Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna feels victory at Bolton Wanderers shows side's development as gap to automatic promotion closes
Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna felt the 2-0 victory at fellow Sky Bet League One top six side Bolton Wanderers – which set a new club record for clean sheets – demonstrated the development of his team this season.
A side-footed volley from George Hirst just before half-time put the Suffolk visitors ahead before Christian Walton's penalty save from Dion Charles seven minutes after the interval was celebrated like another goal.
The 2,000-plus travelling fans did soon have another Blues goal to rejoice in though when Cameron Burgess provided a bullet header to a Leif Davis corner in the 68th minute.
Unlike at Charlton Athletic and numerous other games such as at home to Fleetwood Town, Ipswich were able to comfortably see out the game at the University of Bolton Stadium to net three big points in their promotion push.
Following a fifth straight win, and a club record sixth straight clean sheet, McKenna's side now lie just two points behind the second automatic promotion spot following Plymouth Argyle's 3-0 defeat at fourth-placed Barnsley. The Tykes remain a place and six points behind Ipswich with two games in hand but an inferior goal difference (13 behind).
It was also a performance which their manager was able to take great pride in.
Speaking to BBC Radio Suffolk's Brenner Woolley in his post-match interview, he said: "It was a performance to really enjoy full of determination, grit and organisation and producing executing in the big moments when we needed to which is what games like today are always going to be about.
"It wasn't ever going to be free-flowing and a pretty game; one, because of the conditions to be honest and two, because we're at this stage of the season and both teams are fighting like mad for points.
"I thought there were so many good things about our performance from a mentality point-of-view especially, and seeing the growth in the individuals and the team from where we started this season against Bolton is really pleasing."
Hirst's opener from the penalty spot, from a Wes Burns cross, was his first league goal of the campaign and one the son of Sheffield Wednesday legend David Hirst is unlikely to forget along with those who witnessed it.
"Yes, a great goal," said McKenna. "Of course very good from Wes (Burns) and George is really sharp with those movements and I think there is a really good forward in there to be honest.
"Of course he needs to get games and get a rhythm and his confidence which he hasn't had this year, but I think there's a really good player in there and he showed it today. And I thought Freddie (Ladapo) came on and was really good as well.
"What I was really pleased about was the impact of the substitutes.
"I thought everyone that came on got the flow of the game and brought something straight away and that was something we spoke a lot about coming into this game and something we're going to need in the next 10 as well."
Hirst's inclusion was one of three changes from the 2-0 win at home to Accrington Stanley on Tuesday night with Ladapo dropping out along with Kayden Jackson and Janoi Donacien to also make way for Burns and Harry Clarke.
Asked how difficult a decision it gives him to select either Hirst or Ladapo, the Town boss said: "It's a good decision to have to be honest; two good strikers who are bringing different things to the group.
"Both understand the dynamic at the moment which is they both bring different qualities and there's different games and opponents that are going to suit. They're both going to have a part starting games and coming off the bench.
"They both understand that dynamic while still fighting for the position and it puts us in a good position as a team."
Put to him that Walton's penalty save, with Burgess penalised for tripping liverwire Conor Bradley, was a massive moment, he agreed but also felt it showed what they can improve on.
"It was massive, yes," he said.
"It was probably the one moment in the game in those couple of minutes that you could say that gives us a big area to work on and learn from because it was a clear free kick on Wes in the build-up to it, right in front of the linesman, the fourth official and the ref and they didn't give it. And the players didn't handle the emotion of that well enough and we didn't defend the next couple of phases.
"You could still they were angry at the decision but we need to move on quicker and then tactically we weren't right in terms opening up passing lanes and allowing the ball to combine into the box. So there are bits we can still learn from as a team from that phase of the game especially that we're going to have to improve on but a big save from Christian and maybe the type of moment, in my opinion, with breaks or bits of luck in the first half of the season that we haven't had.
"And that's two penalty saves now which is big from Christian and hopefully now a sign of things evening up for us on that front."
Asked what a win can do for his side's confidence and belief with 10 matches to go, starting with next Saturday's home game with eighth-placed Shrewsbury Town (3pm), McKenna replied: "I think it can be a big one for the belief in the squad because we've overcome quite a few different hurdles this season and different landmarks and things the club haven't done before.
"But to come away to a big stadium and get a big victory, which we've been quite close on quite a few occasions, against this level of opposition was something we hadn't done yet this season that we wanted to do.
"Now we've done it and you can see how we managed the game at the end and you can see the learning that the players have gone through, so that's a positive but at the same time it's only three points, the same three points as what's on offer next week against Shrewsbury.
"We have to fight for every point between now and the end of the season with the same vigour as we did today."
Asked about the landmark six clean sheets, the first time an Ipswich Town side has achieved such a feat, he said: "It's not something we've spoke about loads to be honest and if I'm honest I don't think we're doing anything too different to what we've been doing all season. We haven't given away many chances all season.
"Again, today, we've probably given away more chances. We didn't give away many, apart from the penalty, Bradley's chance and the header from the set play, it's probably more than we have in many games this season but that's football.
"At the start of the season we were conceding goals from very, very few chances and the last six games we've conceded not many goals from not many chances.
"We've been consistently defending well in my opinion in terms of structurally and as a team.
"You can probably say organisationally we've probably shown better signs of defending our box and more resilience in terms of some of our defending balls into our box and blocks and that's making a difference. But in general I think we've always defended well as a team and it's good to see that we're earning some of the margins going our way at the moment."
Put to him it must mean a lot to the players across his backline, he replied: "Yes, it should do. They should take pride in it, the boys who've played and Christian of course being the primary one.
"It's a nice record to have as a goalkeeper but I think he's got a much bigger one from when he was at Wigan anyway so he'll want more and we want more as a team.
"It's about going into Shrewsbury again and making sure that our concentration and organisation is as good as it was today to get another clean sheet."
On being two points off second place now with 10 games to go, it was put to McKenna that he must be happy with the overall situation.
"I'm happy with our performance and development as a team to be honest," he said.
"I thought you could see it today in a lot of different aspects.
"If you compare some individual performances, maybe a Leif Davis for example, in the first game of the season against Bolton is an easy comparison to the defending capacity, resilience, mentality, the learning that he's gone through in the very 30-plus games he's played this year.
" And there's other examples of that, if you look at how we managed the game and our spirit and organisation to see the lead out you can see improvement in the team and that's always my focus.
"There's still 30 points to play for and for me it's still about focusing on what we can do better from today and making sure we get a good performance against Shrewsbury."
Bolton Wanderers: Trafford, Jones, Almeida Santos, Charles (Jerome 74'), Morley, Shoretire (Lee 74'), Toal, Bradley, Dempsey, Mbete (Williams 66'), Adeboyejo. Unused subs: Sheehan, Nlundulu, Kachunga, Thomason.
Booked: Morley, Williams.
Ipswich Town: Walton, Clarke (Donacien 62'), Woolfenden, Burgess, Burns (Jackson 87'), Morsy (c), Luongo, Davis, Chaplin (Harness 62'), Broadhead (Edwards 87'), Hirst (Ladapo 76'). Unsued subs: Hladky, Ball.
Booked: Luongo, Walton, Woolfenden, Broadhead, Hirst.
Attendance: 20,532 (2,163 visitors).
