Five pivotal moments for Kieran McKenna at Ipswich

As fans recover from the news that Kieran McKenna has decided to step away from football for a while, BBC Suffolk sports editor Graeme McLoughlin reflects on what he feels are the five most pivotal moments of the former boss's Ipswich Town career.

A dour stalemate at the Memorial Stadium, after which captain Sam Morsy clashed with supporters in the away end before issuing an apology the following day.

The result meant Town had just one win from eight games in all competitions. They trailed League One leaders Plymouth by 10 points and fellow promotion chasers Sheffield Wednesday by eight. The Owls also had a game in hand.

For many, including myself, hopes of winning automatic promotion during Kieran McKenna's first full season in charge were over. Play-offs at best. How wrong we were.

An always measured Kieran McKenna galvanised his players and would soon introduce Massimo Luongo – an underwhelming January addition for some - alongside Morsy in midfield. It proved to be a masterstroke.

Town followed up their Blue Valentine's Day with an incredible run of 13 wins and two draws from their remaining league fixtures that season, blowing several teams away before half-time, to deservedly book their place in the Championship.

McKenna and his players had done it in League One but could they cope at a higher level, and could striker George Hirst – who signed permanently during the summer – finally break his Championship duck in front of goal?

The answer was a resounding yes to both.

An opening match of the season saw Town travel to the Stadium of Light for a tough fixture on paper, which many supporters would have taken a draw from.

The Blues had other ideas.

Nathan Broadhead netted on the stroke of half-time, with Hirst adding a second shortly after the restart.

Ipswich were back in the second tier and keen to make an impression.

It's safe to say they did, and this win was the starting point.

Another sensational night under the lights at Portman Road during McKenna's tenure.

People often talk about that Jeremy Sarmiento moment on Easter Monday when Town beat promotion-chasing rivals Southampton 3-2, but it can easily be forgotten that the Blues went on a four-match winless run after that.

The fixture with Rotherham a few weeks prior saw Town pegged back to 3-3 in stoppage time, only for Omari Hutchinson to hit the winner just moments later.

It was a third consecutive victory for Ipswich, who would extend that run to six wins in a row.

Looking back, it was undoubtedly a crucial moment in the race to the Premier League.

Games like this were fast becoming the norm during McKenna's first full season as a Championship manager.

Portman Road – dormant for so many years – was now a regular sell-out, and one of the most exciting matchday tickets to get your hands on.

A new look Ipswich Town team began their most recent campaign slowly, and were without a win going into the first international break.

A growing number of supporters were beginning to question the manager's future at the club.

Many had viewed the Premier League as a free hit for McKenna, but this was the Championship, which Town had lit up not so long ago with the best football seen at the club in a generation.

A Friday night under the lights at Portman Road sparked the Blues into life and there was a starring role for Jaden Philogene.

He treated those in attendance to one of the finest hat-tricks you will ever see, as McKenna's men recorded their much-needed first win of the campaign.

This was a real turning point during the latest run to promotion and a turning point for Philogene as well.

After what had been an underwhelming start to his own career at the club, he became one of the stars of the second tier, chipping in with several more remarkable goals, not least arguably the greatest ever seen in an East Anglian derby.

Yes there were further setbacks for Town in the coming weeks and months, but that first win is always a big one.

Best 'til last?

While it can be argued that the comeback win over Charlton a few weeks later was more important in terms of the final push to an immediate Premier League return, this win was Town's first at Carrow Road in more than 20 years, and sealed a first East Anglian Derby double in more than 30 years.

McKenna's tactics were spot on as Town led comfortably at half time and then shut-out the Canaries after the interval with a superb defensive display.

Cue magnificent scenes at full-time and another huge box ticked in terms of the manager's tenure. Surely his finest away day to date?

How different things might have been had Town not snatched a draw from the jaws of victory at Craven Cottage after conceding a stoppage-time penalty?

Less than a week earlier, McKenna's men had beaten Chelsea 2-0 at Portman Road.

Would consecutive wins have helped them go on to keep their top-flight status?

We will never know.

What we do know is that the high with which Ipswich ended an incredible 2024 quickly dissolved and their first Premier League campaign in more than 20 years ended with a whimper.

Here's hoping this is not the case next season under McKenna's successor.

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