McKenna: Conditions Made a Tough Game Even Harder Monday, 10th Apr 2023 18:33 Blues boss Kieran McKenna felt the windy conditions made a tough game even harder as his side drew 1-1 at Cheltenham Town. The Robins netted an equaliser six minutes from time via Alfie May, Conor Chaplin having given Ipswich the lead in the 64th minute with his 22nd of the season and his third in three games. “We knew it would be a tough game but the conditions made it much, much tougher as well, to be fair. That made the game even harder,” McKenna said. “I thought we did some good things, we dealt with the conditions pretty well. In the first half we were going against the really strong wind but we still managed to create enough chances. “We had a few tight moments at the back but in general we were pretty happy getting to half-time at 0-0 knowing we would have more of the ascendency in the second half. “We got the goal, could have had one or two more but, as we know, if you don’t get the second goal, things can happen. “We’ve been very, very good at seeing out games, we’ve given up so few chances in those moments, but today a high ball into a stiff wind caught the players out and it’s a bad break for us, but that’s how it goes.” Reflecting on Chaplin’s goal, which came from a long Harry Clarke thrown on the right, McKenna said: “I think it would have been some nice irony if we’d have beaten Cheltenham with a long throw with the history of having such good long throwers here down the years. “It’s a good weapon to have. We’ve got Leif [Davis], Clarkey [Harry Clarke] and JD [Janoi Donacien] are all really good throwers of a ball. “You can see why they’ve been successful, it’s such a narrow pitch that it’s not that hard to reach the dangerous areas and it’s another nice weapon to have.” Regarding the Cheltenham goal, McKenna said he was yet to speak to keeper Christian Walton about it but felt the wind was a big factor. “I’ve not spoken to him yet,” he said. “I had a pretty good view of it live. I’ve not seen the contact yet to see whether it was a free-kick or not, it’s pretty clear what happened. “He’s been so good dominating his box for us. They stood one up to the box which normally would have flown through to him and it’s just caught the gust and hung up and probably became hard for him to come through as he wanted to come through. “He’s done terrific for us, as the whole team and back four have defensively, so we just have to take that one and move on.” Town went into the match having won their last eight and having kept nine clean sheets in a row. The Blues’ spell without conceding ultimately ended at 949 minutes. McKenna knew those remarkable streaks had to come to an end eventually. “We’ve on a really good run, we want to win the next game but we were never going to win every game to the end of the season,” he said. “The difficulty of the league and the difficulty of football pretty much dictates that. “We try and win every game, we’ll go into Saturday doing everything we can to get the win but as it is across the whole season, it’s really important how you react when you don’t get a win, and thats what we’ll look to do.” The Blues boss says he would happily have taken eight wins and a draw following the frustrating 0-0 draw at Bristol Rovers on Valentine’s Day at a time when Town had won only one in eight in the league. “Yes, it’s another point,” he reflected. “Hopefully, every point matters at the end of the season, let’s see. It was another game where there were some good things in the performance. “We’ve created many more chances than the opposition and had much more of the game and if we keep doing that and keep focusing on ourselves, then we’ll see what we get in the end.” Might it end up being a good point? “Possibly, it certainly could. You’re coming away on a Monday with the quickest turnaround you have in the season to play in these conditions against a team with good home form, so it might end up being a good point, you don’t know. “A draw’s always better than a defeat, that’s for sure and it keeps us unbeaten and keeps some of our momentum going into the Charlton game.” While the Blues were drawing, Plymouth fell to only their second home league defeat of the season, 2-0 to Lincoln, while Sheffield Wednesday ended their six-game winless run by beating Accrington 3-0 at Hillsborough. McKenna expects there will be plenty more ups and downs for all those involved at the top of the table in the remaining weeks. “Probably, but the twists and turns for us are the ones that are going to happen within games,” he said. “We were going to concede at some point, at some point we’ll probably give away the first goal. “Again today we got the lead and that was the first time we haven’t been able to see that lead out in a long time and it’s just being ready for what comes in football, which is an unpredictable game, and being ready for it and doing everything you can, focusing on ourselves and the next game. It doesn’t change today, it just becomes getting ready for Charlton on Saturday.” Despite it being a draw which felt like a loss, McKenna says the players weren’t too downcast in the dressing room. “They were pretty good in there,” he said. “Of course, when you concede a late goal it always feels like a defeat but the Easter weekend is a busy weekend, play Friday and Monday, it’s probably the quickest turnaround in the season and we’ve come out of it with four points. “When you concede a late goal, it’s always disappointing but they know that it’s another point and we have home games to look forward to and now we’ve got to go and attack those.” McKenna says the half-time switch of Marcus Harness for Kyle Edwards was as the game seemed made for the former West Brom man’s direct running. “It really was,” he said. “I have to say I thought the whole front four, Marcus included, did a good job in the first half because it was really difficult receiving balls, he was receiving balls in the air with centre-halves coming through the back of him and that was the only outlet. “The whole front four did really well with Marcus included and created a couple of good opportunities out of not very much service. “But we knew that in the second half we’d pin them in and there would be more chances to take the ball and run with it downwind and downhill as well at this stadium and it was just going to be a perfect half for Kyle to come on and show what he can do and I thought he had a good impact.” Regarding Harness, he added: “He’s started lots of games this season, he’s had lots of lots of appearances, he’s been a really important player for us and he always contributes. “As a forward player, you always want to score and he scored frequently at the start of the season and he hasn’t scored so many since he came back from such a big injury. “He always gives us something and we know what he gives us and even today I thought he contributed well in the first half performance to setting the game up to give us a chance to win in it in the second half. He’s contributing well and I’m sure he’ll continue to do so.” Harness had replaced Nathan Broadhead, who aggravated the ankle knock he suffered at Derby during Friday’s game against Wycombe and McKenna says the Wales international will be assessed ahead of Charlton’s visit on Saturday. “It was his ankle, we don’t know yet, we’ll have to see over the next few days. It wasn’t ready for this game, certainly,” he said. “I’ve not had a full report today. He’s had a good impact but we have a really good squad and lots of players ready, so we’ll see how he is over the next couple of days.” McKenna says Leif Davis was replaced late on feeling one or two bumps and bruises: “He was struggling with a few little issues in the second half, a mixture of fatigue and a few little niggles, so we had to get him off at the end.” Overall, the Northern Irishman thought the Easter weekend was illustrative of the differing challenges League One presents, the Blues having won 4-0 at home in front of 28,000-plus at Portman Road on Good Friday before today’s draw in very different circumstances. “That’s why it’s such a difficult league, there’s no two ways about it,” he said. “It’s not easy because the challenges are difficult. “As I said before the game, people will think going to Bolton or Derby are really difficult games and maybe less so this, but in some ways the challenge is just as big. “And certainly today, the wind is such a massive factor in a game of football unfortunately, especially in an open stadium. “There are lots of challenges there, a different challenge now on Saturday and Tuesday [when Port Vale visit] and lots of games ahead. “We’ve just got to keep looking forward to it, we’ve got to attack each challenge as they come, enjoy where we are end and enjoy this moment and keep going for each game.”
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