Ipswich Town

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Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna has praised how his side's new-found character came together during their run to the promotion.

A Premier League return was sealed by their convincing victory over QPR to grab second place behind champions Coventry City.

Despite being pre-season favourites to go up, the Tractor Boys' rebuilt squad took time to gel.

But for McKenna, they found the necessary togetherness at the right time as one defeat in the last 15 games testifies.

"That's been questioned all the way with the group," he told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"In some ways, I understand it and in others, for me it's been a little bit over the top because the reality is it's a new group of players coming to the club for the first time.

"We've had to grow that, you don't just become a team with a lot of character and resilience when you walk in the door and the group doesn't come together until the end of August.

"That's grown over the course of the season and that's really been evidenced over this last run. To finish with one loss in 15 games really shows the character of the group really came together by the end."

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We asked for your thoughts and predictions before the final day Championship showdown in the race for automatic promotion to the Premier League between Ipswich Town, Millwall and Middlesbrough.

Victory for the Tractor Boys guarantees them promotion, while a draw will only be enough if the Lions fail to win and Boro do not overhaul a five-goal difference.

Should Ipswich lose, they would then need both Millwall and Middlesbrough to fail to win.

Here are a selection of your responses:

Brian: If Ipswich can replicate the performance they produced against Southampton then I'm certain they'll beat QPR and gain promotion.

Ruth: Ipswich have to win Saturday! We will bottle it if we go to play-offs. I think we can do it, the team just need to believe in ourselves more!

James: I just have this uneasy feeling the Ipswich will lose against QPR whilst Boro and Millwall both win, thus putting Town in the play-offs where they will fall short. Hope to be proved wrong but Ipswich have a unique way of putting us through it!

Ian: If we play against QPR with the determination we showed v Saints we will be too strong for them. But if we fail, we will not have the resistance to win the play-offs. Millwall will beat relegated Oxford and I fancy Wrexham to beat Boro. Regardless, Saints look strong, they are the form team and will win the play-offs as they did two years ago.

Paul: To be honest, the Premier League is not the promised land, the Championship is more like a land flowing with milk and honey! I'm chilled. If we don't get promoted, Ipswich can have another year of winning and pumping in the goals rather than the misery of picking up just eight or nine wins.

Daniel: Surely we've got it in the bag. QPR are possibly the most 'on the beach' a team can be, I cannot see us not winning. Millwall and Boro have been outstanding this season, probably performed better than us, but unfortunately it seems like we've just edged it.

Liam: I am 100% confident that we will finally get the job done against QPR at the weekend and get back into the Premier League.

Yestin: Very committed performance on Tuesday night, however we saw the same away against Norwich and we know what happened immediately after. Can McKenna raise the team to beat QPR who will be no walkover? This game is the £190 million game if you think about parachute payments where needed.

I still fail to understand why no striker of quality was signed on day one of relegation from the Premier League. Yes [Ivon] Azon looked good on Tuesday night but what about the rest of the season?

Stephen: Suffolk lad, Ipswich fan since the glorious Bobby Robson days. Honestly, we haven't shown the consistency needed for the Premier League and we would enjoy next year more in the Championship. Not a popular view among the fans I'm sure.

Rhys: Ipswich should get the job done, McKenna's got to after having multiple chances to win it before the final day.

Andy: Jack Clarke brings it home with an Aguero type moment in the last minutes! On second thoughts, let's just have a comfortable 3-0 win shall we?

Ipswich Town's draw at Southampton on Tuesday night has taken the race to secure the Championship's second automatic promotion place to the final day of the season.

A win for Ipswich over QPR (12:30 BST) would earn them an immediate return to the Premier League, anything less could open the door for Millwall or Middlesbrough.

• After winning the reverse meeting 4-1 in November, Ipswich could complete the league double over QPR for the first time since 2009-10.

• QPR have kept a clean sheet in each of their past three league visits to Ipswich (W1 D2), as many as their previous 12 beforehand.

• Excluding the curtailed 2019-20 season, Ipswich are unbeaten in their final league game of their past six seasons outside of the Premier League (W4 D2) since a 3-0 defeat by Nottingham Forest in 2016-17.

• QPR have won their final league game in four of the past five seasons (L1), including their past two in a row; the Hoops last ended the season with a league win 3+ years running from 1991-92 to 1994-95 (4 in a row).

• Ipswich Town have lost just one of their past 43 home Championship matches (W28 D14), a 3-0 defeat to Charlton in October this season.

And so, after 45 Championship games, it all comes down to the final day...

Tell us, Ipswich, Millwall and Middlesbrough fans, how are you feeling?

The Tractor Boys have the advantage going into Saturday's home game with QPR, knowing a win would seal automatic promotion.

But the Lions, one point behind in third place, will seek to keep the pressure on as they host Oxford United while fourth-placed Boro, two points back, head to Wrexham aiming for a win and hoping other results go their way to sneak back over the dotted line where they spent most of the season.

Do you think your side will reach the Premier League by 15:00 BST on Saturday? If not, how hard would it be for them to pick themselves up and go again in the play-offs?

Click here to have your say.

It is set to be an "absolutely brilliant" final day of the Championship promotion race on which "anything can happen", according to the BBC's 72+ EFL podcast team.

Tuesday's dramatic 2-2 draw between Southampton and Ipswich has left Town, Millwall and Middlesbrough to fight it out for the second automatic promotion place in the 46th and final round of games on Saturday (12:30 BST).

Ipswich are in pole position, a point ahead of Millwall, with a goal difference advantage of +17 on the Lions, but with Boro a point further back. Town know they must beat QPR at Portman Road to secure an immediate return to the Premier League.

Middlesbrough are at Wrexham, who need to secure a play-off spot, while Millwall host already-relegated Oxford United.

"It was a brilliant game," said EFL pundit Jobi McAnuff.

"We have spoken all season about how open the Championship has been. Coventry have been by far and away the best team, worthy winners, but for it to go into the last Saturday [is fantastic].

"Millwall, the team that just won't go away, they're still hanging in there, Middlesbrough, the team off the back of really poor form but with a couple of good results of late, anything can happen, it's going to be absolutely brilliant on Saturday."

Despite extending their unbeaten league run to 18 games, Saints bowed out of the race, sitting four points behind Ipswich, and will need to win the play-offs if they are to secure their own top-flight return.

"It's been a fantastic run. Everyone from afar was hoping they'd get in there, It's Roy of the Rovers stuff," said Bristol Rovers boss Steve Evans.

"In fairness, probably the teams that have been more consistent and better over the course of the season, they're the ones who are going to fight the final day shootout."

Even though he believes Ipswich have been "underwhelming" this season, McAnuff said he expects the Tractor Boys to prevail.

He said: "I expect them to go and finish the job now at home. They have got through what was a tricky run of away games ,which has really been their Achilles heel.

"Big win at Charlton, [point at] West Brom on Saturday and follow up by getting a point at the form team [Southampton].

"I think Kieran McKenna would have taken that before - make sure they're going into the last game of the season very much in control.

"We associate McKenna and Ipswich with that all-out attacking free-flowing football, they haven't found that rhythm this season, they have been a bit underwhelming, I have to say, with the quality they have in their squad.

"I believe they will get over the line but with this squad that's the bare minimum they should be doing this season."

Evans fears for McKenna's future if he is unable to guide Ipswich back to the Premier League.

"If Ipswich turn up and play as they can at Portman Road they'll be in the Premier League," he said.

"If they drop to the play-offs and lose and Kieran McKenna doesn't lead them to the Premier League then he might not lead them anywhere, that's how ruthless football is."

Image source, Getty Images

Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna described their thrilling 2-2 draw with Southampton as an "outstanding game of football".

The Tractor Boys took the lead in the second half and then went behind after goals from Ryan Manning and Cyle Larin before substitute Jack Clarke struck the ball home late on.

With the points shared it means Ipswich remain in the driving seat for the second automatic promotion spot with one more game left to play in the regular Championship season.

"It's been hard work but I didn't see a toll tonight, it was an outstanding game of football and I'm so proud of the performance," McKenna told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"Credit to Southampton for their input to the game and I think when you produce a performance like against one of the form teams in the country that you can say we're in a brilliant way.

"We'd have loved to of finished it off tonight and we were millimetres away but we look forward to Saturday with a lot of confidence.

"I really loved the reaction from the team at 2-1 to get back and push for a winner after the equaliser."

Ipswich finish their season at home to QPR on Saturday and know that a win would be enough to seal their return to the Premier League.

Image source, Opta

Perhaps the most pivotal match of the Championship season will take place on Tuesday (19:45 BST) as second-placed Ipswich visit Southampton in a potentially decisive game in hand.

After seeing a late lead in their FA Cup semi-final against Man City wiped out in the closing stages at Wembley on Saturday, Saints will turn their attention to the fight for automatic promotion back to the Premier League.

Tonda Eckert's side are fifth, four points behind the Tractor Boys, who lie ahead of third-placed Millwall on goal difference, with Middlesbrough a point back in fourth.

Saints are unbeaten in 17 league games but must win to keep their hopes of a second-placed finish alive.

Following Saturday's goalless draw at West Brom, a win for Ipswich would all-but secure automatic promotion, no matter what happens on the final day, given their huge goal difference (+30) advantage over the Lions (+13).

A draw would make it a three-team fight for the second automatic spot on the final afternoon on Saturday, but with Ipswich remaining in the box seat ahead of QPR's visit to Portman Road.

• Southampton have won just one of their past six league games against Ipswich (D3 L2), a 2-1 away win in the Premier League last season.

• Ipswich are unbeaten in their past five away league games against Southampton, though four of these have ended level (the other was a 1-0 win in September 2023).

• Southampton lost their final home game in their last Championship season in 2023-24 (0-1 v Stoke), but haven't done so in successive campaigns outside of the top-flight since 1935-36/1936-37.

• Ipswich have won their final away game in three of their past five Championship seasons (L2), this after only doing so in two of their previous 12 second-tier campaigns beforehand (D5 L5).

• Southampton are unbeaten in 17 league games (W13 D4); only twice before in their league history have they enjoyed a longer run, going 19 games from September to December in 1921 and 22 matches from September 2023 to February 2024.

Image source, Opta/Shutterstock

Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna spoke BBC Radio Suffolk after Saturday's goalless draw at West Bromwich Albion moved them back up to second in the Championship.

"Unfortunately, we weren't able to get the winning goal but it was a really hard-fought point," he said.

"We wanted to come here and win, but I know what position we are in. We had three games to play before today and it was important not to lose today, and to get something from the game.

"It was a tough game, and you have to do the right things to go try win it but also not go and chase it in a crazy way that you leave yourselves open to losing it.

"We would rather have three [points], but hopefully it will be a good point. You don't know until the end of the season but if we do well in the next week then hopefully we look back at it as a good point.

"It's a good position to be in [needing one win from two games to be promoted], but we know how hard it is to win any game in this division. We certainly can't take anything for granted and we will have to work really hard to get that win, but we have put ourselves in the position to do that [get promoted]."