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McKenna and Chaplin Win Awards - Ipswich Town News

Blues boss Kieran McKenna and forward Conor Chaplin have been named EFL Manager and Player of the Month for April.

McKenna has carried off his gong for the second successive month, while Chaplin previously won the player award in December.

The Town boss saw his side to seven wins and a draw from eight games during April, which proved enough to see Town to promotion back to the Championship.

The Blues scored 27 goals during the month, conceding only two, recording six clean sheets.

"I think it speaks mostly about the work that everyone’s put it,” said McKenna, who insisted that all the staff at Playford Road were photographed alongside him with the trophy.

"You don’t have the season we’ve had, and you certainly don’t have the finish of the season that we’ve had, without the work that goes on all through the year.

"We really wanted to represent that with the photograph, the spirit and the togetherness in the club is fantastic and everyone’s pulling in the same direction.

"That’s a massive part of what’s been successful and it’s a nice chance to recognise that today.”

Sky Sports’ EFL pundit Don Goodman, a member of the judging panel along with EFL chief executive Trevor Birch and Sky Bet EFL trader Ivor Davies, said: "It’s back-to-back Manager of the Month awards for Kieran McKenna as Ipswich continued their relentless march to promotion.

"The frightening pace set by the league leaders in League One has given neutrals a brilliant spectacle in 2022/23 and showed once again the strength in depth in the football pyramid in this country.”

Also nominated were Cambridge United’s Mark Bonner, ex-Blues academy player and coach Liam Manning, who is in charge at Oxford United, and Plymouth boss Steven Schumacher.

Chaplin, League One’s top scorer on 26 goals going into the season’s final weekend and the winner of numerous Town Player of the Year awards earlier this week, netted 10 times in April, including a hat-trick in the 6-0 hammering of Charlton Athletic.

Former Barnsley, Coventry and Portsmouth attacker Chaplin was similarly joined by all his teammates for his photo.

"It’s good, very, very good,” he said. "Pleased about it. Not just because of the goals and the award but because of the month we’ve had as a team, as a club.

"I think it goes to show how consistent we were as a team in April and also how well we were playing as well.

"The amount of goals we’ve scored is a testament to all the boys and my teammates for all the chances we’ve created.

"It was a month with a lot of games, eight games, which is not normal other than December really, but I’m really, really happy.”

The 26-year-old paid tribute to his teammates who have laid on the opportunities which have led to his goals.

"I think if you’re in a good team, it’s a lot easier to get chances and score goals, so obviously the more chances you create as a team, the easier it’s going to be to score goals,” he said.

McKenna says Chaplin fully deserves his award: "Conor’s had a fantastic season and deserves the accolades he’s getting but he also knows he’s had a wonderful set of teammates in that dressing room, who have helped him in training every day and helped him out on the pitch.

"I think individual awards, whether that’s for managers or for players, they’re a reflection of the work of a lot of people and it’s nice that Conor was able to recognise that as well.”

Sky Sports’ pundit Goodman added: "No stranger to recognition after picking up three prizes at Ipswich Town’s end of season awards earlier this week, Chaplin has been in scintillating form all season.

"An incredible tally of 26 league goals led his team to promotion and leaves him in pole position to secure the League One Golden Boot, too.”

Former Blues striker David McGoldrick (Derby County), Sam Smith (Cambridge United) and Cole Stockton (Morecambe) were the other nominees.

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