Boss Kieran McKenna felt the Blues’ 2-1 home victory over Portsmouth felt like a dominant display even if the scoreline didn’t indicate that that was the case.
Jaden Philogene gave Town the lead in the ninth minute with his fourth goal in two games with George Hirst adding the second four minutes before half-time, the one-time Pompey loanee’s third of the season.
The Blues looked in little trouble and the more likely scorers of the game’s third goal, however, Portsmouth sub Marlon Pack nodded in a late consolation for the Hampshire side, only their fifth league goal of the season.
"I thought it was for the most part a good performance, a good result,” McKenna said. "Dominant in the first half on most phases, apart from a little spell where we had a couple of sloppy moments that we need to learn from, but other than that a lot to like about the first half.
"Really intense, pressing was really good, worked the ball well, scored two really good goals, could have had another one or two.
"Second half, again had chances to go 3-0 up, didn’t quite get them and had to defend as a team against a good team. You still have to respect the opponent and in general I thought we defended really well.
"Of course, we’re frustrated not to get the third goal and for them to get the one at the end, but I didn’t think it was an attitude problem, I thought the subs came on and gave us great energy off the bench again.
"Some of the boys playing 90 are still working up to full fitness, so that will have had a little part to play as well in terms of us really being able to go for the jugular in the second half. But some good signs in the performance, some things to improve and we move on.”
McKenna thought the scoreline didn’t reflect how comfortable the Blues were for most of the game.
"Probably not in terms that it felt like it was a dominant performance,” he continued. "We’re still working on translating that to the scoreline because we probably haven’t done that in too many of our games. We can still be more clinical when we’re on top.
"There was a period in the first half where we had a couple of sloppy moments that would have allowed them, if they’d been clinical, to take a chance that would have been really out of kilter with the flow of the game, so we need to improve on that.
"But in the second half, although we didn’t control the game with the ball, I think we had the chances and I felt that we controlled the game pretty well without it. You don’t always get the scoreline, but, of course, important to get the points.”
Centre-half Cedric Kipre, who came in for the suspended Jacob Greaves, and 19-year-old Norwegian forward Sindre Walle Egeli made their first league starts for the club and McKenna was pleased with their performances.
"A good day for both of them,” he said. "I thought Cedric did really well against [Colby] Bishop, one of the strongest strikers in the league.
"He matched up really well to that challenge, stood really strong and showed his quality on the ball as well. Still needs to get fitter as well.
"I thought Sindre did really well. I thought it was a really good first step for him. I said to him that even for young players coming from this country stepping into this league, [not just those] coming from another country, the first challenge is just getting the intensity and the understanding of the importance of the duels, the challenges, the second balls and I thought he did really, really well on that.
"That’s the base, the talent, the quality’s there. He showed some really good moments today. We’ll find ways to get him in the game more and his influence in terms of our game on the ball will grow.
"But he showed a really good desire on the physical side of the game, the out-of-possession side of the game. That’s the base for anyone to come in and do well in this league, so it’s a good start from that point of view.”
The game is the first of three in eight days with a trip to Bristol City, who are fourth in the table following their 0-0 draw at Preston this afternoon, on Tuesday and then the big East Anglian derby at home to Norwich City next Sunday.
The Blues manager was pleased to start the run of matches with a victory, Town’s first back-to-back league wins since the end of the 2023/24 Championship promotion season.
"I think every game’s important at the moment, every session’s important,” he added. "It feels like every one’s a new experience for the group. Every week I feel like we’re building a little bit. There are loads of things going on behind the scenes that we’re working on to try and build the group together.
"Every session’s important, every game’s important. There are loads of lessons in there for the group in every game. We’ve still got quite a few in there who are in their first season in the Championship, for quite a few it’s their first season for us in the Championship, so you’re going through things all the time. Of course, it’s better when you get a good result because it’s easier to take the lessons.
"Good to get the win, but that’s the season now, it’s onto the next game really, really quickly and not too much time to enjoy it. You just get ready for Tuesday.”
Regarding Philogene, who backed up his hat-trick in the 5-0 thrashing of Sheffield United with the opener against Pompey, McKenna said: "A good goal, worked it out to him well, another great run from Leif [Davis] to create the space and to give him the opportunity and he took it really well.
"We’re super-strong in that department at the moment, to be honest, and I’m not just saying it to keep his morale up, but Jack Clarke is doing terrific when he comes on, his training has been outstanding, his intensity when he came on was outstanding.
"We’ve got two top players on that side of the pitch at the moment, with Leif supporting them and we’ve just got to keep working to get better and better.”
The second goal was reminiscent of many scored by McKenna’s teams in the back-to-back promotion campaigns with the ball moved around slickly before Davis crossed for Hirst to turn home at the far post.
"We worked it really well to Leif, he ends up in a great slot with bodies in the box and nice for George to be where he needs to be,” McKenna recalled.
"There were some good signs in the first half, some good football flowing through the pitch pretty well, some different variations on what we’ve had before but some of the same sorts of thing and we’ve just got to keep working.
"There’s loads for us to get better at yet. We’re still a long way in different areas from where we want to be, but that’s normal with how late the group’s come together and we’ve just got to keep working.”