Boss Kieran McKenna hailed Town’s 5-0 hammering of Sheffield United as a good night for the players and supporters and believes it was an important victory, but says there’s a lot still to work on.
Jaden Philogene bagged a first career hat-trick and George Hirst and Jack Clarke netted one apiece as Town dismantled the Blades, who fell to their fifth defeat in five Championship games this season and remain bottom of the table without a point.
"A good night for us, lots of things went how you would want them to go,” McKenna said. "A good night for the group, a good night for the supporters.
"It’s always important to get that first victory, it took a little bit longer but we’ve spoken plenty about the type of summer it’s been and tonight honestly felt like the first game for the group now.
"A good start, still loads to work on, loads that we can do better, but a good game to come through.”
Prior to the game, McKenna said his new-look squad wouldn’t be at their best this early in their development. That being the case, the result against a side which finished third in the division last season before losing in the play-offs is a sign of exciting things to come.
"It is, there are some good signs there,” McKenna continued. "But let’s not forget, it was a really tough game. The first half was really tough, I’ve got a lot of respect for [Sheffield United boss] Ruben [Selles], he sets his teams up to press really well, we’ve faced them in a couple of different competitions.
"Their pressure in the first half was really, really good, it was really difficult to break the pressure and to get out, and we had to battle really hard. There were a lot of duels, there was a lot of man-to-man.
"It was a really tough game. Of course, we got our rewards in the end and that was important because we needed to feel as a team that if teams come here and want to press us high and make it difficult for us in that way, that our football will win through and our individual talent at the top end of the pitch can hurt teams, so it was good to come through type of game tonight.
"But every game’s different, the challenge tonight was tough, but it’s a completely different challenge to what Derby or Preston posed in the games before.
"We know we’re going to be stretched and challenged in every single game this season, nothing’s going to be given to us, it certainly wasn’t tonight, we had to work really, really hard for it and it was a good one to get through.
"But everyone’s feet are very much on the floor, the players felt that was a really tough game in the first half and to get the rewards that we got in the second half, we needed to do a lot of things well and show a lot of resilience and a lot of strength.
"It’s a good one to come through, but it’s one game and we know it starts all over again and going to Blackburn next week is going to be really difficult.”
Reflecting on star man Philogene, whose Town career got off to a slow start following his £20 million move from Aston Villa in January with an injury curtailing his campaign before he had been able to make much of a mark, McKenna said: "A real boost for him on an individual level, no doubt about that.
"He arrived late [last season], was playing on the right side and we know he prefers to play on the left but we had some big injuries on the right side in the Premier League season last year, so he had to play all his minutes on that side.
"And he’s been working really hard and we’ve been working really hard with him through pre-season and into the start of the season, especially with the balance with him and Jack [Clarke] being more natural wingers on that side and Leif [Davis]’s role for us and how we can make that effective and add another string to our bow and get the best out of the players.
"Everyone’s been working really hard on that process, so big credit to Jaden, big credit to the other boys in that left-side unit and the staff as well.
"For him tonight, it will be a big boost to his confidence. We know his qualities, what he brings. It’s his best night for the club so far and he’s a humble guy, so he’ll work hard, he’ll get ready for next week.
"Delighted for Jack Clarke as well. I said to the boys downstairs, Jaden scored three great goals, but my favourite goal was the fifth goal because of the way the subs came on.
"Jack came on, worked so hard, was pressing, was tackling, was winning balls back. The good karma that gets you then is that you get your chance and you get your goal on the other end. Sam Szmodics the same, Ivan [Azon] the same, Sindre [Walle Egeli] and [Marcelino] Nunez getting their first minutes off the bench.
"The attitude of the boys off the bench to help the team with the clean sheet, to press and to run and then to try and bring their bits to it at the end of the game, that for me was the best goal of the night, that was the best bit of the night and that was a really good sign for us going forward.”
McKenna was asked whether he saw enough to be encouraged by the debut displays off the bench from recent signings Nunez and Walle Egeli.
"I think with all of them,” the Northern Irishman continued. "I don’t think it would be fair to single out any of them.
"We know that having the depth and the strength and the competition is going to be massive for us this season, it always has been, but especially when you’re seen as the top team and teams are doubling down their efforts. You need that quality to start and you need that quality to come off the bench.
"The way that all the subs came on, the attitude that they came on with, especially those forward players, the willingness to come on and help the team work for the clean sheet, that was a big, big positive and we know that as a group then on another day it will be other lads who have the opportunity to start and players who are coming off the bench have opportunities to help the team, to try and score goals.
"That’s a massive thing for us this season and I think the group will have come out of tonight having really felt that and it’s certainly one of the most pleasing bits of the night.”
The win was Town’s first of 2025 in the league at home, although McKenna was quick to point out extended a decent run at Portman Road in the second tier.
"I think that’s 24 games in the Championship we’ve not lost a home game!” he joked. "We know last season was what it was and how difficult it was for the group, but we know in this division our home record is good and it’s going to be really important and that’s unbeaten at home and with the first big win at home as well, that’s nice.
"Good for a lot of the boys to experience it for the first time, to be honest. If I hung my whistle up today, I’ve had some great memories here, but for a lot of the boys, whether they’ve just arrived, some of them in the last week or two or some of them in the last six months or 12 months, they haven’t had as many days here to feel what it’s like to play in this stadium with the supporters right behind you, with a win, with domination in the game, to score lots of goals here, to win a game here.
"It’s a great place to play and I’m just happy for them to have felt that tonight and really what that needs to do is give you the hunger and the drive to have some more nights like this.”
McKenna says he has a lot of time for his Blades opposite number, who was the subject of calls for his head having taken over in the summer following Chris Wilder’s departure.
"He’s someone as a colleague I have a lot of respect for, to be honest, because I know how hard he and his staff work and I think they do some things really, really well, they made it really difficult for us in the first half,” he said.
"That’s five games into the season, but we know how quick people are to make judgements and stuff like that in modern football, so it is what it is.
"But in my opinion, any time I’ve faced his teams, it’s always been difficult. I think he’s a good person and a good coach.”
Ashley Young was absent from the squad and McKenna says the former Everton and Manchester United man had picked up a minor niggle.
"He’s had some muscle tightness over the international break, nothing serious,” he explained. "So we didn’t take any risk with him tonight, hopefully he’ll be back in training next week.”
In Young’s stead, Darnell Furlong, who signed from West Brom last month, put in an impressive display at right-back.
"Excellent, exactly as we thought and were hoping, really,” McKenna continued. "He’s a really well-rounded full-back, both sides of the game, a competitive leader, strong.
"He’s going to bring us those qualities and he’s brought them from the first night, which is the benefit of bringing someone in who knows the division really well and is up and running in the season.
"All your signings like that, it’s easier for them to hit the ground running, it’s not the case with all the signings, but it’s a good start for him.”
Regarding key midfielder Jens Cajuste, who underwent treatment in the second half not long before going off, McKenna added: "He rolled his ankle in that challenge, so he was still feeling it a little bit, but hopefully there’ll be no big reaction to the game.”
McKenna’s former Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was picture in the stands having recently been sacked by Turkish side Besiktas.
"I’ll catch up with him now,” the Blues boss said. "He’s back in England now and said he was coming down to the game, so it’s brilliant to have that support. He’s a good friend and I’m looking forward to catching up with him now.”