a strong team, but a performance which had a bit of everything. “I thought we came out on the front foot and were brave and dominated the early stages. After you get the goal, you know they’re going to come back really strong and put pressure on, but we defended with great spirit and organisation. “We counter-attacked really well throughout the game and we also stayed brave at times and built some attacks through the goalkeeper against really big pressure. There was lots to enjoy about the performance.” As well as seven wins in a row, the Blues have now extended their club clean sheets record to eight games and 773 minutes. “I think today was a good reflection of it,” he continued. “I thought the last 25 minutes couldn’t have been much better defensively, I’m not sure there was a shot or even a ball into our box. “It was a reflection of the work of the whole team, really. The way that we pressed, the way that we defended on shape, got out to the ball, the spirit and organisation, the way that the subs came on and knew their jobs and helped us as well. It was a clean sheet to be proud of. “In terms of runs, it’s not something we’re speaking about a lot, but just in terms of today, it was a really, really good clean sheet.” McKenna was delighted with the first goal, which took 11 seconds to go from keeper Christian Walton to the back of the net at the other end via Nathan Broadhead, Wes Burns and goalscorer Chaplin. “I don’t think you’ll see many better in terms of counter-attacking,” he reflected. “As a young coach you’re looking for examples of best practice from games everywhere and you probably won’t find too many better examples of a counter-attacking goal from defending a set play because it’s textbook. “You want your goalkeeper to be high and aggressive and come and claim the ball, you want runners on both sides, you want to zig-zag your way up the pitch so that they can’t lock you into one line, so you’re having switches of play and are coming back across the pitch, and then you want that execution on the last pass and the finish. It was a terrific goal and one for the players and the staff to enjoy.” Chaplin, who is the first Town player to score 20 goals in a campaign since Daryl Murphy in 2014/15, reminded reporters afterwards he’s not a striker these days. “We have those discussions all the time,” McKenna laughed. “Delighted for him, more just in terms of his all-round performance, what a character he is, so much passion for the game, has a big heart, gives energy to everyone every day, great game understanding, leads some our tactical stuff in terms of the front half of the pitch and I thought his out-of-possession performance in the second half was fantastic. “Great to see his all-round performance and his growth as a man and, of course, another goal for him, finishing off a really good move with another really calm and clean finish.” McKenna has celebrated few goals as much as Hirst’s since he took over as manager 15 months ago. “We’ve got to enjoy it,” he said. “We have to enjoy these moments. Another really good performance. “We’d worked so hard to defend at times in the game to see off all their strengths that they have, so when you break away and execute really well, if Wes had have scored it would have been great but George was there to follow it up. Certainly a goal for the players, myself, staff and the supporters to enjoy.” Hirst has now scored three goals in Town’s last three games to take his overall total to four since signing on loan from Leicester in January. “He’s getting better game-by-game,” he said. “It’s pretty well known that we liked him from afar and I think he’s a forward with good potential and I thought that he would fit well into our group given a little bit of time to settle in, which isn’t easy in the middle of a season and in the middle of a congested run of games, but he’s improving all the time, he’s working really well with the coaches here, improving and another good performance from him. “He ran himself into the ground and then Freddie [Ladapo] came on and did a good job for the team and helped us get the win.” McKenna says it was perhaps inevitable that it would take Hirst a little while to get to the top of his game. “It’s natural when you haven’t played much in the first half of the season,” he considered. “Coming into our team, it’s a team which is quite coordinated and people have roles and we have responsibilities and patterns and structural things that you have to learn, so it takes a bit of time. “But I thought he’s been doing a lot of good things from the first day. Then when you start to add goals to it and he gets fitter so he can go harder for longer, then he’s starting to show a little bit more of what he’s capable of.” Sheffield Wednesday again dropped points, drawing 1-1 away at home to Lincoln, and have now taken only three points from their last 15, but McKenna says he continues to take little notice of what’s happening elsewhere. “Again, I’ve hardly looked at the results today, to be honest,” he insisted. “I know we’ve right games left, we have to keep trying to win each game. “The points totals are really high, so we have to keep performing in each game, trying to win each game and see where we are.” At the end the players and staff went over to the corner to celebrate with the Blues fans celebrating their side’s 10th away win of the campaign. “It’s just a great day to enjoy,” McKenna continued. “One of the things I’ve said right the through the season is that we have to enjoy the journey. “I know it’s natural today for everyone to look at league tables and results and this and that, but we’re playing Derby in front of 30,000, a big club, a good team, we’ve got more than 3,000 people here. “We’ve got a team that the fans can identify with, they can see the work that’s going on and we’ve turned that into a really good performance and a win. “We’ve just got to enjoy the moment, enjoy this game, enjoy the Bolton game, enjoy the Shrewsbury game, enjoy the moments that we’re having as a club and see where we are at the end. “Whatever division we’re in, whatever league we’re in, wherever we are, we’re not going to get too many better days than today in terms of an away game, performance and one to enjoy. “Let’s enjoy it and then the fans can keep looking ahead and we can get our heads down on Monday and focus on getting better from today and getting ready for Wycombe.” Regarding the Rams’ disallowed goal, apparently chalked off for a push, McKenna admitted he wasn’t sure what the infringement was, however, he felt the Blues were denied a blatant penalty when Chaplin was upended by Craig Forsyth. “No, I don’t know,” he said. “It was a really crowded penalty box. I’m not sure. I thought we had a penalty with Conor, to be honest, so maybe the decisions evened up. I’m not sure.” Asked whether he thinks this run of victories would have everyone else in League One eyeing the Blues and fearing them, McKenna smiled. “I don’t know. I understand the question, but I’ve go no interest in speculating,” he said. “I’m really just trying to focus my energy on us, not worry about what would happen if they thought this and if they won that or we thought that. “Just focus on ourselves. We know that if we win every game to the end of the season, it’s going to take a helluva team to finish above us, so let’s just focus on ourselves and our performances and let other people think what they think. “I know as a group of players and staff we’re enjoying it, we’re enjoying the journey, we’re enjoying each game and we just need to keep doing that.”
Photo: TWTD Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
You need to login in order to post your comments |
   Blogs 295 bloggersIpswich Town Polls[ Vote here ] |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.We in turn value your personal details in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
