Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna admitted his side did not do enough to deserve a victory in the goalless home draw with lowly QPR but explained it had been a difficult build-up with both illness and injury in the camp. 

He was forced into making five of the six changes to the side which that took to the field with Nathan Broadhead initially down to start but withdrawn after the warm-up, having been vomiting with a bug which had also struck down Wes Burns. In addition to the illness and injuries, skipper Sam Morsy was suspended.

The result from a disjointed display from the depleted team saw the Blues' advantage over third-placed Southampton in the Sky Bet Championship table cut to three points, while leaders Leicester City are now eight clear. 

“I didn't think it was a very good match or general performance or general atmosphere,” said McKenna.

“Of course it was a really difficult build-up to the match right up to the two minutes before kick-off when Nathan Broadhead's vomiting in the dressing room. 

“That's a few more players now with the same vomiting bug and probably a couple more to come to be honest.

“So it was a difficult build-up, it wasn't a great game.  Of course there are a lot of factors behind that, it's the third game in six days after a massive effort.

“The players are humans and I thought the effort levels, especially in the second half were excellent and we tried really, really hard.

“We had some chances to win the game and didn't give up any chances in open play really. One header from a set play, we gave nothing away, had a couple of chances to win it but didn't do quite enough in the performance to win the game.”

On the illness and injury list he confirmed Leif Davis has a calf strain. “We'll assess it day by day," he said, “we don't know how long it's going to take.

“Wes Burns is very ill with the virus that's within the camp. Nathan Broadhead, again was vomiting in the warm-up with probably the same virus. A couple of staff members were the same.”

He added: “Harry Clarke's got an ongoing achilles issue that needs to be managed and had a lot of pain after the other night so was limited in the minutes he could do tonight.”

Asked if the drop in performance level, albeit with changed personnel without the same match sharpness, concerned him, he said: “No, of course we could have played better. My feet are firmly rooted in reality, we're playing against a QPR team with much more Championship experience and more established Championship team than us with an awful lot of changes to be made to the team in one go and not a lot of those were optional.

“So it was always going to be a difficult game. If anyone was coming here tonight thinking we'll turn up here and batter QPR in the third game in six days with the quality they have in their side and our line-up - of course that's what we aim for in every game and we've done incredible to achieve quite a lot of victories this year - but that's not the reality.

“It's humans, professional footballers doing their best in the third game in six days, some who haven't played in a long time, all at the same time against another good team.

“We didn't perform as well as we would have liked or produced a game for the supporters we would have liked but that's the reality of football.”

Striker Gerrard Buabo, 18, came on for his league debut in the 88th minute and McKenna said that was among the plus points to draw from the night. Yes, real positive.

“Look, Cameron Humphreys getting his first start was well deserved and really important and I thought he got stronger as the game went on and delivered a really good second half performance.

“I'm delighted for Gerrard, he's had a real difficult 2023 really with a repeated hamstring injury he's had.

“He's a player that we liked a lot when we first saw him and he's missed almost 12 months of football.

“Look, even Gerrard, to be honest, medically to play five minutes plus extra time tonight was a stretch. He's not fully back yet, so that's as many minutes as we could really get him on the pitch for, still keeping it safe.

“And I thought he had a good impact, he's got a great presence, great profile, great kid, wants to learn and the boys really take to him.

“Hopefully that was a good way to finish a difficult year for him and hopefully he'll have more luck and some good things next year.”

Asked how the delay at half-time for a medical emergency in the crowd affected things, with kick-off delayed by 20 minutes with a six-minute warm-up, he replied: “No, it was fine. I don't think it impacted the game really. Our thoughts are just fully with the family and the people concerned.

“I don't think it had an impact on the game, it was handed as well as possible I thought by the officials.”

The Blues return to action on New Year's Day at 19th-placed Stoke City (3pm).

Photo: TWTD

Nomore4 added 23:43 - Dec 29 Yes mostly agree with all that….however it’s been obvious for some time our bench was great in L1, not so much so in the Championship. Times up for Fred, Jacko, Ball, Aluko. Just not good enough back up for a Championship squad chasing promotion. The Broadhead late change was unfortunate, but Harness can drop in so no issues there. It’s replacing the likes of Morsey, Davies, Hirst….we currently can’t replace these type players with anything half as good.

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04willr added 23:55 - Dec 29 Shows when a few key players are missing that we still have a very league 1 squad. If anything reinforces how remarkable we have done so far this season. Ladapo looks limited in this league. Williams unreliable. Humphreys looks really good on the ball but is not a left back. Think we need another Jan window like last time to compete let alone think about promotion
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ITFCson added 23:56 - Dec 29 As supporters we should be balanced and try keep some perspective. We’ve beaten every team at home in the championship this season bar Leicester and Leeds and both those teams we had a right good go at. I think some fans as McKenna alludes to turn up and expect a routine win vs teams like QPR. But they still have good players, and with all the changes we were forced to make it was never going to be an easy win. We managed to avoid defeat and who knows, come the end of the season todays point could prove a vital one.

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Hatman2 added 23:57 - Dec 29 A fair and honest assessment from Kieran - regardless of the opposition we were really up against it with the absences and circumstances going on. In truth we were well off it tonight, lucky to come away with another point gained on Leeds and still 3 clear of Southampton. If the return of Sam Morsy vs Stoke on NYD can help us pick up something there, then the FA Cup weekend will give us a welcome break, make 11 changes, and get busy in the treatment room and the transfer market ahead of Sunderland on 13th January where we can hopefully be back up to full tilt again and still in the top 2.

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Gforce added 00:02 - Dec 30 Fingers crossed most of tonight's absentees are back on Monday, otherwise I'm afraid it'll be five games without a win.
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CookAshtonJohnson added 00:04 - Dec 30 As frustrating as it was to watch tonight’s game, with no real “game-changer” substitutes on the bench, simply due to lack of fitness due to the high volume of games in recent succession, and big games at that, with them down the road, Leeds and Leicester in back-to-back-to-back games is mentally and physically demanding off the players. And to finish the year, 2nd in the Championship, when this time two years ago, McKenna’s first game, 1-0 over Wycombe, put us in 11th in League One. The progress this club has made on and off the pitch is utterly immense, and I wish all readers on TWTD a happy new year, and the Town might just be in the Premier League again next season! COYB

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Linkboy13 added 00:08 - Dec 30 Desperately missed Morsys surging runs from midfield we rely on him to much. There's far too many Div 1 players in the squad with one exception Humphreys played decent although out of position and tried to get things moving down the left. Our strongest team would have won the game comfortably against a very poor QPR team that's the problem we haven't got much in depth. Hladky. Wolfenden and Humphreys all decent in a match that didn't feel like championship standard.

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Bert added 00:33 - Dec 30 One flat and uninspiring game and a few boos at the end. How anyone could boo after a fantastic first half of the season is incredulous.
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VanDusen added 00:48 - Dec 30 You get games like this. We've been remarkably lucky with injuries so far and if it inevitably had to come then what better time than just before a transfer window. Hirst is the real loss - we just don't gave anyone who can vaguely replicate his role effectively. Dare I say on Monday it might - for once - be a time to action a plan B and play to a style that better suits who we have fit to ensure we can get out with a point?

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Powrigan added 07:32 - Dec 30 All last night was good for was exposing how weak our backup players are. Enjoy January, Ashton!!
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blues1 added 07:39 - Dec 30 All these comments about lge1players in the squad. Ridiculous. The fact is, if 1 or 2 of the, let's say 2nd string players, come into the side its not an issue. But to have to make the number of changes enforced last night, with only a couple of days training, it's never gonna be a fluent performance. Especially when some have played little football ofclate. Typical overreaction from some fans, as usual.

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bakerblue added 08:34 - Dec 30 The performance and result were heavily affected by missing players - you can’t lose Hirst, Broadhead, Davis, Morsy and Burns from the team and expect to reach similar levels to those we’ve enjoyed this year. I give credit to the team for continuing to play out from the back and strain every sinew to get a result. It’s at times like this that the boys need our backing most - easy to roar them on when they’re knocking in 3 or 4 a game at full strength. COYB!

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wischip added 09:04 - Dec 30 No need to panic, just an unfortunate combination of things have happened. Being forced to make that many changes to our starting 11 and expecting easy wins is a bit much. I'm convinced our so-called fringe players would all come good if they started a few games in succession. I'd rather we keep the squad as it is. If we were to go out & buy 4 new players in January just because of a perceived wobble over Christmas then we'd still have to go through squad upheaval and a 'gelling' period of games which would take just as long if not longer than playing fringe players into form. We need to ride this out with the squad we have. Only addition should be another striker like Hirst.

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Len_Brennan added 09:44 - Dec 30 Ultimately, given the extreme circumstances of having injuries, illness & suspension, affecting 5 of our 'regular' starting XI, all of whom have been key to our success over the last 12 months, this was a good battling point for us to get; in some ways as important as the draw with Leicester. The gap to Southampton may have been reduced to one game now, but we managed to keep it at 3 points, when it could easily have been down to two this morning, which psychologically would have hurt a lot more. Once again we demonstrated strength in adversity. The game, however, did highlight the relative weaknesses in our squad, & our reliance on, in particular, Morsy, Hirst & Davis; none of whom can be effectively replaced at Championship level. Of course the losses of Burns & Broadhead were significant too, but mostly due to the lack of options from the bench when Hutchinson & Harness were called ashore. For all his workrate, Kayden Jackson just does not provide a real threat as a centre forward in this league; despite his impressive pace in a full on sprint, his touch/control, awareness & link play is not played at the same speed as George Hirst & those around him like Chaplin, Harness & Broadhead, causing a real dropoff in our ability to breakthrough Championship defences, particularly given our style of play under KMcK. Unfortunately, it's the same situation with Freddie at Championship level. He has more of a presence up front, & he has had his moments, but last night once again showed us what we are missing when Freddie starts instead of Hirst, particularly with his hold up & link play. I would argue that most of his best performances for us have been when he has come on in matches where Hirst has 'softened up' the defence over the previous hour or so & Freddie has been able to use his strength to fire home a goal or two. I thought Buabo had something about him during his brief cameo & did well against senior pros; if he can stay injury free from here, he might have a change; but realistically we need to sign 2 Championship ready centre forwards (maybe on loan) early in the window if we are to push on for automatic promotion this season - one to cover for Hirst's injury & the other to give a stronger alternative option to Ladapo & Jackson I'm afraid. We are in such a strong position this season, we have to go all out from here. We don't want to be in the playoffs against Leeds, West Brom & Sunderland come May, & if we fail to go up after the season we've had, the scavangers will come for a number of our players. Also, our manager may get a Premier League offer too good to turn down in the Summer & it could take us a few years to get back to where we are now. COYB

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Bazza8564 added 10:43 - Dec 30 It's really quite strange that we have one sub par home performance with half a team missing and everybody (on SM this morning its madness) panics. We must remember we are Ipswich Town not Real Madrid, we've lost 4 games in the league in a full calendar year, have money to spend in the window and are SECOND in the league. Let's just talk a breath, a year again we were drawing 1-1 to Fleetwood and stuck in league one. McKenna is going nowhere, he has a 4 year contract that is well paid and he is 37, young enough to realise it's daft to move on before he is ready. Our players got us out of League one and few are of marketable value to clubs with money to tempt us anyway, so we will be releasing or movig on OOC players like Evans, Donacien, Edmundson, Jackson, Ek Mizuni, Ndaba, Ladapo, Ball etc etc and we will replace them, as we have done in the last two windows, with 4-5 players this January and a similar number in the summer. The squad will evolve across a number of windows just as Mark and Kieran said it would and as it has until now. We are LIGHT YEARS ahead of 12 months ago, let's have some faith and perspective with this fantastic management team. Now ive got all that off my chest, i'm relieved that only Davis appears injured, so hopefully we will have Burns Broadhead and Morsy back monday and everyone will calm down just a bit :)

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SickParrot added 11:08 - Dec 30 Loads of mitigating circumstances for last nights poor performance but because of the big defeat at Leeds and only taking three points from our last three home games it is a disappointing end to the year. A fantastic year never the less - goals galore, promotion and we're second in the Championship, far beyond anyone's expectations. We were without five of our most influential players last night so a draw was a decent result. However, like many others have said, I think it's clear that some or our second choice players are either too old or not good enough for the Championship. I would put Aluko, Ball and Jackson in that category. Unfortunately, KM has said that none of the current squad will be leaving, so we can only sign players aged under 21. I respect KM's wish to avoid rocking the boat and to reward loyalty but if we are to push on in the second half of the season I think we do need to say thank you and cheerio to the above and replace them with Championship quality players.

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Len_Brennan added 11:30 - Dec 30 Bazza I don't disagree with the vast majority of what you are saying there, or indeed the tone, which is fair given all the relevant points you make ... but, I would just make the following observations which I think should also be considered. We are going into the New Year in one of the 2 automatic promotion spots, 3 pts clear of 3rd place & 9 clear of 4th; never in our wildest dreams would we have expected to be so far clear of the pack at this point in the season, we have to go for it. We have to recognise that we went into the season with the advantage of a settled team, with a good manager who had his players well drilled & playing for him, plus the momentum & confidence of a winning run behind us. That was not the case for many of our rivals who were in a state of change with a new manager, lost players & the dreaded 'gelling in' phase for those who had joined. That period of advantage is now largely over, they are improving & we are no longer a surprise packet; the 2nd half of the season is likely to be more difficult for us - thankfully we played a lot of our tough away games already though. The other point I'd make is that there is no guarantee with any player or manager, regardless of their affinity with the club or the contract they have signed. For a start, we don't know if there is a break clause if a Premier League club comes in with a certain amount of money, but the chances are that there is one as most managers will look for it & McKenna is among the smartest of them. Also, you have to consider it from his point of view; there was no chance he would leave this year when he had the chance to achieve back to back promotions, from League 1 to the Premier League, in his first full seasons as a manager - that prospect is very much on the table still thankfully. But if we finish 3rd & are beaten in the playoffs, he'll know that we'll lose a couple of his key players & next season will be tough to get where we are now. If Brighton or even Crystal Palace (both known admirers) come calling, of course he'll be tempted. They are established Premier Clubs, with good networks around the world, plenty of funding & a recruitment policy similar to his own vision of bringing in good young players & making them better. He knows he is one steppibg stone away from a top 6 club; we hope he'll do that with us by getting us into the Premier League & establishing us there, but if we miss out & loss some players, he may think he is ready for the Premier League himself.

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DerryfromBury added 16:23 - Dec 30 There is a lot of negativity around last nights game. Okay, we didn't win, but on the other hand we didn't loose, 1 point is better than none, and who knows that 1 point might just be what we need come the 4th May. Try focusing on the positives, Gerrard Buabo looked an handful for the few minutes he had and showed us what a player he will be once injuries are sorted, Cam Humphreys, once he got settled in and especially second half showed what potential he has, again Marcus Harness gave 100% (shame about the yellow) think that's why Kmk took him off. All in all with virtually half the 1st 11 missing, a fair result. Happy New Year to all.

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DerryfromBury added 16:27 - Dec 30 I should add. who honestly after the first 10 minutes against Sunderland on 6th August would have thought we'd find ourselves sitting 2nd in the Championship come the turn of the year.
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KatManDoo added 21:02 - Dec 30 McKenna... you've done a fantastic job thus far at ITFC. Long may you continue. Regarding the QPR game, it has brought to light all the woes and shortfalls of the squad. To my mind, promotion to the Premier League is a 'bridge too far' this season, and as said, the QPR game shows exactly why. You have built a good squad, with what resources you were given. The reality however, is that what you were given was too little. The clubs 'backers' should have known that from the off. To win the Championship, you need a championship squad... not team but a squad. To compete in the Premiership, ITFC will need at least 6 better quality, higher class players, in order to consolidate one season, ready to participate in the 2025-2026 Premier season. To do otherwise, will end up with ITFC as the 'whipping boys' next year. Financial backers take note... give ITFC with McKenna at the helm the tools he needs to do the job, not just for this season, but next year and the year after.

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