Town boss Kieran McKenna says the back-to-back Easter games against Rotherham, live on Sky at the New York Stadium on Saturday lunchtime, and at home to Wigan on Tuesday will provide a snapshot of how the Blues match up against what he feels have been the division's two most dominant sides.

McKenna’s team’s play-off push effectively ended a couple of games ago but they could still play a role in fight for the automatic promotion places with Rotherham currently third after a dramatic recent loss of form and Wigan having moved to the top of the table. They both have a game in hand on second-placed MK Dons.

“Two standout games in the calendar, a weekend I’ve looked forward to since I came into the job and I’m sure for the players and supporters who have been here for the season a standout couple of days in the fixture list,” McKenna said.

“Two really good tests starting against Rotherham on Saturday. A really, really strong team who have been dominant in this league throughout the course of most of this season and in previous seasons as well.

“A really good challenge for us to see where we’re at and test ourselves and learn a little bit more about ourselves as a team.

“We’re looking forward to the game. The fact that it impacts the positions at the top of the league is not really of too much interest to me, to be honest, it’s just the fact that it’s against two really good teams who have consistently won games at this level and it’s a chance for us to go and try and impose ourselves and see where we’re at.”

Is it about setting a benchmark for next season in terms of how his team fare against this year’s top sides “Yes, it’s part of that. We’ve played quite a few of the teams in and around it but Wigan and Rotherham have been the most dominant teams in the league, not just this season but also when they’ve been in League One before.

“They’re obviously very dominant teams at this level and we want to see how we match up against that.

“It’s the end of the season, we have big players for us missing and it would be nice to go into the these games in an ideal world with a full deck or closer to that than we are at the moment, so we’re not going to be in that situation.

“I don’t think we will make big, big, big judgements about where we’re at as a squad just from how the game goes on Saturday or on Tuesday, it’s a snapshot in time.

“If we played them a month ago, the team would be different than Saturday, if we played them a month before that it would be different.

“Most games across the course of a season comes as a snapshot in time and the most important thing is for us going into next season is that we pick up points over the 46 games more so than the other teams. That has to be our focus.

“But part of it in a successful season is beating the other teams at the top and that’s something we want to do next year and for the players who are going to be with us next year who play in the game on Saturday, that’s a good opportunity to go and try and lay that marker down.”

"Having looked the division’s outstanding side and a shoo-in for automatic promotion for most of the season, the Millers have come a cropper over the last month and a half, winning only once in their last seven league games, although they have carried off the Papa John’s Trophy in that time after beating Sutton 4-2 after extra-time at Wembley a fortnight ago.

McKenna was quizzed on why he believes the Millers’ season has gone awry in recent weeks.

“I went to the Portsmouth game on Tuesday night so I got to see that one first hand,” he said. “I didn’t think there was much in the game, I thought the margins went against them.

“I thought they had a decent start and I thought it was a competitive and pretty even game and it ended up 3-0, but the scoreline in a game like that could very easily have tilted the other way and Rotherham could have been on the other end of it.

“From the games I’ve seen margins sometimes go against you and with that maybe results don’t go your way and confidence can go a little bit.

“I still see them as a very, very strong team, a team who have a really clear way of playing and a way that’s been very successful in this division and it’s going to be a big challenge for us.

“The fact they’ve not won as many games as they’re used to, it’s probably normal for every team in every league to have a spell at some point or other and this is their spell and we have to do everything we can to continue that on Saturday but also knowing that they’re also going to be fighting tooth and nail for the points.”

Many of Town’s recent matches have seen opposition sides defend in depth in an attempt to frustrate the Blues and claim a point.

Does McKenna expect these two matches to be more open with the Millers and Latics both needing victories as they seek to secure a top-two place?

“I think we can only determine that on Saturday when we see,” he reflected. “Rotherham are generally a very, very front-foot team and very aggressive and like to press man-to-man all over the pitch and impose themselves physically.

“That’s the normal way of playing but they’re not on their best run of results so they have the right and the possibility that they could do something a little bit differently.

“We’ve watched their games in the Championship as well and in general they went about it a little bit differently at that level and their principles were a little bit different and they played a little bit more compact. It’s not impossible that we could face that as well.

“I know what our intent will be, I know we will try and press high up the pitch, we will try and defend on the front foot and in an a really aggressive and brave way, and try and win the ball back high and we’ll try and dominate the ball and create as many chances as we can in the opposition’s half.

“But we can’t really determine or predict what Rotherham are going to do, we can mainly focus on ourselves and make sure we’re as prepare for the different eventualities.”

Is there a particular challenge he has laid down for the players for the last four matches? “Our focus at the moment is on Rotherham. We have have bunched it together a little bit with the Wigan game as a sort of double-header or fixtures against the top two teams in general - over the course of the season they’ve been the top two teams in the league.

“Our focus has been very much on those two games, especially immediately our focus is on Rotherham and if you pair that together with the Wigan game I think it’s about picking a team and preparing the team as well as we can to go and deliver a performance and deliver a result.

“We’ll do everything we can do that and then after that we have Crewe and Charlton and we’ll see where we’re at after the game on Tuesday in terms of how we go into those games.”

He says the players have their own personal challenges over the course of those games, as is always the case.

“Of course, individually every day,” McKenna continued. “They know without me challenging them that this is a club going in a certain direction and everyone has to work really hard and perform well to stay on that bus. That’s the same for everybody here.

“I know their motivation is high, they want to finish the season well individually and fighting for different reasons, and we continue to challenge them in their own performances and in their own games to keep improving and keep developing.

“I think individually the players will have and should have a really high level of motivation to finish the season well.”

McKenna admitted he wasn’t aware of Town’s TV curse which saw them go on a run of 16 matches broadcast live in the UK without winning before a home victory over Wigan on the opening day of the 2020/21 League One campaign.

Most recently they lost 2-0 in an FA Cup replay at Barrow a day prior to the Northern Irishman’s appointment and overall they have won only three of their last 34 TV games.

“No, I spoke to someone today who has been to 26 consecutive away games and not seen the team win, that was a pretty bad curse, but I’ve not heard about the TV curse,” McKenna laughed.

However, he says hoodoos aren’t something he is a great believer in: “Not at all. But I think it’s good for us that things like that are out there, are in the public domain that the club hasn’t done certain things lately or haven’t done this well.

“What a good opportunity for us to change the pathway of this football club. That’s in all areas, and going into next year we want to write a new script and set some new records and some new themes and hopefully some more positive ones for the supporters to get behind.

“Everyone within the club knows that the last few years haven’t been in the direction that anyone wants the club to be going in and it’s a great challenge for those of us who are lucky enough to be here to turn that around and start laying down a more positive narrative.”

McKenna hopes being in front of the cameras will give his players additional impetus: “Hopefully that should be another little inspiration. We get as many eyeballs on us as anyone in general in this division because of the following we get and having however many extra on TV I’m sure for the players is an extra little edge, an extra little push and hopefully we’ll put that to our advantage.”

Christian Walton will be in goal with McKenna forced into a change at the back with Cameron Burgess suspended following his red card at Shrewsbury.

The Blues manager said at his press conference that he has decided on his selection but was keeping his plans to himself, however, 19-year-old Indonesia international Elkan Baggott seems likely to be handed his league debut on the left of the back three with Janoi Donacien and Luke Woolfenden in their usual positions.

The alternative is on-loan Brentford man Dominic Thompson, while youngster Albie Armin could come into the squad as additional centre-half cover.

Matt Penney could continue at left wing-back, with Thompson also an option there along with Kane Vincent-Young, who is over a knock which has affected him for the last couple of weeks. Wes Burns will be on the right.

In central midfield, skipper Sam Morsy again looks set to be partnered by Tyreeq Bakinson with two from Bersant Celina, Sone Aluko and Conor Chaplin as the number 10s, while James Norwood appears set to continue as the central striker.

Rotherham boss Warne, a Norwich City fan growing up, says other bosses he has spoken to have been impressed by the Blues.

“It’s a different Ipswich side of course, a couple of managers I’ve spoken to said that they are the best team they’ve played in recent weeks,” he told his club’s official website.

“We beat them away before and we were really good, but they’ve got great players and are now performing like the side everyone expected in pre-season.

“It is a difficult game for us because they are a strong side, hopefully we can attack it in the right way and give ourselves the best possible chance of winning.”

Reflecting on their recent run, he said: “When we were promoted in my first spell, we lost 14 games that season. The lads have had an amazing season.

“Prior to Tuesday night, we’d had seven clean sheets in a row away from home. Results haven’t been great recently, I understand that but it’s still a great group.

“We’re disappointed that our performance didn’t deserve something on Tuesday night and the lads are desperate to put it right.

“I don’t think we’ve been as sharp up top as we possibly were at the start of the season. We’ve shown that we can do it, we just need to get back to that.

“In a lot of games there isn’t much in it. Hopefully on Saturday it will go our way and give the place a bit of a lift.”

He added: “I understand frustrations that the position we were in looked really healthy and as coaching staff and players, we echo them.

“I can see why people are nervous because they want this team to go down in the history books. The league is probably the hardest I’ve ever known it and there’s a lot of teams at the top who are winning regularly.

“If our points tally come the end of the season is enough to get us in the automatics, then they’ve done amazing.

“If we do end up in the play-offs then we will have to pick ourselves up and try to perform in them. That’s all we can do.”

On-loan Arsenal wing-back Jordi Osei-Tutu is a doubt for the Millers with a foot injury, while midfielder Ben Wiles has a knee problem but Warne is hopeful he’ll be OK to face the Blues.

Town have won 15 of the previous games between the sides, all of which have been in the league, eight have ended in draws, with the Millers having won 12, including the last three.

The Blues have won only one of the last eight between the teams since winning 5-2 in South Yorkshire in November 2015 when Daryl Murphy netted a hat-trick.

At home this season, the Millers have won 13, drawn three and lost five, among them their last two, a 3-0 loss to Shrewsbury and a 1-0 reverse against Charlton last Saturday.

In November at Portman Road, a goal in either half from Wiles and Shane Ferguson saw Rotherham to a comfortable 2-0 victory over the Blues, extending the Millers’ unbeaten run to 15 games and taking them to the top of League One.

Wiles opened the scoring on 24 with a shot from the edge of the box with Ferguson adding the second a minute before the hour with Town never looking like getting back into the match.

The teams last met at the New York Stadium in January 2020 when Rotherham skipper Richard Wood’s 42nd minute goal saw the Millers to a 1-0 victory and to the top of the table at the Blues’ expense.

Wood headed home as the South Yorkshiremen dominated against an under par Town, who almost grabbed a late undeserved equaliser when sub Norwood hit the post.

Millers winger Chiedozie Ogbene had a spell on trial with the Blues in January 2018 - along with his Limerick team-mate Barry Cotter - before joining Brentford.

Tuesday’s referee is Peter Wright from Merseyside, who has shown 98 yellow cards and three red in 31 games so far this season.

Wright was in charge of the 2-1 defeat at Cheltenham in August in which he booked Lee Evans and three home players.

Wright has refereed only one other previous Town match, the 2-1 defeat at Sunderland last season, in which he certainly made his mark, showing Andre Dozzell a controversial red card before awarding a similarly contentious penalty against Mark McGuinness, decisions then-manager Paul Lambert slammed as “absolutely incredible”.

Squad from: Walton, Hladky, Donacien, Woolfenden, Baggott, Armin, Burns, Vincent-Young, Thompson, Penney, Morsy, El Mizouni, Carroll, Bakinson, Celina, Aluko, Chaplin, Bonne, Norwood, Pigott, Simpson.

Photo: TWTD

runningout added 18:26 - Apr 14 our live tv sad shows have been ridiculous. I'm sure that monkey has deserted us
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FrankMarshall added 21:48 - Apr 14 Not much pressure now on results which should work for us against Rotherham and Wigan. Never know, could allow us to get all 6 points and be back in the mix! (In the unlikely event that other results also go our way)
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tractorboybig added 08:08 - Apr 15 well you cant be the dross and crap in this div
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ArnieM added 13:47 - Apr 15 Eh? ^^^^
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ringwoodblue added 14:13 - Apr 15 Rotherham are on a bad run atm considering their season so far so what better way to end that run than to play us on the telly.
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blueboy1981 added 18:10 - Apr 15 Bit late in the day this season for such comparison - I think the last 8 to 10 Games have proved how we ‘stand up' and where our obvious failings are. I don't think anyone has any doubts, that our Defence is sound enough - but our final third is abysmal still. Hence we will finish another season mid table - in Division 3 for an umpteenth time.
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dirtydingusmagee added 21:40 - Apr 15 cant see anything much coming in the way of points now ,with the exception of Crewe , so mid table finish.Its just about pride now and who is still prepared to give it a real go. Real interest now is who goes out and who comes in [as usual]
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Dissboyitfc added 08:11 - Apr 16 i fancy we will get the 3 points today!
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gosblue added 10:32 - Apr 16 Playing for contracts. I think the last few weeks have shown how desperately we need to get out of this division. The next two games are a taste of what championship football could be like with opposition trying to play football. Let's enjoy it and make some noise.
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