Kieran McKenna: Ipswich Town boss embraces promotion 'expectation'
- Published
Kieran McKenna feels his Ipswich side have embraced the expectation for success
Manager Kieran McKenna says Ipswich Town have thrived on the pressure of being favourites after moving to the brink of promotion to the Championship.
The Tractor Boys need one win from the final two games to be sure of a top-two finish in League One after Tuesday's 3-0 win over promotion rivals Barnsley.
Town host Exeter City on Saturday, chasing a 13th win in 14 league games.
"We want the expectation that you go and perform and win," McKenna told BBC Radio Suffolk.
"It's about being professional and getting ready."
McKenna's side are a point behind leaders Plymouth Argyle and four points ahead of third-placed Sheffield Wednesday, but the Northern Irishman says they must remain professional and focused.
"I'm very proud of the way they have worked from the first day of pre-season," he added. "But it's not the time to speak about that.
"We have never really focused on any other teams. We will just focus on performing to the end.
"Hopefully there is time after the next couple of games to speak about the group and how they have done. We just need to get ready for Exeter going into Saturday. We just need one more big performance."
McKenna was, however, happy to reflect on Tuesday's display against the Tykes, whose own automatic promotion chances are now over.
"We showed organisation and intensity and the individual quality was all there," McKenna said. "And when you keep the ball like we did in the second half, it makes it easier to control their attacking threat.
"It was a really good performance. We had to be resilient. They always come out with big energy at home and blow teams away in the first half. We had to be physical, organised and manage the game well - and we did that.
"We had some big chances but didn't get the goals until the end of the first half. When you do that, it sets up the second half really well and we delivered a really good second half.
"We enjoyed it tonight but we want to enjoy it more. We need to stay calm and focused on our jobs."