Kieran McKenna believes promotion-chasing Ipswich were “long overdue” a night like their 4-0 win at Millwall.
The Tractor Boys had won just once in nine games ahead of travelling to south London but survived a slow start to run out deserved victors at The Den.
Nathan Broadhead scored one and forced a Wes Harding own goal while in-form Bournemouth loanee Kieffer Moore headed home and Ali Al-Hamadi converted a stoppage-time penalty as Ipswich eased to just a second league win of the calendar year.
Despite their drop-off in form, McKenna’s side lost just twice in that run and the former Manchester United assistant will be hoping this result heralds a return to form – with a trip to Swansea next up on Saturday.
Asked about the return to winning ways, McKenna said: “I think we are long due a night like that to be honest.
“Statistically, in the last nine games we have been creating more shots and having less against than in the first nine games but sometimes football works like that.
“We were clinical and we produced the defensive moments whenever we needed to, we have been long overdue a night where things went our way.
“It was a good night’s work, a good performance in different areas. I thought we were solid in free play and controlled large chunks of the game with the ball, created a few good opportunities and were really clinical when they came.”
Ipswich survived a slow start as Millwall created a number of good chances to put themselves on the front foot.
Instead, the Lions fell behind and never recovered, with manager Joe Edwards bemoaning the outcome.
“It is a bit of deja vu, we started well with a clear plan that the players were executing,” he said.
“Their goalkeeper had a few saves to make early on. When you play against a team like Ipswich’s level, they can score goals at any time but the manner of that (first) goal can’t happen.
“It is a combination of things that throws us, we were feeling in a good place, with momentum and then the wind is taken out of your sails with a poor goal and from there until half time it just unravelled.”
Edwards has now seen his side take just one point from their last six league games and – with Stoke and Huddersfield both winning – they have dropped to 21st in the table.
“I’m not going to disregard it in a casual way,” Edwards said when asked if he looks at the table with Millwall struggling.
“Where we are in relation to the relegation zone, people are going to talk about that. The reality is we are in a rut where we are not winning games or getting points at the moment.”
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