Ipswich Town: Kieran McKenna offers insights ahead of the away match against Plymouth Argyle.
Many managers and pundits hailed the Blues as ‘the greatest team in third-tier history’ when they secured automatic promotion last season. However, it was Plymouth who claimed the top spot with an impressive 101 points compared to Town’s 98.
Fast forward 10 months, and we have a clash between 15th-placed Plymouth and third-placed Ipswich. Ipswich, who won the reverse fixture 3-2 at Portman Road last October, currently hold a 32-point advantage in the table.
“We take zero per cent motivation from that aspect,” said McKenna, dismissing the significance of last year’s duel. “It’s a new season, our team’s on its own trajectory… I don’t think the past will have any great relevance as to what comes this weekend.”
Town defender Luke Woolfenden expressed a slightly different viewpoint, acknowledging the competitive edge stemming from last season’s standings. “There’s a bit of a point to prove from both ends… They’ve given us good games wherever we’ve played,” he remarked.
Plymouth saw manager Steve Schumacher depart for Stoke in December, replaced by former England U20 boss Ian Foster. Despite recent losses to Leeds (2-0) and West Brom (3-0), Plymouth enters the game following an impressive 2-0 win at Middlesbrough.
“It’s a tough game, no doubt about it,” McKenna acknowledged. “Their supporters will be very motivated… They’re still a team with a really strong home record and lots of talented individual players.”
McKenna noted Plymouth’s return to a 3-4-3 formation under new management, a setup that yielded success last year. He emphasized Plymouth’s strength in counter-attacks and transitions, highlighting the threat posed by players like Morgan Whittaker and Ryan Hardie.
“We’ll try and counter their strengths, but also not go too far away from our strengths and attacking weapons,” McKenna concluded.
