Town begin the second year of Kieran McKenna’s management with a game against Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday, just as they started the first, but this time at Adams Park in front of a Blues away following of more than 2,800.
McKenna was appointed Town boss on December 16th last year, his predecessor Paul Cook having been dismissed earlier in the month after a slow start to the 2021/22 campaign.
The Northern Irishman was recruited from Manchester United’s staff and in the end had to wait 13 days to take charge of his first match, the 2-2 home draw with Sunderland two days after his appointment having been overseen by interim boss John McGreal, with a Boxing Day trip to Gillingham delayed by positive Covid tests at the North Kent club.
Looking back on the 1-0 win against the Chairboys in his first fixture, McKenna said: "It’s one of those strange coincidences in a way. I think we’d had a game called off before that due to Covid.
"We’d had a little bit of time to train and prepare, which was useful. We weren’t straight into the match action, so we had a little bit of time to prepare.
"What do I remember about it? It was a really difficult, hard-fought game, of course. We tried to change some things about the playing style without going too fast too soon, but I think there were elements that night that people saw that were a little bit different.
"Wycombe have some more unique elements to their playing style in terms of some of their man-to-man marking and some of the pictures, so it was really challenging, good game.
"Of course, we got the first goal, which is massive, and then we had to fight it out in the second half and it wasn’t always pretty but the players set a really good baseline for the effort and commitment that was going to be needed to carry the club forward and pretty grateful that we’ve seen that effort and commitment to a pretty high level ever since and we’re certainly going to need it again on Saturday.”
McKenna is anticipating a similarly hard-fought clash against Wycombe, who are ninth in League One, 16 points behind the table-topping Blues, this weekend.
"I think so,” he reflected. "I don’t think there’s any other way against Wycombe and, to be honest, against a lot of teams in this division.
"It’s a really tough league but Wycombe are probably a good example of some of the challenges that you face and I don’t think a game at Wycombe is going to be anything other than that.
"We know what we’re in for and we know that we’re going to have to stand up to certain things but we also have been together long enough now and are familiar enough with how we play and out principles and we’ll look to impose that, but we know we’re going to have to deliver a really strong performance.”
The contrast in styles between the two teams illustrates there’s no one way to play football.
"Everyone has their own ways and their own strategies and tactics and Wycombe have been very successful at this level,” McKenna continued.
"Last season, they did really well and just missed out in the play-off final, but they were promoted a few years ago [2019/20 via the play-offs] and [manager] Gareth [Ainsworth] has had success with Wycombe over a good period of time and especially with a large majority of the group that are still there now.
"They’re a really strong team, it’s easy to see why they’ve been successful at this level and we know the challenges that we’re going to face.”
Wycombe have won only two of their last seven in the league and exited the FA Cup following a 2-0 home defeat to League Two Walsall in round one, but are unbeaten in their last two, a 2-0 victory over Portsmouth at Adams Park having been followed by a 0-0 draw at Lincoln last week.
Their inconsistency is illustrated by their home league record of won four, drawn three and lost three.
"You look at the results every weekend and the league is so tight,” McKenna said. "All of the teams are competitive. The teams at the bottom can compete with and beat the teams at the top of the table on any given week.
"At the moment, everyone is fighting. There are probably no teams who feel they are cut adrift at the bottom of the table and lots of teams are looking upwards and trying to climb teams above them.
"As we have said many times, it is a very tough league for so many different reasons. You can see that in the results every weekend.
"I think Wycombe are no different to lots of teams in that way. We are all fighting to be consistent with our performances and the more you do that, it gives you a better chance of being consistent with your results.”
Wycombe have plenty of danger men, among them former Wales international striker Sam Vokes.
"He has not started the last two as they have good options — [Brandon] Hanlan came in and performed very well against Portsmouth especially,” McKenna said.
"They have lots of good players. They have a strong group but they also have lots of good individual players as well.
"We know they have threats and we have to be ready for the challenge. But we also trust ourselves in what we do and we are looking forward to bringing that to Wycombe on Saturday and giving our best.”
While McKenna is celebrating a year in charge of the Blues, Chairboys boss Ainsworth passed the 10-year mark at the Adams Park helm in September.
"It is a fantastic achievement,” McKenna said. "To do 10 years at any level of football is a great sign of the job you are doing.
"To have that level of longevity, you‘ve done a great job off the pitch and also a very good job from a cultural point of view, building the club.
"I think both of those things are very true of Gareth’s case so congratulations to him on that. It’s a sign of a job very well done.”
Town will be backed by 2,836 fans at Adams Park, the Chairboys having given the Blues an additional 942 seats beyond their usual away allocation due to the high demand.
"We can’t wait for it on Saturday,” the Blues boss enthused. "We have had quite a few home games which is always a privilege and always enjoyable. But being away and seeing the travelling support and the noise and the backing we get, meaning we take over elements of stadiums when we go away, has been a massively enjoyable part of the last 12 months.
"We really appreciate that support and it is a big, big reason why we have got a good away record so far. We are looking forward to seeing them on Saturday.
"Of course, it is close to Christmas, the weather is very cold, there’s travel disruption and times are tight for a lot of people, so to have those numbers coming on Saturday is going to be fantastic.
"We know we are in for a very tough game, but we are going to do everything we can to hopefully send people home happy — and help them enjoy their Christmas run-in just a little bit more.”
While it’s not anticipated that the game will be in any doubt due to the weather, Adams Park has undersoil heating and a Desso pitch, McKenna admits the week at Playford Road hasn’t been entirely straightforward.
"It has been a challenge, the same as everyone has had up and down the country,” he said. "The groundsmen have done a terrific job.
"We have covers for some of our pitches. We have managed to get things covered overnight and managed to be on the grass every day, which is not easy. We have managed to prepare really well.”
McKenna said at his press conference that a number of players will be assessed on Friday ahead of the trip to Buckinghamshire, among them defender Janoi Donacien, who rolled his ankle in the 2-1 victory over Peterborough a week ago.
Christian Walton should be in goal with Donacien, who spent a short spell on loan with Wycombe between August and September 2015, making two starts, Luke Woolfenden and Cameron Burgess at the back, assuming they’re fit. Kane Vincent-Young would be Donacien’s obvious replacement should the St Lucia-born defender not make it, while Richard Keogh and George Edmundson are other options at the back.
If they’re fit, Leif Davis and Wes Burns will be the wide players with skipper Sam Morsy and Cameron Humphreys the central midfielders.
In the number 10 roles, Conor Chaplin seems likely to continue with Sone Aluko with Kyle Edwards the alternative. McKenna will have to decide between Kayden Jackson and Freddie Ladapo as the central striker, again fitness permitting.
Wycombe manager Ainsworth believes his team are capable of matching anyone in the division.
"We know we can compete with them and we want to win the game,” Ainsworth told WanderersTV.
"Plymouth were top when they came here in October and we ran them close; in fact, I thought we deserved something from it and were unlucky to lose on the day. We can be a match for anyone in this league and it’s down to us to show it on Saturday.”
Ainsworth has a lot of time for his Town counterpart: "I’ve got a lot of respect for Kieran. I don’t know him that well and we haven’t really crossed paths because I missed the game at their place last year with a positive Covid test. But he’s doing a great job and it’ll be good to go up against him.
"Ipswich is a big club and that comes with big targets and expectations, but he’s developed an identity and a way of playing that is bringing them results.
"Now it’s on us to impose our own way of playing and giving everything to come out on top. This is a big run of games now and we’re feeling confident.”
Ainsworth is feels his team can make progress up the table: "We always knew when things weren’t going so well earlier in the year that if we could get to the second half of the season in a solid position, with players coming back, then we’ll be in contention.
"We’ve got players coming back from injury and I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can do. This is a big run of games now and we’re feeling confident.”
Wycombe, whose training ground has been covered in snow this week, forcing them to use alternative venues, will have left-back Joe Jacobson back from suspension, while centre-half Chris Forino is available again after a dead leg.
The Blues are unbeaten against the Chairboys having won two and drawn two of the four competitive meetings, all in the league last season and in the Buckinghamshire’s 2019/20 promotion campaign.
The teams last met in manager McKenna’s first match in charge of the Blues at Portman Road in December last year.
James Norwood’s third goal in three games saw Town to a 1-0 victory, the striker pouncing to net from close range a minute before half-time with sub Chaplin coming close to making it 2-0 when he hit the post in the dying seconds.
A month earlier at Adams Park with Cook still the Town boss, Bersant Celina scored twice and Macauley Bonne and Burns once each as the Blues came from behind to win for the first time during 2021/22 as they defeated Wycombe 4-1, ending the Chairboys’ 100 per cent home league record.
David Wheeler gave the home side the lead on 17 but Town hit back with Celina’s first 10 minutes later.
Bonne made it 2-1 six minutes after the restart and Burns added the third on the hour, before Celina added the fourth in injury time to add the icing to a brilliant Town victory over one of the sides making the early season running.
Saturday’s referee is Ben Toner from Lancashire, who has shown 65 yellow cards and no red in his 21 games so far this season.
Toner’s last Town game was the 1-0 win at Burton in August in which he cautioned Edmundson, Greg Leigh and one Brewer.
Prior to that he was in middle for the 2-1 defeat at Peterborough in February 2021 in which he booked Flynn Downes and Andre Dozzell.
Toner was also in charge of the 4-1 home victory over Tranmere in September 2019 in which he yellow-carded Norwood and two of the visitors.
His only other Blues match was the 1-0 FA Cup replay defeat at Lincoln City in January 2017 in which he cautioned Jonathan Douglas and two home players.
Squad from: Walton, Hladky, Donacien, Woolfenden, Edmundson, Keogh, Burgess, Burns, Vincent-Young, Davis, Leigh, Morsy, Humphreys, Edwards, Chaplin, Aluko, Ladapo, Jackson, Ahadme.