New Blues boss Kieran McKenna says the postponement of the Gillingham game gave him and the players more time with their families over Christmas but he admits he’d rather the match had been on.
The 35-year-old was due to take charge of the Blues for the first time at the Priestfield Stadium on Boxing Day but the game was postponed due to Covid cases with the Kent club.
"It was a bit different,” McKenna said, reflecting on Christmas. "Obviously with the game against Gillingham being called off, it gave us a little bit more free time, at least.
"I had my family down from Manchester and we enjoyed a Christmas in the lovely Salthouse Harbour Hotel and we got very well looked after, and that was a nice novelty for my kids.
"And had a nice walk on the seaside out in Aldeburgh and got to know the local area a little bit more.
"So it was nice, a little bit different, hopefully memorable for the kids and it was a nice one for us as a family.”
McKenna says he’s met and spoken to fans since he was appointed manager almost two weeks ago.
"I had a few little trips into Ipswich for some last-minute Christmas shopping and had some nice meet and greets with a few of the fans, and everyone has been very positive, very welcoming,” he said.
"Like I said in my first press conference, you can feel the attachment to the club and how willing everyone is for the club to do well. So, that’s been nice getting out and being able to be around the town and meet people.”
Was he happy that the Gills game was called off as it allowed him to spend more time with the players before his first game?
"No, I wouldn’t say happy,” he said. "We wanted the game on, to be honest. Obviously, we respected Gillingham’s position, and safety is the most important thing so the game needed to be called off, but we wanted to play the game. It’s what we’re here for, and it’s what we’re paid to do.
"And we have a hungry, fit squad that are wanting to play, so we were disappointed the game was off.
"But the silver lining was that everyone got a little bit more time over Christmas with their families and obviously, the big one football-wise was that we had an extra few days to train and prepare the group which has been good and hopefully we’re in a good position going into tomorrow night.”