McKenna warns Ipswich of 'motivated' Terriers

Kieran McKenna became Ipswich Town manager in December 2021

Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna will remind his team about the Championship's "small margins" as they look to seal promotion to the Premier League on Saturday.

The Tractor Boys need only a draw against Huddersfield Town at Portman Road to return to the top flight for the first time since 2002.

It would be back-to-back promotions for Ipswich, who earned 98 points in League One last season and have 93 so far in this campaign.

Huddersfield are on the brink of relegation, but McKenna told BBC Radio Suffolk: "We know we're going to be facing a motivated and proud group of players."

Ipswich ended a run of three successive draws with a 2-1 win at Coventry in midweek which put them three points clear of third-placed Leeds United with just the one game remaining.

McKenna said of Huddersfield: "They gave us an extremely tough game away from home earlier in the season and we had to fight really hard to get a point out of it.

"The division is relentlessly competitive, the margins between winning and losing are so small. They are going to want to finish their season on a high, on a big stage. That's what we need to be ready for."

Ipswich have won 15 of their 22 home games this season, losing only one - against Leeds last August - and will have noisy backing from a packed Portman Road.

"We know the support is going to be fantastic, we're going to get a great reception and the supporters will be right behind us for the 90 minutes as they have been all season," added McKenna.

"That's something to use as fuel in the performance but it's certainly not something that will distract us from the fact that we have to get our details right and execute our plans well, as you do in every match to have a chance to win."

'The journey is never straightforward'

Captain Sam Morsy has scored three goals this season including one in a 1-1 home draw with Leicester City

Captain Sam Morsy echoed his manager by repeating Ipswich would "fully respect" the threat posed by Huddersfield and not be taking anything for granted.

Morsy has played 85 league games under McKenna in the past two seasons, having been signed from Middlesbrough by his predecessor Paul Cook in the summer of 2021.

"I'm incredibly proud. To get to a good place, it's [about] every day improving, every day working, there are setbacks, that's what the journey looks like, it's never straightforward," said Morsy.

Asked about what it would be like to captain a Premier League team, he added: "I haven't thought about it, I really haven't.

"When you get older you learn to manage your mind a bit better. You can only be at one destination at one time. The focus is just the preparation and in the game give it everything we've got, then whatever happens, we can hold our heads high."

George Burley's Ipswich reached the Premier League by beating Barnsley 4-2 in the 2000 play-off final

George Burley was the last Ipswich manager to lead the team to promotion to the Premier League in 2000 and he said McKenna had done a "fantastic job" in his two and a half seasons in charge.

"When walking about the town, and taking the dog for a walk, everybody just wants to talk about the football," the Scot told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"It’s a great atmosphere in the town, and Ipswich needs that. It is a different place when Ipswich are doing well.

He added: "I don’t think anyone could have envisaged the club being one game away from getting back into the Premiership, but we’ve done it, with teamwork, [and] with the support of the fans in their numbers."

"Kieran will be proud of what he and the team have achieved. We just need to put that little bit of icing on the cake, and then we can look forward to the Manchester Citys and Manchester Uniteds next season."