McKenna: Important to Get the Rest of the Squad Up and Running
Friday, 11th Aug 2023 16:20

Town boss Kieran McKenna was pleased with his side’s performance as they beat Bristol Rovers 2-0 in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, despite having made 11 changes, including handing debuts to keeper Cieran Slicker and midfielder Jack Taylor, who netted the first goal in the 2-0 win.

Sone Aluko grabbed the second after coming off the bench to secure a place in round two and a tie away at League One Reading.

“It was a really good performance,” McKenna said. “It’s always important as we have a busy pre-season where everyone plays lots of minutes and then you pick the first team of the season and the first subs and those players feel like they are up and running.

“I think it’s important to be able to get the rest of the squad up and running in the same mode, so I like the timing of the game. I like that the Carabao Cup first round came so early in the season and you are able to utilise the squad and reward those who have done well over pre-season and get them up to speed pretty quickly.

“That was a positive and then to deliver a performance as well as we did and you saw the structure of the team, in and out of possession, as good as it was and you saw the individual talent that the players brought to the game made it a good evening.

“Of course, [pleased] to win the game, but also for the performance and the atmosphere in the group going forward.”

Taylor, who joined the Blues from Peterborough for an initial £1.5 million earlier in the window, impressed with his display in addition to netting his 12th-minute goal.

“Jack’s was a really good goal,” McKenna continued. “He is developing well and I thought it was a really good performance from him, in general.

“One element of his game where he does do well is that he can arrive in the box and we have seen in training, as well as last season, that he is a really good finisher when he gets there.

“So whenever it comes to him in the box, you feel like he will score. It is nice for him to get his first goal and importantly to show the progress in his performance.

“He missed the first week of pre-season and I think he’d be the first to say that the intensity of how we work, not just from a physical but a mental point of view, requires a bit of an adaptation period. But he is adapting well and improving day-by-day and game-by-game.”

Scotland U21 international keeper Slicker, 20, who joined Town from Manchester City, made a composed debut, pulling off a couple of sharp saves from deflected efforts.

“It was good for him,” McKenna said of the one-time Rochdale loanee. “He’s not played much senior football yet.

“To make his first appearance perhaps quicker than he would have expected, coming to the club with Christian’s situation, is a big bonus for him. He is another one who has settled in well.

“Of course, from where he has come from, he has a good idea of a lot of the principles that are important to us as well. So he was able to slot into the team pretty well and show his qualities – it was a good night for him.”

Wednesday’s game was the first time the new Portman Road pitch had been put through its paces, the squad having trained on in the previous day.

“It was very good,” McKenna reflected. “It is a typical modern pitch. It plays well and they have done a great job with the surroundings as well, both around the pitch and the tunnel - and with the dugout and screen last year.

“I think the whole stadium looks really well and it is certainly modernised and set up for the future.

“The pitch played really well. It is still a new pitch and new pitches take time to really bed in and become as robust and resilient to wear and tear as we will want it to be – that takes a little bit of time.

“But it certainly played really well and it was nice to be out there, like it will be nice to go out there tomorrow as well.

Overall, it’s been a good start to the season for the Blues with virtually everyone having been involved in a win in the first few days of the campaign.

“The squad is really tight so when we beat Sunderland all the players in the dressing room were really happy – I have no doubt about that,” McKenna said.

“But it still feels a little different when you get out on the pitch and contribute to a win and individually you play well and you help the team to play well.

“It is a good atmosphere at the moment. It keeps everyone ready, it keeps everyone feeling close to the team and that is one of the benefits of that competition at the early stage of the competition.

Photo: TWTD

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