Town host Southampton at Portman Road on Sunday still looking for their first home win of 2025 (Sky Sports, KO midday).
The Blues’ tough Premier League season saw them win only once on their own turf, the 2-0 victory over Chelsea on December 30th. The 3-0 FA Cup defeat of Bristol Rovers in January is their only victory in Suffolk since then with Town having lost nine in a row at home at the tail end of the season, a new club record. Overall, home and away in all competitions, Town are 10 without a win.
Despite that run, there was no sign of a drop in season ticket sales and Portman Road looks set to be packed once again for the visit of the Saints, like Town relegated from the Premier League after one season.
Manager McKenna says it’s vital that the fans get behind their team on Sunday, especially with the squad currently in a state of flux with players having moved on, others likely to leave, further signings expected and new additions who have arrived being got up to speed both in terms of the way the Blues play and fitness.
"It's really important,” he said. "I think every game at Portman Road is going to be challenging, whether we're playing a team at the top of the league or a team that's expected to be at the other end of the league.
"Every game in the Championship is tough. This is no different. In terms of where we're at as a group, in terms of people being in a flow, in their positions, fully fit, match fit, double options for both positions, we’re not where we'd be over the course of the season.
"So it's probably one of the toughest games and probably at a moment where I'm pretty certain we'll be in a stronger position at different points of the season in those aspects.
"It's really important. You’re going to have those spells over the course of the year anyway and we might be having one of those spells early on where there's different challenges.
"And in those spells, our togetherness has generally in our promotion seasons been what has brought us together and what's brought us through. So we're going to need that on Sunday.
"Of course, the responsibility is on us to produce a performance that the supporters can really get behind.
"The only thing you can ever really guarantee is your effort, your attitude and your commitment to the game, so that needs to be at 100 per cent.
"We know usually if we show that to the supporters, they'll be right there behind us and they'll push us on, and then hopefully with all that then we can produce a really good football performance as well in all aspects of the game.
"It would be really good to get an early result. We need to go with everything we've got to try and get the early result at home. It's not going to define our season either way, but it would be a really big boost.
"So there's a real nice carrot there for us and we have to go and try and grab that on Sunday. And if the supporters are right there with us, which I believe they will be, then that would be a big, big part of it.”
Southampton, under new boss Will Still, who took charge in May, came from behind to win 2-1 against newly promoted Wrexham in their opening Championship game of the season last Saturday.
The Red Dragons went ahead in the 22nd minute via a Josh Windass penalty but the Saints hit back twice in injury time through Ryan Manning and captain Josh Stephens to seal the points.
In the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, they won 1-0 at Northampton Town, Mateus Fernandes scoring the game’s only goal on 48.
"They've got huge depth, maybe too much depth,” McKenna said reflecting on the Saints’ squad. "You'd have to ask Will about that, I'm sure I'll chat to him on Sunday. But they've got huge depth in certain areas and certain positions and are a very strong squad.
"And a good start with a good manager, so no doubt they'll be expecting to have a strong season and are going to be really tough competitors on Sunday and beyond.”
Town and Saints have had some memorable games in recent seasons, largely during Russell Martin’s time as boss. They utilised a back three against Wrexham and McKenna was asked whether the Saints have changed much under Still.
"I think it's early days, so we can't be too certain on anything,” he said. "They played a certain system maybe 80 per cent through pre-season and then changed for the first game of the season and played a sort of similar system with some variations for their first cup game.
"I think we know certain things to expect. We can pick certain things from the Wrexham game. Of course, when it's a new manager, you always go back to his previous teams and you watch games from those teams and different systems, but also really just picking up key principles that have been used.
"So, we feel like we've got a fair idea what to expect, but at the same time it's really early in the season - a new manager with a very big squad probably at the moment and lots of options, trying to find his best team and way for that team as well.
"We have to be ready to adapt and we have to be really focused on bringing the absolute best of ourselves, especially from an intensity and commitment point of view.
"And after that, hopefully, we can impose ourselves on the game and whichever of the options that Southampton bring, we find the right solutions on the pitch.”
McKenna says he has spoken to Still, whose managerial career has been on the continent until now at Lierse and Beerschot in Belgium and Reims and Lens in France, in the past.
"I've had a few conversations with him. [I don’t know him] well, but I think we probably had a few mutual calls in the last few years, mostly around players, so he's been quite helpful and it’s a good opportunity for him.”
During his spell at Reims, Jens Cajuste and Azor Matusiwa were in Still’s squad. Has McKenna tapped them up for information ahead of the game? "Not really. I think I have previously anyway. You have those chats when they come in, not so much this week as previously.
"Whenever new players come in, you tend to ask them and have chats about their previous teams and managers who they've played for.
"They both had a good experience under Will at Reims. Both speak highly of him and both obviously did well enough to get good moves out of there as well.
"I think there's, I believe, a pretty good relationship there, but I know if they can be involved with us on Sunday they'll be hoping to get the win.”
The Blues will probably field a side not too far away from the one which began the game at Birmingham last Friday.
Alex Palmer will be in goal with skipper Dara O’Shea and Jacob Greaves the centre-halves, and Leif Davis the left-back.
McKenna has a decision to make at right-back with Ashley Young having played the full 90 minutes at Bromley and with five days to recover from that match. Ben Johnson, who started at Birmingham and came off the bench at Hayes Lane, is the alternative.
With Cajuste not fully fit, Matusiwa and Jack Taylor are set to continue as the central midfield pairing.
Ahead of them, McKenna has one or two options with Conor Chaplin perhaps coming in as the number 10, Sammie Szmodics moving to the left and Jack Clarke or Chieo Ogbene on the right. Ogbene came through last week’s two games OK, but a third start in nine days may be too much for the Irish international coming back after his ruptured achilles.
George Hirst will be the number nine with Chuba Akpom perhaps making his debut from the bench.
Saints boss Still rested defenders Welington and Joshua Quarshie for the Northampton cup game but says they will return for the trip to Portman Road.
However, ex-Blues loanee James Bree and midfielder Will Smallbone (both calf) will miss out through injury.
England international centre-half Taylor Harwood-Bellis, a player the Blues were interested in in the summer of 2024, returned from an ankle injury against the Cobblers but may not be ready for another game so soon.
While Town have had Omari Hutchinson’s transfer situation rumbling on in the background, Saints youngster Tyler Dibling, 19, has been a £40 million target of Everton and hasn’t featured in the first two games.
"For the moment, he's still a Southampton player and he's trained really well yesterday, and he trained well today,” Still said.
"We'll make a decision purely based on what the team needs and where he's at physically, but we'll make that call later in the day or tomorrow.
"He's still a Southampton player and he hasn't gone anywhere. I know there's been a lot of noise, there's a lot of noise about a few players.
"We can't control that as such, it's just part and parcel of what the transfer window is, so we'll have to wait and see.”
Turning his attention to Town, Still added: "They’re a very good team, but there are a number of very good teams in the Championship this season. And we will have to be at it.
"We'll have to be very, very good. But I think it's still too early to set a bar and start to speculate about who's going to get automatic promotion.
"We've played one game, they played against a really good Birmingham side as well. But no, they've got a lot of qualities, they've got a really good manager.
"We know what to expect, we know how we need to behave and in what frame of mind we need to go there, but it's still way too to start speculating.
"I think everyone's good and everyone deserves good preparation, and that's what we've done and that's what we'll do for Sunday.”
He continued: "I think the whole context of the game is there. It's their first game of the Champ at home and they'll want to start well.
"They've got a lot of individual quality, but there's also a collective that's well-structured, well-oiled. Like us, there are a few players who are on the move.
"That's the case in every club. But I'm sure Kieran's got them up for it, and we'll have to, like I said, be very good to win.
Historically, the Blues have the edge having won 27 games against Southampton (26 in the league), losing 24 (18) and with 21 (20) ending in draws.
The teams last met at Portman Road in February when Town’s hopes of staying in the Premier League suffered a significant blow after they were defeated 2-1 by the rock-bottom Saints, who were claiming their first away league victory of the season and only their second in the league all campaign.
Joe Aribo gave the visitors the lead against the run of play in the 21st minute but Liam Delap levelled for the Blues 10 minutes later with his ninth of the season.
Town had a number of chances to go in front but were unable to take them and were made to pay three minutes from time when Paul Onuachu stabbed home a rebound.
Last September at St Mary’s, skipper Sam Morsy netted a 95th-minute equaliser as Town and Southampton drew 1-1.
Dibling’s fifth-minute goal gave the Saints a 1-0 half-time lead against the overall run of play and both sides had chances before Morsy slammed home his first Premier League goal to secure a point.
The previous season in the Championship as both teams won promotion - the Saints via the play-offs - Town did the double over the Hampshire side.
In April 2024 at Portman Road, sub Jeremy Sarmiento scored a 97th-minute winner as Town came from behind to beat 10-man Southampton 3-2 in a Portman Road classic to return to the top of the table.
Davis gave the Blues the lead on 13 but Southampton hit back through Che Adams only a minute later and Adam Armstrong gave the visitors the lead in the 23rd minute.
Town had been second best but took charge after a triple substitution with one of those changes, Broadhead, levelling on 68, before ex-Town loanee James Bree was dismissed for hauling down Davis on 85 and Sarmiento sent Portman Road into raptures seconds from the end.
At St Mary’s in the September, Hutchinson’s first goal for the Blues on his full league debut saw Town to the three points and back up to second in the Championship.
The then-Chelsea loanee struck on the half hour as the Blues maintained their brilliant start to the Championship season.
Southampton’s squad includes a number of ex-Town players, most notably Flynn Downes, who came through the academy and made 75 starts and 24 sub appearances, scoring three times before moving on to Swansea in the summer of 2021 for an initial £1.4 million with the Blues receiving another £1.5 million following the midfielder’s £8 million move to West Ham the following summer.
The midfielder was on loan with the Saints in 2023/24 before making his move permanent the following summer for £18 million when he turned down the chance to return to Portman Road. The Brentwood-born player was keen on a return to Suffolk in January but with the Saints not willing to sell to a relegation rival.
Keeper Alex McCarthy spent time on loan at Town in the second half of 2011/12, making 10 appearances and impressing after a difficult start having been red-carded in his third game, a 3-1 defeat at former loan club Leeds.
Winger Ryan Fraser was on loan with the Blues during the 2015/16 season, scoring six times in 15 starts and five sub appearances before injury curtailed his spell.
Full-back Bree was on loan at Town in the second half of the 2018/19 season making 13 starts and one sub appearance.
Saints full-back Manning came close to joining the Blues as an academy scholar but ultimately opted to sign for QPR.
Sunday’s referee is former Premier League official Bobby Madley, who has shown eight yellow cards and no red in his two games so far this season, his assistants Sam Lewis and Lee Venamore, and the fourth official Ben Toner.
West Yorkshire-based Madley left his top flight role in August 2018 after making and texting a video which made fun of a disabled person which was then made known to his employers.
He returned to refereeing in this country in 2020 following a spell officiating in the lower leagues in Norway.
Madley’s most recent Town game was the 4-3 defeat to Leeds United at Portman Road in August 2023 in which he booked Morsy, Luke Woolfenden, Massimo Luongo and three of the visitors.
His previous two Blues matches were both defeats to Bolton Wanderers. In January 2021, he was the man in the middle for the Blues’ 2-0 loss in Lancashire, boss McKenna’s first defeat since taking over as manager. Wes Burns, Christian Walton and James Norwood were among five players cautioned.
Prior to that, Madley was in charge of the 5-2 loss to Bolton in September 2021 in which he booked Kane Vincent-Young, against whom he also correctly awarded the Trotters a penalty, and two of the visitors.
Before that, he took control of the 2-1 win at Accrington Stanley in March of the same year, the day Paul Cook took charge as Blues boss with the new manager watching from the stands.
Madley booked James Wilson and three home players as well as showing Seamus Conneely a later-rescinded straight red card in the 16th minute for a foul on Troy Parrott in the penalty area. The resultant spot-kick taken by Norwood was saved.
He also refereed the 0-0 draw at Oxford United in December 2020 in which he booked Andre Dozzell.
Before that he officiated in the 1-1 draw at Sheffield Wednesday in April 2016 in which he yellow-carded Luke Chambers, Kevin Bru, Brett Pitman and one Owl.
Madley was also in charge of the 1-1 draw at AFC Bournemouth in April 2015 in which he again booked Chambers and one home player.
His only other Blues match was the 1-0 home victory over Blackpool in February 2013 in which he cautioned only Guirane N’Daw.
Palmer, Walton, Button, Johnson, Young, Davis, O’Shea (c), Woolfenden, Greaves, Kipre, Matusiwa, Cajuste, Barbrook, Taylor, Humphreys, J Clarke, Ogbene, Szmodics, Chaplin, Philogene, Hirst, Akpom, Al-Hamadi.