As the Tractor Boys took a step closer to securing automatic promotion to the Premier League on Saturday night, head coach Kieran McKenna of Ipswich Town hailed Hull City for their participation in the exciting 3-3 draw at the MKM Stadium.
In one of the season’s championship games, Town led City three times thanks to goals from George Hirst and an amazing brace from Omari Hutchinson. However, Ozan Tufan, Liam Delap, and a late goal from Noah Ohio pulled Town back.
With one game remaining, City’s point takes them within two of the top six, while Ipswich, who play at Coventry on Tuesday night, knows that a win would put them only a win away from a second straight promotion.
Following Ohio’s decisive victory, the Town manager was seen pounding the MKM Stadium dugout. “It was an emotional game,” he later told reporters. “I felt that was a fantastic game between two excellent teams. I saw so many wonderful things about our performance. I witnessed so many of the things that I like about the club, the squad, and our operational procedures.
“A lot is at stake as we approach the season’s business finale. Having a part in it is great. I’m rather pleased with the performance. Naturally, we believe that we could have won the game. However, they are playing a decent club away from home with a lot of talented players and a strong coach who are going all out to try to save their season.
“I think there are a lot of positives to take away from the night, including leaving home with a point and remaining unbeaten in this final stretch. I believe we’ll always see the bright side of things. We now have ninety points. We are aware of that’s significance. I doubt that nobody in the EFL’s history has ever finished with 90 points in two consecutive seasons across two separate divisions. It’s a remarkable accomplishment.
“After the previous two games, we know what we need. I hope this turns out to be a really, really important night. You might argue, of course, that we had opportunities to score the fourth goal, which would have effectively ended the game. However, we did manage to score two excellent goals outside of the box, so we’ll take that and continue on to Tuesday night.
“The two goals we gave up in the second half don’t please us. It seems obvious to me. To be honest, I didn’t believe we gave up too many opportunities in the second half, especially considering the ability of the opposition and the number of attackers they had.
“It’s possible to score the opening goal of the half. Anyone who watches us will know how crucial it has been for Vas to play into Samy and for Samy to take ownership of getting us through the pitch. If we hadn’t done it during the entire year, I’m not sure how many points we would have lost. They will, of course, have our whole support should that occur. In the grand scheme of things, I honestly didn’t think it hurt us to concede the goal since we responded quickly, scored the goal, and regained control of the game, which we maintained for the bulk of the remaining minutes.
The pair of goals in the latter half. It goes without saying that our defense of the set-piece and the cross is insufficient. It is disheartening. However, we’ve also generated a ton of additional opportunities by curling two into the net from outside the box at the same moment. Even if we may always improve, this is the night to focus on the good things in our lives.
