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Viewpoint: MK Dons – 13/08/2022
Written by scants_itfc_88 on Sunday, 14th Aug 2022 18:42

Best performance under Kieran McKenna so far?

Let me start this one with an apology. I had to miss the disappointing cup game against Colchester in the midweek due to the birth of my son, so I had some other things on my mind which meant football took a back seat.

I didn’t catch up with the game so cannot pass comment but from what I hear, it was a typical Ipswich Town cup performance against a League Two side. Plenty of chances to win, but generally a poor performance and an error for the goal. We have heard it all before.

It is a shame we have to go another year without a run in the League Cup, but the league has to be a priority. If we can call it a promotion winning year, and I know it’s a big if, then we won’t even recall there being another cup disappointment. Plus there are two cups left!

So would Town let the disappointment make a dent in their confidence? The answer to that one is a firm no.

I would make a solid case that this is the best Town performance we have seen under Kieran McKenna. MK Dons have a lot of new players and some injuries which means they are taking some time to get up and running, but let’s remember where they finished last season - a long way ahead of us.

Even though they have lost the opening two games before coming into this one, Dons have still looked a half decent side. Not on Saturday though, but that was more to do with us than them.

Right from the first whistle, Town pressed and stretched the MK players all over the pitch. Their narrow back four simply could not cope with the pace of our widemen and the constant switching of play. All three of our goals came from terrorising runs round the outside of their full-backs.

Despite the soaring temperatures, Town looked up for it and pressed in numbers, winning back possession quickly after losing it throughout the whole 90 minutes. MK Dons just couldn’t keep any sustained possession in our half.

They had a couple of chances and should have scored with a header in the six-yard box, but that was about it in terms of how much they threatened. Whereas we spent much of the 90 minutes camped in their half.

The switching of play across the pitch utilised the space behind their narrow fullbacks, on another day we could have scored six or seven. The goal return in this game was one in three shots on target, and that is more like what we need to see if Town are to maintain a promotion challenge this season.

Janoi Donacien once again had a superb performance. His attacking threat is now on par with his one-on-one defending. There aren’t many better attacking defenders in the league.

Leif Davis also came into his own, picking up space down the left flank the entire game, and putting some threatening crosses into the box. The third goal came from one of these crosses. Although it was slightly over-hit, it was retrieved and then a superb run from Donacien allowed Conor Chaplin in to see off the game.

Something we don’t do well usually – seeing out games. This was a professional performance from Town, as well as a good one. It would have been easy, especially in the heat, to take our foot off the gas in the second half and let them back in creating a nervy finish. Not this time. We kept pushing on and got the third goal. It did help that the defensive substitution they made lowered their attacking threat even more.

Once again we saw an experienced and solid performance from Sam Morsy. I would bet on three or four 30-yard screamers from him this season.

Freddie Ladapo once again looked like he will get goals, it’s just taking a bit of time. He takes shots and makes the goalkeeper work and if he keeps doing that the goals will come.

For me, the best player on the pitch was Chaplin, who got his deserved goal. He continued to find pockets of space with some really intelligent movement and found passes out wide almost every time before racing into the box.

We didn’t see him start anywhere near enough last season, so I for one am glad that we are seeing a regular starting sport for the creative forward.

It was also great to see Marcus Harness get his second in three league games. We won’t have a 20-goal-a-season striker, so spreading the goals across those attacking three midfielders is pivotal, and so far so good on that front.

MK Dons are a team we often draw against. They play a similar style to us and whilst we still had more possession than them in our meetings last season, the two teams cancelled each other out. It was good therefore to see a very different game this time round.

It was the first home win of the season and the crowd was once again huge for League One and if those performances continue they will be back week in week out.

Tuesday sees our first midweek fixture of the season against a struggling Burton Albion. They scored their first goals on Saturday but were pegged back to a 4-4 draw in injury time, but they would have to be at their absolute best to get anything on Tuesday.

Last season, Town were a lot better on a Tuesday evenings than on a Saturday, so we can look forward to an even better performance to really show that we mean business.

It is too early to assess the table of course, but it’s never not a happy moment to see the top position read Ipswich Town.

The Highs

A difficult one to pick this week as there are so many. The performance in general was very good but seeing Leif Davis and Marcus Harness forming a better relationship was a high for me.

If we can get them working as well as Wes Burns and Janoi Donacien down the right flank then I can’t see any teams in the division being able to live with us when we are on top.

The signing of Richard Keogh in the week caught many, including me, by surprise. He isn’t likely to be a regular starter, but to have his experience in the dressing room and the training ground is great for town. I wonder if there is a clause to continue on as a coach after he hangs up his boots?

The Lows

From the MK Dons game, there aren’t any. We can always improve and score more of course, but to say there was a low point, I don’t believe there was.

From the week as a whole, another first round cup defeat to a lower league opposition is something we have unfortunately become used to, but it feels horrible every time.

Over the course of this season it may end up being just a small blip, especially if we do finish in the top six, but is something the club really do need to rectify – for morale if nothing else!

In Summary

It was one I thoroughly enjoyed listening to. I had my new son in my arm listening to his first game, and maybe he was a good luck charm. One more win for Town, one more fan for Town and one more step towards our goal this season. On to Burton, with a view of keeping our place at the top of the pile.

Uppa Town




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