A full week of training ahead of two huge games

The frustrating wait goes on for that first Ipswich Premier League win for 22 years and on Saturday their manager Kieran McKenna told me that this is going to be a really important week for his squad.

It’s eight games in but he admits that the players are “still settling into the rhythm of the season.” Mckenna says adapting to the new division and integrating the many new players has been a challenge that hasn’t been helped by the two international breaks. So a full week now on the training ground for McKenna and the Ipswich players going into what feels like two huge games now as they try to get that opening victory. Brentford away and then Leicester at home could be defining matches.

Mckenna told me it’s a “great group” who are “trying their best” but there’s a feeling that the big moments in games are going against them at the moment. Against Everton it was the overturned penalty which McKenna felt should’ve been given because in his view it wasn’t a “clear and obvious” mistake.

So a vital seven days now for Mckenna because to be honest it felt very flat at Portman Road. The delay to kick-off due to a turnstile issue maybe didn’t help but the performance from Ipswich against Everton lacked a spark. They had moments of pressure but you never felt as though they were going to get back into the game in the second half.

McKenna’s challenge now over this important week is to give the Ipswich players - old and new - the belief that they can be competitive in this division.