Ipswich Town

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Ipswich Town midfielder Jack Taylor has signed a new three-year contract with the Championship club.

Taylor has made 80 appearances since arriving from Peterborough United in 2023, although 55 of the 69 games he has played in the league have been from the bench.

The 27-year-old has scored seven goals for the Tractor Boys, including the winner at Wolves in the Premier League last season.

"I have had so many fantastic experiences over my two years at the club so far and have enjoyed every opportunity I've had to play for Ipswich Town, so it was an easy decision to extend my stay," he told the club website., external

"I have improved so much as a footballer during my time working under the manager and coaches here and I look forward to pushing on further over the next few years and helping the team achieve its goals."

Ipswich are ninth in the table following last weekend's East Anglia derby win over Norwich and will be away to Middlesbrough in their next game on 17 October.

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Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna has been named the Championship manager of the month for September.

After a slow start to life back in the second tier at Portman Road, the Tractor Boys began to find momentum in September, claiming seven points from a possible nine to stay unbeaten, including a 5-0 demolition of Sheffield United, a 2-1 win over Portsmouth and a 1-1 draw under the lights at Bristol City.

Chosen ahead of Charlton's Nathan Jones, Preston's Paul Heckingbottom and QPR boss Julien Stephan, he said: "I am happy to accept the award on behalf of all the staff at the club and thank them for the hard work they have put in since the start of pre-season.

"We are pleased with the progress we are making and have had some good results in recent weeks, but we are all aware we need to keep pushing over what is a long and challenging season in the Championship."

Sky Sports' EFL pundit Don Goodman said: "Ipswich didn't make the start that many expected but they certainly turned it around in September.

"Kieran McKenna's side are one of the favourites for promotion this season and he will be hoping September has set them on their way and will prove to be a catalyst for a Premier League return."

BBC Suffolk commentator Brenner Woolley said: "I'm really pleased for him. I think some people have gone a bit overboard in recent weeks when Town have only lost one game this season.

"He's not above criticism, some things have not gone right for him in 2025 but he deserves respect and time to build a new team, which is what he's trying to do.

"We're in mid-October and he's lost one game this season, away, through a penalty, against the team who are fourth in the league. It's not been a disastrous start.

"We are seeing some signs that could be very positive in the long term. There's still work to be done but there are signs this could click at some stage and be special."

Tractor Boys winger Jaden Philogene, who was nominated for player of the month after finding the net four times in the side's three completed matches in September, missed out on the award to Hull City forward Oli McBurnie.

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Hosts Blackburn Rovers will face Ipswich Town once again on Tuesday, 2 December (19:45 GMT), following the controversial decision to replay the match after it was suspended in the 79th minute due to heavy rainfall.

Before the game was called off, Ipswich defender Jacob Greaves was dismissed early into the second half for a tackle on forward Yuki Ohashi as the Japanese drove towards goal, and Todd Cantwell later converted a penalty for Rovers to take a 1-0 lead.

The English Football League confirmed the match would be replayed in full the following Thursday, prompting a strong reaction from Blackburn boss Valerien Ismael.

Greaves was required to serve his suspension; however, Cantwell's goal will not stand for the upcoming replay.

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Charlton Athletic and Ipswich Town lead the manager and player of the month awards for September after both sides have remained undefeated and climbed up the Championship table.

Tractor Boys winger Jaden Philogene has been nominated for player of the month after finding the net four times across the side's three completed matches in September, including a hat-trick during their 5-0 drubbing over Sheffield United.

Charlton's James Bree bagged two goals and two assists over their four games to earn his nod.

Addicks boss Nathan Jones and Ipswich's Kieran McKenna both earn manager of the month nominations for their roles in their unbeaten months but face tough competition against Preston North End's Paul Heckingbottom and Queens Park Rangers' Julien Stephen.

Both also enjoyed an undefeated September, with Preston and QPR currently residing in the top six.

Sheffield Wednesday captain Barry Bannan and Hull City's Ollie McBurnie round out the player nominations.

McBurnie scored in each of the side's four games to produce five goals in September, while Bannan helped earn Wednesday five points with an opening goal in their first league win of the season against Portsmouth and two assists.

Marc Webber
BBC 5 Live at Portman Road

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The bogey has been lifted.

Ipswich fans have waited 16 years for a moment like yesterday. And for all the joy of being in the Premier League, nothing feels better than a derby win.

Jaden Philogene's wonder goal and Marcelino Nunez's post-match celebrations using a Norwich blogger's statue request are what grabbed the headlines. But there is a very interesting tactical subtext which played out in that victory.

Ipswich's third goal came off the bench. Nunez came on after 75 minutes and, within minutes, supplied the through ball to fellow 75th-minute replacement Ivan Azon who hit the post, before another 75th-minute joiner, Jack Clarke, hoovered it up.

It was the second game in a row where Kieran McKenna delivered a tactical masterclass and made the right change at the right time.

Bringing on former Canary Nunez clearly boosted the atmosphere at a time momentum could have flagged. But by making a triple change from an impressive bench, it also added known scoring ability to passion.

Tactical substitutions with a full Ipswich bench could be the tool that pushes the Tractor Boys further up the table after the international break.

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Former Ipswich Town striker Alex Mathie believes the current team is "only going to get better" following Sunday's 3-1 win over East Anglia rivals Norwich City.

The three points lifted Kieran McKenna's side to ninth in the Championship, just two points outside the play-off places - with the highlight provided by Jaden Philogene's stunning 30-yard strike which made the score 2-1.

"It was a great finish from Philogene again - he's really on fire just now, every time he shoots, he scores," Mathie, who netted a hat-trick against the Canaries in 1998, told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"To just have the confidence to do that with his left foot, which is not his strongest foot - it was unstoppable, it really was.

"It's a massive confidence boost. We go ninth now with a game in hand and if we win that we'd be top three. We're only going to get better because the team is still building.

"We've got a lot more to come - I think we can still play better, we still need to sort the playing out from the back a little bit because they had the high press and we were getting ourselves in bother."

McKenna guided Ipswich to promotion two seasons ago but Mathie believes to do so this term would be an even bigger achievement, given the summer turnover at Portman Road, with 11 new players arriving.

"We've got the best young manager - if he can get us up there challenging, and promoted this season, he's done the best ever job because he's got a brand new squad and for a manager to do that in a short space of time would be fantastic," the Scot added.

Ipswich are next in action following the international break when they travel to face Middlesbrough on Friday, 17 October.

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Heavyweight boxer Fabio Wardley has "full faith" that Ipswich Town will get the job done in Sunday's East Anglia derby against Norwich City.

Town fan Wardley fulfilled a long-held dream to fight at Portman Road when he stopped Justis Huni in the 10th round in June.

And he is hoping Kieran McKenna's team can produce a knockout performance of their own and secure a first derby win over the Canaries since 2009.

"It's a massive occasion every time it comes around, I'm looking forward to it," Wardley told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"We're finding our feet a bit more now, finding a bit of form, the team is gelling.

"It's always got that added spice, that added grit, to it; there's always a bit of extra emotion going into that game."

He added: "I don't know if I've got any words of advice; the boys are well drilled. They know exactly what they've got to do, they know how big the moment is on Sunday. I believe in them, they've got my full faith."

Wardley will return to the ring against Joseph Parker at the O2 Arena in London on 25 October.

"When I went back eventually and played against Norwich at Carrow Road, I without a doubt received the full wrath of it."

Former Ipswich and Norwich goalkeeper Andy Marshall has some advice for new Tractor Boys signing Marcelino Nunez as he prepares to face his former club in the East Anglian derby on Sunday (12:00 BST).

Listen to Marshall's full thoughts on BBC Sounds.

This will be the 93rd league meeting between these East Anglian rivals with the first game in Division Three South ending in a 5-0 win for Ipswich in September 1946.

But it's Norwich who have had the better of things in more recent times and have not been beaten by the Suffolk side in 16 years.

• Ipswich Town have lost just one of their past seven league matches (W2 D4), this after losing five of their six matches prior to this run (W1).

• Norwich City are unbeaten in their past five league matches on the road (W2 D3), their longest unbeaten run away from home since April 2023 – also a sequence of five (W2 D3).

• Ipswich Town are winless in their past 12 league matches against Norwich City (D5 L7), with their last victory coming back in April 2009 – a 3-2 victory under Jim Magilton.

• Norwich City are unbeaten in their past six away league matches against Ipswich Town (W3 D3), while they've found the net in each of their past 14 trips to Portman Road.

• Azor Matusiwa leads Ipswich Town in the Championship this season for tackles (18), interceptions (13) and possession won (37), whilst only Jacob Greaves (46) has won more duels for the club than him this term (43).

"I don't think either team is performing anywhere near their best at the moment. It's two average Championship teams. It's so tricky to call.

"It's the most important game in the season and you've got to be at it. If you're at it, you win the game."

Brenner Woolley, John Wark and Graeme Mac preview Sunday's East Anglian derby against Norwich City, when Ipswich Town will look for their first derby win in 16 years as they host a Canaries side unbeaten in the league on the road this season.

Listen to the full discussion from BBC Radio Norfolk and more Ipswich Town on Sounds.

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Ipswich Town goalkeeper Alex Palmer says "performances are getting there" after Tuesday's hard-fought draw at Bristol City.

A second-half penalty from Jack Clarke cancelled out Rob Atkinson's 18th-minute header to give the Tractor Boys a point and extend their unbeaten run to four matches.

"We've probably not worked the goalkeeper enough but I felt like we played well, even though we struggled to create those clear-cut chances," Palmer told BBC Radio Suffolk.

Town went to Ashton Gate hoping for a third win in a row, following three home games that yielded seven points.

"Obviously we want to replicate our home form that I feel like we've found," Palmer said.

"We're going into games trying to win - we're not playing for points.

"Every game in the Championship is tough. Everyone wants to beat us and we know that, but there are plenty of positives."

Among those positives, Palmer added, were the full debuts of striker Ivan Azon midfielder Marcelino Nunez, two of six changes made by manager Kieran McKenna.

"That shows how good the squad is that players can come in and rotate," said Palmer.

"It's a tough league but special mention to the boys making their debuts - they played really well."

Ipswich turn their attention to the small matter of Sunday's East Anglia derby against Norwich City at Portman Road (12:00 BST).

"It's going to be a feisty affair. They're good for the fans and good for football and one you can only look forward to and enjoy," Palmer said.

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Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna defended his decision to make six changes to his starting line-up following the 1-1 draw at Bristol City.

With the East Anglia derby against Norwich looming on Sunday, McKenna's selection at Ashton Gate, saw both last weekend's scorers, Jaden Philogene and George Hirst, dropped to the bench.

"It sounds a lot but we made three or four (changes) on Saturday - we're going to need everyone to contribute and with games coming up we need to get everyone up and running and we saw some good signs of that tonight," he told BBC Radio Suffolk.

Town fell behind after a good start against the Robins but Jack Clarke earned them a point with a second-half penalty.

"Across the balance of chances it probably was the right result," said McKenna.

"We had to work hard to get back into it and put together some good moves - a really good one for the penalty.

"It's not a huge step forward but for us as a group coming away from home, imposing ourselves on the game is a step forward.

"Conceding the first goal and finding a way to get something from the game is a step forward."

Ipswich Town are now settled in the Championship and close to "clicking", says attacking midfielder Sammie Szmodics.

Town travel to Bristol City on Tuesday (19:45 BST) on the back of successive wins for the first time since May 2024, following a tough year in the Premier League last season.

"I think once the transfer window shut, it settled everyone because you now know who you are competing with," Szmodics told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"When you look at the squad, it is a top squad and we are moments away from clicking.

"We have all got our heads around what the manager wants to do when it comes to bringing on players and so as an attacking player you know what is going to happen when it gets to 65 minutes."

The 30-year-old has struggled on and off with injuries since joining Ipswich last summer but managed the full 90 minutes in Saturday's 2-1 win against Portsmouth.

"I have had a niggly ankle injury with my deltoid ligament," Szmodics added. "I am still managing it every day with strappings and a bit of work [but] I am able to get through 90-minute games, so I'm happy.

"Injuries are tough, absolutely. I have never had an injury like this before in my entire career. I turned 30 not long ago and I have never really struggled with an injury so it is new to me, but I am managing it."

Listen to Szmodics' full interview and more on BBC Sounds.