McKenna ‘proud’ as Tractor Boys held
KIERAN McKenna said he was “proud” of his Ipswich team’s performance following the thrilling draw with Middlesbrough.
Emmanuel Latte Lath opened the scoring for Boro after 20 minutes, but the Tractor Boys hit back via Massimo Luongo ten minutes later.
McKenna said: “Frustration isn’t my feeling at the moment, may be it will be tomorrow but, at the moment, it’s pride around the performance. It was a brilliant game, the performance was excellent against a good side and I was proud of how we went about our business.
“We played brilliant, confident, tactfully, it was a really good battle, we created plenty of chances to win the game and I thought it was a really good performance.
“Over the course of the past two games could we have had an couple of extra points? For sure. Vaz Hladky produces save at the end. The players have given everything and what’s more pleasing is the performance. At the end of the season we will get as many points as we get, I don’t think they are going to leave an ounce of effort out there. “I liked the way we went about our business and at the end of the day we pick up a point.” Ipswich were on the front foot from the start, but Boro were carving out their own chances and they got their noses in front after 20 minutes when a Luke Ayling cross found Latte Lath who headed in.
There were strong shouts for handball after the Teessiders’ defender Matt Clarke blocked a cross from Axel Tuanzebe, but referee Sam Allison ruled it out and awarded a corner from which Town equalised. Luongo came rushing in at the far post and crashed the ball home via the underside of the crossbar.
Town almost immediately took the lead when Jeremy Sarmiento was played through by Conor Chaplin and chipped Seny Dieng as he rushed off his goal line. It looked like it was going into the net, but it clipped a post. Ali Al-Hamadi tried for the rebound with a backheel flick, but it was blocked.
Boro wasted a great chance to take the lead just before half-time when they countered down the left via Sammy Silvera. Latte Lath’s first shot was deflected, with a handball shout from the visitors, bea fore the second went out for a corner which Jonny Howson headed wide.
A dazzling run by Omari Hutchinson saw him leave Middlesbrough defenders in his wake and as he closed in on goal his shot was deflected over the bar by Lukas Engel.
Both were trying to make the breakthrough and Hladky had to dive to his right to keep the ball out of the net from Boro substitute Sam Greenwood after Town skipper Sam Morsy lost possession, while at the other end Dieng parried away a shot from Hutchinson.
At the other end, Hladky produced two wonderful saves to keep the game level. First he stopped Isaiah Jones from point-blank range and then stretched to palm over a header from Clarke.