Town host third-bottom QPR at Portman Road on Friday night aiming to end a brilliant 2023 on a high.

A year ago the Blues were second in League One, two points behind leaders Plymouth, and now find themselves second in the Championship, six points behind Leicester, with whom they drew 1-1 at home on Boxing Day.

That result came after an uncharacteristic 4-0 defeat to one of the other promotion challengers, Leeds United, at Elland Road last Saturday.

Manager McKenna was asked what he most liked about his side’s reaction to that loss in the match with the Foxes.

“I think it was probably the bravery to approach the game again in our style,” he said.

“After you lose a game, there is naturally a disappointment when you lose to a really strong Leeds team and you lose the game well, and especially how the second half of the game panned out where they were much better than us and they counter-attacked on us a lot and they're so good in those situations.

“To then go out and play another team of a similar strength and to be as aggressive as we were.

“High up the pitch to be willing to defend big, big spaces when we're pressing high and to defend man to man on the backline at times and really commit to our high pressure.

“To stick together in the difficult moments of the game, as we've done, especially after they'd scored and to stick to the plan across the 90-plus minutes, which we always speak about. Then to continue to be brave in terms of trying to play our football.

“I think probably the bravery to stick to what we believe in, what's got us to this point in the season, what's got us to this point as a club and to be willing to do that against the top sides in the division.

“I think that's something that stands you in better stead in the long term. And, of course, Leeds and Leicester, games like that, you can win the game, you can lose the game, they’re very strong opponents, we always believe we can win, but in reality, you can lose, you can draw.

‘But I think by approaching it in a consistent manner, by sticking true to what you believe in, what's got you to this point, we believe that that will serve us well and better in the long term and the development of the team and the players.”

In contrast to Leeds and Leicester, QPR have lost their last three, losing 2-0 at Millwall on Boxing Day, and are without a win in four. Prior to that, they had won three in a row, however.

They sit 22nd in the table, five points from safety, having taken 11 of their 20 points on their travels, winning three, at Preston 2-0 earlier this month, Middlesbrough by the same scoreline in September, and Cardiff, 2-1 in August, as well as drawing two and losing eight.

The West Londoners are the division’s second-lowest scorers having netted only 20 goals, 10 of those away with only three teams having registered fewer on the road.

They aren’t especially porous at the back, however, having conceded 35, the joint-10th most in the division. Away, 10 sides have shipped more than their total of 18.

Since Town beat them 1-0 at Loftus Road in August, Rangers have swapped Gareth Ainsworth for Spanish head coach Marti Cifuentes.

McKenna says the new boss’s overall approach differs from Ainsworth’s but some aspects of the team remain the same.

“You can see the constant and that is that they have some really talented players, especially in forward areas, and they have some real individual threats and qualities at the top end of the pitch,” McKenna said.

“They've got a really experienced Championship squad and a good Championship pedigree across almost every position.

“I think it's clear that their identity and their style of play has changed considerably over the last few months.

“They've brought in a manager who’s gone in a different direction and their structure on and off the ball. and the principles that they're playing to and the identity that they're trying to build as a team is different.

“They've had some success with it already and picked up some points and climbed up the positions and make for a tough opponent. Two teams fighting for the points as everyone is, two teams fighting at different ends.

“Another opponent that we'll give our full respect to and another team who've got some good ideas and some good principles developing and will be a big challenge for us.”

McKenna has said he has two unnamed players undergoing scans today, while George Hirst is set to be absent for what appears to be a number of weeks with his hamstring injury.

In any case, with the match Town’s third in seven days, with another at Stoke on Monday, McKenna would be utilising the full extent of his squad for the Hoops’ visit in any case.

Depending on who the players being scanned and then assessed on the day of the match are, Vaclav Hladky will be in goal with Leif Davis continuing at left-back, if he’s not among the injury concerns, having come off with six minutes remaining against the Foxes.

Brandon Williams might be in the running to come in for Davis or for Harry Clarke, who has started both the last two matches.

At the heart of the defence, McKenna has tended to swap Axel Tuanzebe and Luke Woolfenden alongside Cameron Burgess with the former Manchester United man perhaps in line for a return to the XI.

In central midfield, skipper Sam Morsy is banned for one game for speaking out of turn to the referee following the Middlesbrough match.

Massimo Luongo will start with either Jack Taylor, who was in the XI against Leicester, or Dom Ball coming in for the Egyptian international.

Ahead of them, McKenna could bring back Nathan Broadhead on the left and hand Omari Hutchinson a start on the right and perhaps move Marcus Harness into the middle with Conor Chaplin having started every league game so far this season.

Up front, in Hirst’s absence, Freddie Ladapo will probably get the nod, the former Rotherham man having only previously started one league game this season, the 1-0 win at Sheffield Wednesday in September.

For QPR, former Blues loan midfielder Jack Colback will miss the trip as he’s not yet ready to return from a muscle injury, while Morgan Fox, a one-time academy schoolboy at Town, is closing in on a return following three months out with a knee problem.

Better news for head coach Cifuentes is that forward Chris Willock, who suffered an ankle problem in Saturday’s 1-0 loss at home to Southampton, and central defender Steve Cook, who picked up a minor knock in the 2-1 loss at Sheffield Wednesday earlier this month, are both available.

Cifuentes was disappointed with his side’s display in the Boxing Day defeat at the Den.

“We know that Millwall was probably the poorest performance since I took over, we wanted to deliver and we knew the importance of the game,” he told his club’s official website.

“Of course, we want to win football games but the sad part is the manner in which we suffered the defeat.

“We lacked the understanding, we tried to play short and not use the space in behind. Hopefully we can now learn from it now.”

Reflecting on Town, he added: “We know we will play against a very good team. I like the way they play, they are well coached.

“We will try to bounce back against a good side, we know we will have to do a lot of good things to get something from a very good team.

“They are scoring a lot of goals and it will be an open game - but these are the type of games that I like.

“Good teams are made of those who react from a bad experience. When I look back, this [Millwall] seems to be the worst performance of my time here.

“We know there are many areas that we can do better in - we need to bounce back and this is the perfect opportunity to do that.”

Town have won 31 of the previous encounters between the sides (29 in the league), Rangers 29 (26) and 19 (18) have ended in draws.

The Blues last beat QPR at Portman Road in November 2016 when Mick McCarthy’s side ran out 3-0 victors with Grant Ward, Luke Varney and Tom Lawrence on target.

In August at Loftus Road, Chaplin’s first goal of the season saw Town maintain their 100 per cent start to their season and stay top of the Championship as the Blues beat QPR 1-0, their first win in six against the West Londoners.

Chaplin reacted sharply to his first shot being blocked in the 75th minute to claim all three points and set a new club unbeaten all-competitions record of 21 matches, surpassing a run achieved in the 1980/81 campaign.

The teams last met at Portman Road in October 2018 when first-half goals from Luke Freeman, direct from a corner, and Tomer Hemed, from the penalty spot, gave QPR a comfortable 2-0 win over Town, who were woeful in Paul Hurst’s last home game in charge before his sacking.

Freeman curled his flag-kick over keeper Dean Gerken on 13 and Hemed netted from the spot in first-half injury time.

Blues midfielder Luongo was with QPR between 2015 and 2019, making 144 starts and eight sub appearances, scoring 10 goals.

Ball was at Loftus Road from 2019 until he joined Town in the summer of 2022, making 74 starts and 25 games from the bench, netting three times.

QPR midfielder Andre Dozzell joined Rangers from the Blues in the summer of 2021 for £1 million, QPR having met the academy product’s release figure.

Dozzell, the son of Blues’ legend Jason, made 78 starts and 15 sub appearances for Town, scoring three times, including a debut goal aged 16, following in his father’s footsteps.

Keeper Asmir Begovic was on loan with the Blues for nearly two months in the first half of 2009/10. The Bosnian international joined QPR in the summer after leaving Everton.

Midfielder Colback, who signed for Rangers after leaving Nottingham Forest in the summer, had two spells on loan with Town in the 2009/10 and 2010/11 seasons. In total, the 33-year-old made 46 starts and eight substitute appearances while at Portman Road, scoring five times.

Friday’s referee is David Webb from Lancashire, who has shown 63 yellow cards and one red in 16 games so far this season.

Webb’s most recent Town match was the 4-2 victory over Preston North End in October in which he booked only four of the visitors.

His previous visit to Portman Road was a while before that, the 3-2 home defeat to Bristol City in November 2018 in which he yellow-carded Jordan Spence, Jordan Roberts, Kayden Jackson and one visiting player.

Prior to that, he was in the middle for the 1-0 defeat at Rotherham in August the same year in which he booked only two Millers and denied the Blues what looked a certain penalty when Roberts was felled in the area late on.

He was also in charge of the 0-0 home draw with Burton Albion in the previous February, in which he cautioned only one Brewer.

Before that he took control of the 1-1 draw at Leeds in January 2014 in which he yellow-carded only Skuse and awarded the home side a penalty, which Ross McCormack converted, after Luke Chambers fouled future Blues outcast Cameron Stewart.

He also refereed the 1-1 draw at Bolton in October 2013 when he booked one player from each side.

More notable was his previous game involving the Blues, the 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest in March of the same year when he red-carded two Town players, Lee Martin and Richard Stearman, and showed five yellow cards to Tricky Trees.

Webb’s only Town matches prior to that were the 1-0 victory over Derby at Portman Road in December 2011 - when he booked no Blues and two Rams - and the 2-0 victory at home to Scunthorpe in March of the same year when he yellow-carded Martin, Gareth McAuley, Grant Leadbitter and one visiting player.

Squad from: Hladky, Walton, Williams, Clarke, Davis, Woolfenden, Burgess, Edmundson, Baggott, Tuanzebe, Luongo, Taylor, Ball, Humphreys, Burns, Chaplin, Broadhead, Harness, Aluko, Hutchinson, Ladapo, Jackson.

Photo: TWTD

Karlosfandangal added 09:25 - Dec 29 What’s happened to Edmunson
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Linkboy13 added 10:06 - Dec 29 It's difficult to talk about contracts until we know where we are at the end of the season. If we are in the premier league Luongo will be a squad player at best. Our best player Morsy has probably one or maybe two seasons left in him and proved against Leeds and Leicester at home his premier league credentials. If we don't get promoted it's going to be very difficult to hold on to Davis . I think either way there will be quite a few changes in the squad for next season.

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delias_cheesy_flaps added 10:23 - Dec 29 I think Broadhead can do Hirst's job until he returns, he holds the ball up well and carries a greater goal threat. Certainly more of a threat than Ladapo or Jackson. Hirst's injury does highlight our need for another quality striker in January, I'm sure KM will find our club another gem.
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tractorboybig added 12:25 - Dec 29 todays game is difficult, no hirst is a disaster as we have no one to replace him. Morsey has let us down with a dippo suspension and chaplin and broadhead have not been firing on all cylinders. A harder game than most think.
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Lukeybluey added 13:13 - Dec 29 With regards to Hirsts position I said to the guys around me at the Leicester game that I reckon Burns could do a job up front...He's strong, pacy and can finish...? He's also good at closing down which is part of what we do. Put Hutchinson on the right, we'll also then have Jackson in reserve.
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Linkboy13 added 15:51 - Dec 29 McKenna wont be experimenting by playing Broadhead or Burns up front Broadhead is not strong enough and likes to run from deep and dosent compete well for balls in the air. Burns is similar and likes space to work in and run into. If im wrong i will hold my hands up and admit it but this is championship football not pub league.
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mathiemagic added 16:22 - Dec 29 Have to agree with @linkboy13 and say McKenna wont be messing with much. I suspect it will be Freddie up front with Luongo and Taylor in midfield. Depending on fitness, Hutch might come in for Burns and Williams for Clarke. My two penneth for what its worth...Not a lot usually ! :-)
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