Town boss Kieran McKenna felt there were lots of positives about his side’s performance despite the frustration of losing 1-0 to Wycombe Wanderers at Adams Park, a result which sees the Blues drop to second in League One.

Brandon Hanlan’s goal five minutes before half-time saw the Chairboys to their first ever win against Town with the Blues unable to find a leveller in the second half despite dominating possession.

“A frustrating result,” McKenna admitted. “I thought there were lots of good things about the performance. It’s a difficult place to come and control the game but I thought we did that.

“They are a team who want to put the ball in your box at every opportunity and if you give them opportunities to do that then they’re a big goal threat but we limited that really well, dominated the ball, found the spare man and we had moments when we played through them with real quality, but we weren’t good enough to take those big moments that we had today.

“They had very little in the game at the point where they scored but their forward is waiting for one big moment and produces a great run that we didn’t defend well enough and that makes the game all the more difficult.

“There were lots of good things in the performance that we wanted to implement that we did implement, but at the end of the day one bit of magic, one big moment for them has settled the game.”

The goal came at a time McKenna felt the Blues were imposing themselves on the match more and more.

“It’s hard, we need to keep the game at zero, at that point we can’t give them the goal because we were growing and growing in ascendancy in the game,” he continued.

“We had nullified the threats pretty well that they wanted to bring and I think if we keep the game there, more and more space will open up and we would give ourselves a great chance to go on and score and win the game.

“But when they score a goal like that out of such a unthreatening situation on appearance, it gives them the encouragement for the second half, to defend en masse and make blocks and get bodies in way.

“But I thought we still got in some really good positions and we tried different personnel and different ways of going about it, but we just weren’t able to find that little bit today.”

Subs Kyle Edwards and Sone Aluko both made an impression as the Blues went looking for the equaliser.

“Yes, we thought they would be good subs for the game today because as the opponent tired, they’re good one-v-one and could come on and open things up,” McKenna said.

“To be honest, there’s no regrets on the way that we went about the game. I think in the first half we did most of the things we wanted to do, we stretched the pitch well, we controlled the game, found the spare man, we were just going and going and starting to play through their marking system, and the goal changes that.

“We always knew that we would have subs today to bring on that could make a bit of a difference and they gave us some fresh impetus, but we weren’t able to find the extra little bit we needed.”

The Northern Irishman felt his team ought to have done better on the goal: “Definitely. It’s a good bit of skill and the player does well but we need to defend the situation better.

“We did so many good things in the game, we limited them to so few opportunities. We’ve spoken about it inside. When you’re a dominant team, like we are now in so many games, then often the opponents are not getting much service so they know they’re going to have to make their moments count and the striker clearly had that intent and it was a good run but we have to defend the situation better.”

While fingers might be pointed towards the strikers for the Blues not finding the net, McKenna says the responsibility for scoring is shared by the whole squad.

“You can say strikers, it’s forwards, of course, your forwards want to score,” he said. “Sometimes we play with three forwards, sometimes four, today was saw it very much as a front four, four forwards on the pitch and players who are going to break from deep to score goals as well.

“We want to share the goals through the team, we want the forwards to chip in with a lot. The forwards had a couple of big chances today and lots of opportunities and moments, but as did the rest of the team.

“Of course, on the flip of that, if you defend well and we didn’t have too much defending to do because we were playing well and controlling the game, then it becomes a lot easier for forwards because at 0-0 they’re going to have to come out and open up more and more space, and that was happening as the first half goes on.

“When you concede a cheap goal, it makes the forwards’ job much harder. Of course, it’s always about the collective. Myself from the first one, but everyone within the squad doesn’t hide from their responsibilities and doing the best they can, but it’s always about the collective responsibility in the end.”

Did he feel his team didn’t create enough big chances or was it perhaps inevitable that there wouldn’t be many big opportunities with Wycombe in front and defending in depth?

“We didn’t create too much clear-cut but they’ve maybe not created a chance, in my opinion,” he said.

“Their striker’s got the ball 25 yards from goal on the wing and dribbled past our defence, that’s not a big chance.

“Conor [Chaplin]’s in the first half is a really good opportunity that comes on the end of the exact move that we wanted to implement, but sometimes big chances are getting the ball in the box, big chances are getting the ball in the final third, big chances are getting a one-v-one down the side of the box or getting to a really good crossing position.

“When you’re dominant and the other team are defending for their lives, especially at 1-0 up, we have to see that as a big moment and we have to produce in those moments.

“When a team are defending like that, you’re not going to have five one-v-ones with the goalkeeper with no defenders around, there are going to be defenders in the way, there are going to be blocks, there are going to be last-ditch things going on, so it’s about seeing all the opportunities, all the moments that we have in and around their goalmouth or in or around their final third as big moments.”

Despite the disappointment of dropping off the top, McKenna says most people at Town would have taken second place at Christmas.

“I’m sure we would,” he reflected. “I don’t set targets like that but I’m sure we would, I’m sure the supporters would.

“Disappointing today, we had a great support and we really wanted to give them a victory, so I’m disappointed we weren’t able to do that.

“But we know we’re in a good place as a team and how we’ve come on. Wycombe are one of many teams in this league who were way ahead of us last year in terms of the points they picked up and their points consistency across the season, and they’re one of the teams we’ve managed to catch in that area and I think there were lots of signs of that today.

“But we need to keep doing the extra little bit that wins the game and we didn’t managed to do that in both boxes.

“We have to stay positive, there’s lots to be positive for and we’ve got a big week coming up now, Christmas week, we’ll have some bodies back and the squad will be in a stronger position and we look forward to the games ahead.”

Photo: TWTD

IpswichT62OldBoy added 18:38 - Dec 17 Another honest appraisal. His frustration with squandered scoring opportunities comes across, he sees everything playing out as practiced and then players unable to shoot with any power or conviction. We have players who can rip the net but not today.
2

OliveR16 added 19:21 - Dec 17 Played well - but you do have to actually score!!
7

bluelodgeblue added 19:57 - Dec 17 It's goals that win games not possession?
8

jas0999 added 20:14 - Dec 17 No point playing well if you can't score. Happened many times this season. Draws which should have been comfortable wins. We need a couple of goal scorers. Ladapo and Jackson are on the whole mid table league one players who have the occasional good game. Need much better.
9

Bazza8564 added 20:33 - Dec 17 Fair points above, just back and very very ordinary for me. Lots of nice play but a lack of cutting edge. Very interested in seeing what January brings, i'm expecting decisive investment to turn this promising league position into something more. Ive heard one or two promising things along the way but as ever, lets talk about them when they are signed and sealed
7

blueboy1981 added 22:19 - Dec 17 How many more Positives does he need from losing - to turn that into Winning, and not just having 70 % plus sideways and backwards non productive possession ? There's not too many Positives in my book, when handing Wycombe an easy peasy Win !!
-3

SickParrot added 22:39 - Dec 17 Lots of positives? Maybe, but sorry, I can't see past the negatives that we couldn't score and gave away yet another soft goal. Recent results indicate that reinforcements are needed in defence and attack to achieve promotion.
5

Nobbysnuts added 08:09 - Dec 18 There is nothing good about a 1-0 defeat......who are you kidding?
0

Nobbysnuts added 08:16 - Dec 18 You can put whatever spin on it you like KM but there is nothing positive about a 1 nil loss to Wycombe.......dear God give me strength.......
0

Letchworth_Blue added 08:29 - Dec 18 Lets be honest about yesterday, we were shyte. Backwards and sideways passing without a final ball. Laboured strolling about the pitch like they couldn't be bothered. Wycombe were terrible, but apart from Chaplin missing a sitter I don't think we threatened their goal much at all. Aluko again was the best player when he came on, and Burns was totally marked out of the game. Lots of negatives to turn into positives KM, rather than positives to build on.

2

Blue_In_Boston added 08:29 - Dec 18 We're like a league one Spain. Lots of possession but very little threat. Unfortunately goals win games and we never looked like scoring.
0

Blue_In_Boston added 08:29 - Dec 18 We're like a league one Spain. Lots of possession but very little threat. Unfortunately goals win games and we never looked like scoring.
0

chepstowblue added 10:27 - Dec 18 My worry all season has been how we'd react and change our game if we were forced to chase. Yesterday showed that whilst it's fine having meaningless possession for 3/4 of the match when 1-0 up, at 1-0 down a little more urgency and tempo needs to be shown. Wycombe defended superbly, and other than a few half chances in the first half it was only when the quick feet and quick brain of Edwards and Aluko came on respectively did we look like we may crack them. A plan B doesn't appear to be in place and as the season progresses it's becoming more apparent that it will ultimately cost us.

4

chepstowblue added 10:46 - Dec 18 When the possession is so slow and in areas of the pitch that are without threat there aren't many teams at any level that would have broken sweat having to keep us out. The possession stat is so irrelevant in the game when the eyes can do a far better job and paint a far more accurate picture. Sometimes we need to vary it more, go direct if we have to, use the element of surprise. I'm no manager, I just don't like being bored, when we've a group of players with an extra gear which let's face it...we've not seen for a couple of months now.

4

Pilgrimblue added 15:10 - Dec 18 KM needs to change. Team has become predictable and lacking enough urgency. I'm not even sure that new signings will make any difference even if the style remains the same. For some reason Kyle isn't seen as part of the solution but whenever he comes on he at least tries to apply some urgency. He's not a goal scorer but a maker! So pleased that Aluko is back but the rest of the team need to take advantage of his positivity. Possession isn't the answer unless there's an end product. Plus players just can't shoot anywhere like a scatter gun. The chances of hitting the target are poor plus of course a waste of energy. What's the coaching staff doing. Any more games like that and we'll be stuck in playoffs,

3

blueboy1981 added 20:40 - Dec 18 Chepstowblue - as I keep saying, and knocked for but I couldn't care less, because it's FACT - there is so MUCH TO DO and improve on. But it is becoming a trait that is continuing for far too long, and costing points. We are so easy to suss out - and HAVE BEEN !!
1

Carberry added 09:51 - Dec 20 There are a lot of contradictions in what he says. Their goal wasn't a piece of magic, nobody tackled him. All this is analysis without looking at the result - again. When is he going to come out and say we just weren't good enough today - he's a young manager who is drowning in his own statistics.
0

Blogs 295 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls