The new broom that has swept through Portman Road over the past fortnight has been given a huge thumbs-up from the Town players, according to defender Matt Penney.

New manager Kieran McKenna and his staff were celebrating last night as the former Manchester United first team coach made his managerial debut with a much-needed, albeit narrow, home win over top six outfit Wycombe Wanderers.

The Blues only had James Norwood’s rather fortuitous goal to show for 90-plus minutes of all-out effort but if this was a taste of what is to come over what remains of the season then few supporters will be complaining.

Penney, who signed in the summer after leaving Sheffield Wednesday, made his 20th first-team appearance against the Chairboys and has now set his sights on continuing the improvement in the 22 league games that remain for 11th-placed Town.

The 23-year-old from Chesterfield reflected on last night’s welcome win — only Town’s third in 14 games in all competitions — and said: “Thankfully we got the three points and hopefully now we can really kick on and have a good go during the second half of the season.”

McKenna’s arrival has given the entire club a lift and while they still remain 10 points adrift of the play-off zone the Blues have certainly not given up hope of bridging the gap and gatecrashing the promotion race. It was only one game, but the victory over Wycombe may just have rescued a season that didn’t look like it was going anywhere.

Has the new manager given everyone a lift? “Yes, of course he has,” Penney admitted. “When a guy like the gaffer walks into the building, when you look at his background and the people he has worked with, the staff and the players, it can only improve us as people and players. So, yes, he has given us all a lift and the boys are thriving on it and looking to push on.”

Penney also praised the contribution of McKenna’s assistant, Martyn Pert, adding: “He’s a really good guy and a good coach. Again, I can’t speak highly enough of him.”

Turning his attention back to the win over Wycombe, Penney added: “We’re all delighted. We worked our socks off and we had a game plan that we stuck to.

“We knew what Wycombe would offer and not only did we deal with their threat, we won the game ourselves. It was a tough game but thankfully we’ve got over the line with the three points.

“Each game offers a different threat and we dealt with Wycombe’s really well. We knew what they were going to offer and we imposed ourselves on the game really well. Maybe it wasn’t the prettiest of football but the result was the right one and now it’s important that we kick on from here.

“Since the new manager has been here we’ve put in some really hard work on the training pitch. It has been a tough few days but it has been great working under him and hopefully we can now get our season up and running.”

Asked if the new regime had created a different training ground vibe, Penney added: “It’s been different but it’s been great and we’ve all enjoyed it. It’s been sharp, the standard is high and he’s brought in lots of different techniques that the lads are thriving on. It’s only going to make us better.”

On a personal note Penney won’t worry where he is asked to play and has amply demonstrated his versatility since arriving from Hillsborough in the summer as one of former manager Pail Cook’s 19 new recruits.

He added: “Ultimately, whenever I pull the shirt on I will give my all for the team, whether it’s at left-back, left midfield or left wing-back.

“It doesn’t matter what position I’m in, I’ll do my very best and whatever the gaffer asks of me. The gaffer comes up with the game plan and sets the team up to play a certain way. Against Wycombe I thought we did well.

“When a new manager comes in it’s a clean slate for everybody and it’s up to every individual to show him what they have to offer and how they can help the team reach the next level.

“It’s not just the guys who were involved in the game last night, those who started and came off the bench, everyone has come together and we’ll all fight for the same cause.”

Norwood has been a prolific goalscorer throughout a career that has taken him into non-league and then back into the EFL. He was Town’s top marksman in each of his first two seasons at the club, having joined in 2019 after rejecting the chance to extend his stay at Tranmere and instead make a fresh start in Suffolk.

Last night’s clincher was his third goal in as many games after being brought in from the cold by interim manager John McGreal, who took charge for four games after the departure of Cook, the man who exiled Norwood to train with the U23s.

Penney added: “James Norwood scores goals and that’s the be-all and end-all of it. Off the field, no comment, but on the pitch he scores goals and that’s all that matters. It’s why strikers get paid the most money. He’s a top, top guy.”

Photo: TWTD

Monkey_Blue added 11:43 - Dec 30 “Off the field, no comment” 🤔
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Karlosfandangal added 12:59 - Dec 30 Let's hope Norwood has turned a corner with this “off field” bit. He could become a legend this season and hopefully for seasons to come. Couple of times last night we saw his hot head and teams will play on that as his is a real threat in front of goal. McKenna had his arm round him as they walked of the pitch so it looks as if he is off the transfer list
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Monkey_Blue added 18:29 - Dec 30 Penney could have just not mentioned “off the field”. I may be being too analytical but seems not everyone is a fan of Norwoods “I'm big time” attitude. Happy he's scoring but I can't say I like his attitude or behaviour off the field. I have zero tolerance of drink drivers. They clearly don't care about anyone but themselves.
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dirtydingusmagee added 21:06 - Dec 30 agree Karlos, he needs to wind his neck in and channel his energies into his game .Not all refs will tollerate his hot head gobsh#te antics .
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FramlinghamBlue added 00:03 - Dec 31 Let Norwood do what he likes and the ‘holier than thou' comments on here are ridiculous. He got well stuck in yesterday, something we have been missing. Matt Penney had a much better second half but needs to really commit for the full 90 to keep his place going forward this season.
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TedTurnip added 00:04 - Dec 31 The way that Penney can move up and down that left channel, especially last night, can only be a huge plus for Town. Having that ability to overlap and create chances is not something a lot of League 1 teams have. He is a great asset to the team, good on him.
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Bluearmy71 added 17:48 - Dec 31 I think all comments should be about Penney here as he fully deserves the credit, he is playing well getting into great position, creating chances for others and in there to grab the odd goal now and then, what more could you want from him, not to mention he is fully committed and gives 100%
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