| Swansea City 1 v 4 Ipswich Town EFL Championship Saturday, 8th November 2025 Kick-off 15:00 |  |
McKenna: A Performance to Enjoy and a Really Good Result Saturday, 8th Nov 2025 18:26 Town boss Kieran McKenna hailed the Blues’ 4-1 victory at Swansea City as “a performance to enjoy and a really good result”. The Blues picked up their second 4-1 away win in eight days, defeating the struggling Swans via two own goals netted by former Town defender Cameron Burgess with Jack Clarke and Ivan Azon, his first for the club, also on the scoresheet. Goncalo Franco grabbed an equaliser against the run of play for the Welsh side just after half-time against the run of play. Town had gone nine games on the road without a win going back to the start of April before winning at QPR last Saturday. “Of course, you enjoy your away wins,” McKenna said. “They’re a really good connector for the group when you go away from home to tough places like this and you get the win, and you have work hard for it. “It’s really good for bringing a new group together, it’s really good for them to share it with the away supporters, who have been outstanding in the last couple of weeks. “They’re results to enjoy and, importantly, I felt it was a really good performance today. From the first whistle pretty much to the end, I thought there was lots to enjoy about our play on the ball. “Most of our defending was really, really good. Frustrated to concede the goal, but I thought it was a really strong performance. A performance to enjoy and a really good result.” McKenna had sympathy for Burgess but believes the Australian international is a resilient enough character to put today’s disappointments behind him. “I think sometimes in those situations as a defender when a ball’s coming across goal, if you don’t get there, somebody else will,” he said. “I’m sure Cam’s experienced enough to know that himself. “As I’ve said, a top man, a top player for this club, everyone’s got fond memories in connection with him. “He’s been a top player for Swansea already, watching their games you can see what a leader he is in that group, excelling at international level as well. “Again, he’d be a really good addition to our group, but I’m happy with how his career is progressing where he’s at and I know how strong a character he is, so I’m sure he’ll be picking his teammates up in there and they’ll be ready to push on after the break as well.” McKenna was delighted for on-loan Como striker Azon, 22, to bag his first goal for the club in his 10th appearance, eight of those from the bench, having come close on a number of occasions previously. “He’s been waiting for it for a while, he’s had chances in every game, every moment he’s been on the pitch, really, which I always say is the main thing,” McKenna continued regarding the Spaniard. “You could see how happy everyone is for him because he’s an outstanding character. A brilliant human being, a really good addition to the group, a real team player, really humble, wants to do well for himself and others. “Everyone’s happy for him in there and as a striker it’s important to get your first goal, so that will help his confidence as well. “He’s a handful for defenders and we’re going to need him, so nice for him to get that one and it was an important goal in the game as well.” Christian Walton made a stop as vital as it was brilliant in the 65th minute at 2-1, diving away to his right to push Ben Cabango’s header onto the post. “A brilliant save, I’m looking forward to watching it back, to be honest, because if it’s as good as it looked live, we had a good angle on it and it looked a top save,” McKenna enthused. “A big moment in the game, so really happy for him and shows [the importance] in terms of the group of everyone being ready and people stepping up over the course of the season. He’s stepped into the team well and he’s had a big impact with that save today.” McKenna made six changes to his team with some fans having been critical regarding his rotation policy this season. The Northern Irishman says managers need to be firm in their own belief in those situations and not bow to pressure from outside. “I think you have to be strong in those scenarios because you know if we don’t win the game then that will be [perceived as] the reason why,” he reflected. “I’ve said from the start that I believe in the group. The group’s going to be really important for us. “How we have always worked over the last few years, I think we train in a pretty unique way and players have always been able to come in and understand their jobs and do their jobs. “I think in the games when we’ve made more changes this season performances haven’t dipped in any way. “It’s not something that I can focus on. We have a talented group, who are working really hard. It’s a benefit to us if we can utilise them all over the incredibly busy schedule that we have. “It makes us a better team. It makes us a more dangerous, threatening team over the course of a 46-game season to have more players engaged ready, ready to step up at different moments from the start or from the bench. “Good day for the squad, good week for the squad, good block for the squad with people like Christian Walton and Jack Taylor, who maybe didn’t play in the last block of games, coming into this. “I say it because I believe it, I think they’re all genuinely going to be important and it’s been a good day for that.” The win moves the Blues up to seventh, two points off the play-offs and six from the top two with a game in hand. Asked for his summary of the current position, he added: “We end up giving assessments all the time, it’s early days, it’s such a new group. “I’ve said before, I think the first four games were different, were difficult with the group and getting players in, lots of players arriving late, players leaving right up until the end. Lots of situations unresolved. “I think since the first international break and the group’s come together, the attitude, the commitment from everyone’s been excellent behind the scenes. Performances have been steadily improving. “Of course, there are bumps in the road, we had a big bump in the road in this block with two losses in quick succession, but I think there’s been pretty steady improvement from individuals and from the relationships in the team, and from the team as a whole. “We’ve ridden out one bump and there’s going to be more to come, so we just need to keep on that path, keep trying to improve every aspect of our game, be ready to ride out the bumps in the road whenever they come and, if we do that, then we’ll see where we are at the end of the year.” Quizzed on the change of personnel at Portman Road, Leif Davis having been the only player in the Town XI to have been in the side which won 2-1 at the Swansea.com Stadium in February 2024, McKenna said: “Big turnover. I think when you have two promotions and then a relegation after it, it’s natural. “If we hadn’t have had those highs, then who knows how it pans out but maybe we’d still have five or six of that team that were here, maybe more less than 18 months ago or so. “It’s been an incredible journey for the club, that means there’s a natural bigger turnover of players and even more so this summer, so it’s a new team we’re trying to build. “We did have a brilliant Ipswich team here, we’ve trying to build another one. That’s the journey that we’re on, it’s not an easy journey, but it’s what we’re trying to do and there’s been some decent signs.” Does he see the new side as team two or team three of his time at Town and where can he take them? “I’d probably go second rather than third because there were so many of the boys who were here from the start. “Where we can take it? Who knows? I think we have a good squad, we’ve got a lot of boys in there who want to do well for themselves and for the group, and we just have to keep working. “We are improving, there’s a lot of improvement still to make and if we keep doing that then we’ll see where we’re at come the end of the season.” Outlining the plans for the international break, with a home game against Wrexham a fortnight today, McKenna said: “There’ll be some training in the early part of the week and then there’ll be a few days off, as we do at this time of the year. “We know the schedule’s incredibly busy when we come back, so the players will have their programmes to work even on their days off just to make sure they keep ticking over. “And then we’ll have a good week with those who are here before Wrexham. Of course, those who are away won’t get back together until the end of the week, but, to be honest, I’m looking to the few days off and then a really busy run of games. “But I think, let’s enjoy it as a club, staff, players. I think a lot of people missed that about the Championship last year, having lots of games, having lots of midweeks. We’ve seven in 20 days but let’s throw ourselves into it and see how well we can do.”
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