Top of the table

Just 21 months ago, Ipswich Town’s first away game of the season was in League One at Forest Green’s New Lawn Stadium in front of only 4,000 supporters.

Now, when the Premier League fixtures are announced on June 18, Ipswich’s first match away from home in the new campaign could be at Manchester United’s 74,000seat Old Trafford.

A draw at home to relegationthreatened Huddersfield Town this afternoon would confirm Ipswich’s return to the top flight after an absence of 22 years.

They would become only the fifth club to earn back-to-back promotions (following Watford, Manchester City, Southampton and Norwich City), but would have achieved it in the most extraordinary manner. Not least because they would have amassed the greatest points total over two campaigns: a minimum of 191. But that does not go close to quantifying what Ipswich would have achieved.

That comes, first, with a glance at the teamsheet from the XI who started against Forest Green. For all the impressive investment in, and modernisation of, Ipswich under the American ownership of Gamechanger20 Ltd, the company created to buy the club in April 2021 from the unpopular Marcus Evans for around £40 million, wiping out debts of £ 100 million, Ipswich’s promotions would have been achieved with effectively the same side.

The scorers against Forest Green? Marcus Harnes and Sam Morsy. Also starting were Leif Davis, Cameron Burgess, Wes Burns, Conor Chaplin and George Edmundson. Those seven made 265 appearances between them in League One and, before this final weekend of the season, have played 242 games in the Championship.

Indeed, 15 players who featured at least 10 times for Ipswich in League One have managed at least the same total in the Championship, with captain Morsy, Davis, Chaplin, Burgess, Harness, Burns and Luke Woolfenden playing more than 30 times in each division. But for injury, that number of players would be even higher and represents not just astonishing continuity, but also great coaching.

This squad came out of League One having cost just £10 million. Last summer, Ipswich spent a modest £4 million, but engineered a number of smart loan deals, including Chelsea’s Omari Hutchinson and then, crucially in January, Bournemouth’s Kieffer Moore following injury to George Hirst. Head coach Kieran McKenna favours a powerful centre-forward who can hold the ball up and link the play.

Ipswich have done it the

Ipswich Town will claim the second automatic promotion spot, behind Leicester City, if they win or draw at home against Huddersfield Town.

Should they lose, Leeds United would pip them by winning at home against Southampton.

In the race for

Leicester (C)

Ipswich

Leeds

Southampton

Norwich

West Brom

Hull 45 45 45 45 45

the final play-off places, Hull City need to win at Plymouth Argyle and hope West Brom lose at home to mid-table 31 27 45 25 4 10 89 39 50 27 12 9 9 6 90 57 33 9 80 41 39 11 85 62 23 21 10 14 79 63 16 45 20 12 13 67 47 20 19 13 13 68 59 9 97 93 90 84 73 72 70

Preston. Norwich City could be caught by Hull only if they lose heavily at relegationthreatened Birmingham.

driven from his office at Portman Road by demanding chief executive Mark Ashton, who was recruited from Bristol City shortly after the takeover, a visit to the club’s training ground shows how this quickly became McKenna’s domain. He does not allow Sky Sports News – the staple of football training grounds – to be played on the television screens. Instead, there is footage of that day’s training session, always filmed by a drone, or highlights from a recent match. This is to get the message across. Players glance up and what do they see? They see their work and its consequences.

McKenna had two Desso – hybrid grass – pitches installed and moved them closer to the first- team buildings, which have been updated. He switches players from one pitch to the other in training, with each exercise immaculately set up and organised by him, to make sure no time is wasted and the tempo remains.

McKenna’s work is based on what he calls a “drill library of practices” and, over the years, he has meticulously documented his training sessions. He is known

Tunnel vision: Ipswich players join the huddle to show the togetherness that has brought a second straight promotion in sight under Kieran McKenna (left)