Sunday, August 6
Sunderland 1 Ipswich Town 2
Life back in the second tier began with a long trip to face a Sunderland side who had finished sixth the previous season.
Town were under the cosh in the early exchanges, but Nathan Broadhead netted against his former club in first half stoppage-time and George Hirst bagged his first Championship goal shortly after the break.
Conor Chaplin subsequently hit the bar with an audacious long-range lob and Hirst had a strong penalty appeal dismissed.
It looked like job done when Trai Hume was dismissed for the Black Cats, but the 10-men hosts pulled a late goal back through Dan Neil and Town were left defending for their lives during 13 minutes of stoppage time. Vaclav Hladky's super double save sealed the points.
"I think we've set a tone for how hard we're going to have to work," said Blues boss Kieran McKenna.
Position: 4th
Saturday, August 12
Ipswich Town 2 Stoke City 0
Town were simply too good for a Stoke side that had been put together from scratch over the summer.
Luke Woolfenden headed home at a free-kick to deservedly break the deadlock midway through the first half, then sub Kayden Jackson raced away to secure the victory in the 81st minute.
"I think what you've seen there is a team that has worked together for the last 12 months and a team that has been put together in the last three weeks," said Potters boss Alex Neil.
"It was a top performance, no doubt about it," enthused McKenna. "I loved the way we stuck to our identity on and off the ball. We were brave in how we played."
Position: 1st
Saturday, August 19
QPR 0 Ipswich Town 1
Hladky was once again in top form. The pick of his saves was when he got fingertips to an effort from the lively Sinclair Armstrong, the ball staying out after hitting the inside of both posts.
Having managed to stay in a difficult game, the Blues won it in the 75th minute when Chaplin showed great reactions to spring to his feet and score after an initial shot inside the box was blocked.
That goal came in front of a jubilant away end. This was the first time Town had won at Loftus Road since 2010.
"There's no deluded heads in that dressing room," said McKenna. "We know we are doing some things well, but we know we have to improve. At the moment the margins are going our way."
Position: 1st
Saturday, August 26
Ipswich Town 3 Leeds United 4
Joe Rodon turned Kayden Jackson's low cross into his own net to give Town an early lead, but Leeds' multi-million pound attack then scored three goals in the space of 10 minutes to quickly turn the game on its head - Georginio Rutter, Wilfried Gnonto and Joel Piroe all on the scoresheet.
A mix-up at the back allowed Broadhead to pull one back deep into first-half stoppage time, but Luis Sinisterra swept home in the second half to render Chaplin's late strike a mere consolation.
Ipswich, excitingly, had shown they were prepared to go toe-to-toe with the big boys.
"I thought there was a lot more good than bad," said McKenna. "There are so many positives to take from the game."
Position: 6th
Saturday, September 2
Ipswich Town 3 Cardiff City 2
Aaron Ramsey's cool finish and Joe Ralls' precise shot left Town 2-0 down early in the second half.
Broadhead's thumping finish helped turn the tide though, with sub Freddie Ladapo netting a couple of scruffy close-range goals to seal the first of many comeback wins.
McKenna said: "We showed all the qualities that I believe we have built over the last 18 months in terms of the resilience, the spirit, the belief in what we're doing, and the unity for subs to come on and bring something different and keep going right to the last whistle."
Position: 2nd
Saturday, September 16
Sheffield Wednesday 0 Ipswich Town 1
It was a familiar combo that led to the winner just before half-time as Chaplin stroked home from a Leif Davis pullback.
Town would have won by more against their recent League One promotion rivals were it not for a string of smart stops from Owls keeper Devis Vasquez.
"This was a big one for us today," said McKenna. "We've not managed to win here in the last couple of visits, so it's a barometer for us as a team."
Position: 3rd
Tuesday, September 19
Southampton 0 Ipswich Town 1
On his first league start, Omari Hutchinson forced an error at the back, got the ball back off Chaplin and scored with a lunging finish in the 30th minute.
Town then managed the game well against a star-studded side that had just dropped down from the Premier League and who keep the ball for fun.
"When I met him over the summer I showed him some video and told him that I think he can be absolutely outstanding out of possession," said McKenna, of match-winner Hutchinson.
"Now he's scored his first professional goal from a sliding tackle! It’s a great indication of the progress he’s been making."
Position: 2nd
Saturday, September 23
Ipswich Town 4 Blackburn Rovers 3
Massimo Luongo's strike from the edge of the box settled a wide open, topsy-turvy affair.
Harry Clarke celebrated wildly after opening his account for his boyhood club, Arnor Sigurdsson levelled, Broadhead and Hirst both scored to make it 3-1, then a Clarke own goal and Sammie Szmodics strike made it all square again.
“I don’t think many of us will have seen or been involved in too many more open games," said McKenna. "We had 29 shots to their 10, so I think we gave them more problems.”
Position: 2nd
Saturday, September 30
Huddersfield Town 1 Ipswich Town 1
The Terriers, playing at the John Smith's Stadium for the first time under new boss Darren Moore, were organised, physical and direct in the rain.
Hutchinson was denied what looked to be a stonewall penalty when tripped by Sorba Thomas. When the latter yanked the Chelsea loanee up by his shirt, Town players rushed in to protect their Town team-mate.
Delano Burgzorg fired the hosts in front just after the hour following a counter-attack from a Town corner. Ipswich finished strongly though and deservedly equalised through Brandon Williams' diving header.
"We gave them too much momentum through silly little things like free-kicks or poor headers and clearances," said McKenna. "We need to stay humble and recognise that every game is going to be a big challenge for us."
Position: 1st
Tuesday, October 3
Ipswich Town 3 Hull City 0
What a night! The Tigers arrived at Portman Road in fine form, but were blown away by some scintillating football under the Portman Road lights as Wes Burns, Chaplin and Marcus Harness all scored.
Suffolk superstar Ed Sheeran then led a sing song with the players in the dressing room afterwards.
"It was a special performance," enthused McKenna. "We spoke about it before the game, I thought we had one in us."
Position: 1st
Saturday, October 7
Ipswich Town 4 Preston North End 2
A game best remembered for Williams' outstanding solo goal, the Manchester United loanee charging from his own half to make it 2-1.
Chaplin had opened the scoring, Broadhead made it 3-1 in first half stoppage time following Hirst's knock down and, after Ben Whiteman pulled one back, sub Jackson wrapped things up.
"I spoke to the players when we were mid-table in League One that I wanted this to be one of the best places in England to watch football," said McKenna. "We're showing signs of that."
Position: 2nd
Wednesday, October 25
Bristol City 0 Ipswich Town 1
Broadhead's low finish in the 16th minute was enough to secure another gritty 1-0 win on the road.
Harry Cornick's shot struck the inside of the post, hit the back of Hladky and rolled across the line before being scrambled clear by Williams as Town stood firm in the second half.
"We defended pretty well and the willpower and spirit in the squad helped us over the line," said McKenna.
Position: 2nd
Saturday, October 28
Ipswich Town 3 Plymouth Argyle 2
Town finally got one over their former League One promotion rivals in another entertaining affair on Suffolk soil.
Morgan Whittaker's superb curling shot gave the Pilgrims an early lead, but former Norwich man Bali Mumba netted an own goal equaliser just before the break and Hirst bagged soon after the restart.
The visitors went down to 10 men after Mustapha Bundu went off injured at a stage when all subs had been used. Harness made it 3-1, but there was still time for Joe Edwards to pull one back and set up a nervy finish.
"They pushed us all the way and that's what I expected," said McKenna. "You could see why both teams did so well last year - two of the best teams, maybe statistically, in League One ever."
Position: 2nd
Saturday, November 4
Birmingham City 2 Ipswich Town 2
Wayne Rooney was denied his first win in charge of Birmingham thanks to a late brace from super sub Harness.
Former Town target Jay Stansfield scored and then forced an own goal from Cameron Burgess as the Midlands side started with real intensity in front of a fired up St Andrew's crowd.
A quadruple change helped turn the tide in the second half. Dane Scarlett's stepover and cross led to Ladapo seeing a shot saved and Harness being there to gobble up the rebound.
Scarlett, Hutchinson and Cameron Humphreys were then all involved as Harness executed a superb volley to level things up in the 86th minute.
“If we got a third goal at the end, which we could have done, it would have been fantastic," said McKenna. "And if they’d nicked a third goal at the end then c'est la vie because I enjoyed the way we played."
Position: 2nd
Tuesday, November 7
Rotherham United 2 Ipswich Town 2
Once again, Town conceded early. Once again, they fought back.
Sam Morsy cancelled out Sam Nombe's opener, then Jack Taylor looked to have won it late on with a scrambled finish only for Chris Teihi to make it 2-2 with a superb stoppage-time strike.
"I thought we were good value for two penalties, but we didn’t get them when the referee had a good view on both," said McKenna. "Having said that, there was enough in free play for us to have won the game.”
Position: 2nd
Saturday, November 12
Ipswich Town 3 Swansea City 2
Another comeback win at Portman Road.
After Jay Fulton's early goal for the visitors, Taylor equalised with a spectacular strike before Chaplin deservedly made it 2-1.
Hirst's penalty provided daylight for the dominant hosts, Liam Cullen was dismissed for the Swans, but Ipswich managed to make life difficult for themselves at the end when Jamal Lowe was allowed to waltz through and score.
“Let’s get it right, it shouldn’t have been 3-2,” fumed McKenna. "It should have been out of sight and then I didn’t like how we played the last 15 minutes against the 10 men. I didn’t like the concentration levels, I didn’t like our humility."
Position: 2nd
Saturday, November 25
West Brom 2 Ipswich Town 0
A 12-game unbeaten run came to an end following the international break.
Darnell Furlong expertly headed in at a corner in the fifth minute, with Grady Diangana doubling the Baggies' lead at the end of a rapid counter soon after the restart.
Town were kept at arm's length by an experienced outfit from there.
"Obviously it wasn't our night," said McKenna. "I think the nature of the goals and the timing of the goals dictated the whole feel of the performance."
Position: 2nd
Wednesday, November 29
Ipswich Town 3 Millwall 1
Chaplin and Luongo goals put Town in command inside 12 minutes, with a Broadhead header effectively ending the game as a contest just before the interval.
The dominant Blues could have scored more after the break, but ex-keeper Bartosz Bialkowski made some smart stops before Kevin Nisbet's consolation.
"Our intensity looked really good from the first whistle," said McKenna. "There are definitely things to improve on, but overall it's a good night's work."
Position: 2nd
Saturday, December 2
Ipswich Town 2 Coventry City 1
The day that Burns scored his EFL Goal of the Season winner. The Welshman's outrageous outside of the boot strike made it 2-0 following Hirst's early opener.
Matt Godden hit the bar with a 75th minute penalty for the visitors, with Williams forced to turn into his own net late on for 2-1.
"You're not going to find a better outside of foot finish anywhere in the world this year probably," said McKenna. "But it's also about the move that led to it. I could see every bit of us in the way the players were thinking, moving and connecting."
Position: 2nd
Saturday, December 9
Middlesbrough 0 Ipswich Town 2
Chaplin opened the scoring with a shot that deflected off the head of former Blues defender Matt Clarke, then set Hutchinson away to kill off the game with a cool finish in the 67th minute.
"I thought it was a really complete performance, especially for an away game," said McKenna.
"I thought we controlled most elements of the game really. I liked our out of possession game, both high and low. I liked our in possession game. The set plays were good. Probably the only thing we could have improved was that we could have been a little bit cleaner with our execution in the final third."
Position: 2nd
Tuesday, December 12
Watford 1 Ipswich Town 2
The Hornets went ahead when Yaser Asprilla punished a passing error by Hladky, but Hirst brought Town level before half-time from close range.
A draw looked likely until super skipper Morsy dispossessed Wesley Hoedt high and slipped the ball past keeper Ben Hamer before standing, chest puffed out, in front of the away end.
"We concede a goal on build-up, but the courage and resilience that we showed after that probably went beyond sticking to our principles," said McKenna. "We actually went even more the other way. That's a big, big show of belief and bravery in what we do."
Position: 1st
Saturday, December 16
Ipswich Town 2 Norwich City 2
Thousands of fans lined the streets to greet the team coach for this much-anticipated first East Anglian derby in almost five years.
Town fed off the electric atmosphere, but frustratingly only had one Broadhead goal to show for their early dominance. A brace from Jonathan Rowe either side of half-time turned the game on its head, but Ipswich stuck to their task and equalised through Burns.
"We were the better team by a considerable margin," said McKenna. "We would love to have given the supporters the victory, but I think the team can certainly take a lot from that game."
Position: 2nd
Saturday, December 23
Leeds United 4 Ipswich Town 0
After so much emotional energy had been expended a week earlier, Town were dismantled at Elland Road just two days before Christmas.
Pascal Struijk headed home the opener, then Davis had a day to forget back at his former club, turning into his own net for 2-0 and giving away the penalty that Crysencio Summerville converted for 3-0, before Piroe added a fourth.
"They took their moments well and we didn't defend our moments well enough," rued McKenna. "It certainly wasn't an enjoyable experience, but over the course of a long season you're going to have days that don't go your way."
Position: 2nd
Monday, December 26
Ipswich Town 1 Leicester City 1
Just three days later, Town had to face another of the Championship's big boys.
Stephy Mavididi's fine curling finish put the Foxes ahead midway through the first half, but Ipswich showed trademark spirit to secured a point when Morsy's shot from outside the box looped in off the head of Jannik Vestergaard in the 93rd minute.
"If we hadn't have got the goal I still would have been proud of the performance," said McKenna. "I thought we were at least fair value for the point that we got."
The big downer of the day was Hirst suffering a hamstring rupture that would require surgery.
Position: 2nd
Friday, December 29
Ipswich Town 0 QPR 0
The efforts of a gruelling festive schedule came at a cost. Davis, Clarke, Morsy, Burns, Broadhead and Hirst were all absent due to a combination of injuries, illness and suspension.
Town, unsurprisingly, looked leggy and disjointed as Ladapo spurned a couple of good chances. A striker shortage was highlight by academy teenager Gerard Buabo making his debut.
"I didn't think it was a very good match, or general performance, or general atmosphere," said McKenna.
Position: 2nd
Monday, January 1
Stoke City 0 Ipswich Town 0
Stoke went down to 10 men midway through the second half when Jordan Thompson was dismissed for waving an imaginary yellow card at Chaplin. Town couldn't make the extra man count though in a game that lacked clear-cut chances.
"The red card changes things for both teams," said McKenna. "It's an advantage for us in many ways, but at times it can work the other way. Stoke brought on an extra defender, defended their box really well and dug in to get a point."
Position: 2nd
Saturday, January 13
Ipswich Town 2 Sunderland 1
Stand-in skipper Chaplin powered a header high into the net from Davis' free-kick delivery to end Town's five-game winless run in the league.
Jack Clarke had hammered Sunderland ahead in the 26th minute, but lone striker Jackson latched onto a defence-splitting deep pass from new signing Lewis Travis to coolly level seven minutes later.
"We weren't at our absolute most fluent on the ball, we're playing against a really good side and we go behind in the game," said McKenna. "It feels like a big win because we're missing players who've played regularly."
Position: 2nd
Monday, January 22
Leicester City 1 Ipswich Town 1
A Davis own goal had the on-top Foxes in front, but Town came roaring back after the break and eventually got their rewards when Jeremy Sarmiento pounced on a rebound to squeeze home an 89th minute equaliser.
"The first half was difficult, the second half was much more like ourselves," said McKenna.
"We've come a long way in a short space of time and probably deserved to get something from the game."
Position: 2nd
Saturday, February 3
Preston North End 3 Ipswich Town 2
Fortune wasn't on Town's side as Preston scored twice in the opening eight minutes. Will Keane's long-range shot took a major deflection, with while Emil Riis was a yard offside in the build-up to George Edmundson poking in an own goal.
Ex-Town striker Keane made it 3-0, but the half-time introduction of January deadline day signing Kieffer Moore helped turn the tide. The Welsh international caused carnage, scoring twice late on, while fellow new striker Ali Al-Hamadi also looked lively on his debut off the bench.
"In the first half, pretty much everything that could go wrong did go wrong," said McKenna. "We've not had as many wins lately as what we would like, but we've also not lost many, we're competitive every week, the group keeps fighting to the end of each game and those qualities will stand us in good stead."
Position: 3rd
Saturday, February 10
Ipswich Town 2 West Brom 2
Tom Fellow shrugged off Woolfenden to score, Broadhead produced an expert volleyed equaliser seconds after the restart, then John Swift restored the Baggies' lead against the run of play.
Town, once again, showed never-say-die spirit as Hutchinson fired through a crowd of players in the 93rd minute to set up a grandstand finish in which Moore and Al-Hamadi went close.
"Bar from maybe a couple of inches at the end we'd have been talking about an absolute classic in terms of games we've had at this stadium," said McKenna.
"West Brom are probably the best team in the division at defending one-goal leads, so for us to be in that position against them twice, get a point and deserve all three - I think we can take a lot from that."
Position: 4th
Wednesday, February 14
Millwall 0 Ipswich Town 4
Town saw off a difficult spell of set-pieces before cruising to victory at The Den.
Broadhead's inventive header, Wes Harding's own goal and Kieffer Moore's bouncing downward header made it 3-0 at the break.
Al-Hamadi then came on, won and converted a late penalty. It was a real show of confidence from the Iraqi international, who had hit the ground running after stepping up from League Two club AFC Wimbledon.
"Once we were able to impose ourselves I felt we were fully in control and were able to change gears whenever we needed to and go through them as well," said McKenna.
Position: 4th
Saturday, February 17
Swansea City 1 Ipswich Town 2
Broadhead latched onto an under hit back-pass and coolly dinked Ipswich ahead, Swansea equalised through Jerry Yates, but Chaplin restored Town's lead just before the break when smartly finishing from Davis' low cross.
The Blues then dug deep in the rain to see out another hard fought victory on the road.
"I thought that was as good a performance as some of our second half of the season ones last year when we won at some big football clubs," said McKenna. "These are the margins that we're going to have to keep fighting to stay on top of at this level."
Position: 4th
Tuesday, February 20
Ipswich Town 4 Rotherham 3
A night of incredible stoppage-time drama.
Tom Eaves gave the rock-bottom visitors a surprise early lead, but a brace from Burns, either side of a goal from Moore, looked to have put the Blues on course for a comfortable evening.
Hakeem Odoffin's strike made it 3-2 on the hour though and then Cafu converted a softly-awarded 94th minute Panenka penalty to make it 3-3.
There was still time, however, for Hutchinson to win it with 90+5 on the clock.
"We weren't ever able to get the control we wanted to get in the game," admitted McKenna. "But we've scored four goals at home, could have had more, and found a way to win."
Position: 3rd
Saturday, February 24
Ipswich Town 3 Birmingham City 1
Chaplin's clever flicked finish gave Ipswich the lead they deserved, only for Jordan James to equalise in first half stoppage-time.
An increasingly open game was in the balance until Sarmiento finished off a slick move in the 81st minute. Fellow sub Hutchinson then made the points safe with a cool finish in stoppage-time.
"That's a wonderful stat, one of my favourites I have to say," said McKenna, when it was pointed out to him that a quarter of Town's goals for the season had been bagged by substitutes.
"It shows how everyone in that squad has full commitment to the team and is ready to play whenever required."
Position: 3rd
Saturday, March 2
Plymouth Argyle 0 Ipswich Town 2
Town upped their intensity after a stop-start first period played on a heavy pitch. Chaplin's shot deflected in off Brandon Galloway before Moore lashed in the killer second at a corner.
It was another professional away day display.
"We knew we’d have to stand up to a really strong home atmosphere and we had to stand up in difficult conditions, weather and pitch wise," said McKenna. "That gave us a platform to push on."
Position: 2nd
Tuesday, March 5
Ipswich Town 3 Bristol City 2
Town twice came from behind to win on yet another dramatic night at Portman Road.
After the opening period finished 0-0, goals from Anis Mehmeti and Tommy Conway were respectively cancelled out by Al-Hamadi's side-footed finish and Chaplin's glancing header from a Davis free-kick delivery.
The chance to grab all three points looked to have gone when Al-Hamadi saw a weak late penalty saved, but there was still time for Davis to ram home an 89th minute winner that raised the roof.
"Its a brilliant way to win a football match. It's a night, an atmosphere and end to a match that we have to enjoy," said McKenna.
Position: 2nd
Saturday, March 9
Cardiff City 2 Ipswich Town 1
Town looked to have ground out another battling 1-0 win on the road after Moore produced an expert finish back at his former club in the 79th minute.
Cardiff scored not once, but twice during 10 minutes of stoppage-time though. Ryan Wintle's deflected equaliser came on 90+5, with Callum O'Dowda then volleying in on 90+10.
Town's five-game winning streak had come to an end in gut-wrenching fashion.
"We made a lot of positive changes at nil-nil away from home and finished with a really attacking team on the pitch," said McKenna.
"I think we can say, personnel-wise, we weren't at our strongest that we would want to be to see a game out away at Cardiff, the best set-piece team in the league. But we can still do better."
Position: 3rd
Saturday, March 16
Ipswich Town 6 Sheffield Wednesday 0
An improving Owls side were put to the sword in Suffolk as Town bounced back in style.
An electric Hutchinson scored twice from the No.10 role, Cameron Burgess got his first goal of the season, Broadhead bagged once more and sub Al-Hamadi put the icing on the cake with a couple of close-range finishes.
The only negative was an in-form Burns limping off with a hamstring injury.
"It was an outstanding performance, pretty much from the first minute to the last minute," said McKenna. "The relentlessness of it was what I liked the most. We came in today with a real determination to deliver a performance at home that represented our identity heading into the international break."
Position: 2nd
Friday, March 29
Blackburn Rovers 0 Ipswich Town 1
An incisive move led to Chaplin's first time shot squeezing past Aynsley Pears in the ninth minute. From there, Town, carrying some half-fit players, really had to dig deep.
Rovers had three goals chalked off, two controversially, while Hladky made a brave block at Szmodics' feet during a spell of intense late pressure.
Elsewhere, Leicester, Southampton and Leeds all dropped points on what proved to be a dream Good Friday.
"The one thing we can improve from today is, not just how the game finished, but getting that second goal by being a little bit more clinical," said McKenna.
Position: 1st
Monday, April 1
Ipswich Town 3 Southampton 2
The day when it felt like maybe, just maybe, promotion was meant to be...
Davis' powerful strike was quickly overturned by first half goals from Che Adams and Adam Armstrong. Southampton, in truth, were the better team for large parts of this game.
Town refused to roll over though. Al-Hamadi hit the post, Broadhead's instinctive finish levelled the match and then, after James Bree was dismissed for bringing down Davis, the Blues went on to win it as Sarmiento recovered from a slip in the box to poke home.
The roar that greeted that 97th minute winner was deafening. Town, quite remarkably, had done it again. I still get goosebumps thinking about it now.
"It's a wonderful moment that everybody will remember for a long time," said McKenna. "Scoring late is a good habit. It doesn't happen by chance."
Position: 1st
Saturday, April 6
Norwich City 1 Ipswich Town 0
This was a real comedown from the highs of Easter Monday. Town produced one of their flattest performances of the season in a game that means so much to supporters.
Marcelino Nunez's swerving long-range free-kick proved the difference and ensured that Ipswich's long wait for a win over their rivals would go into a 16th year.
"I didn't think it was a very high level game," said McKenna. "I thought really it was just a spell of 10 minutes in the first half of set plays and decisions that went against us."
Position: 2nd
Wednesday, April 10
Ipswich Town 0 Watford 0
Town created several chances, Broadhead hitting the inside of the post, but also needed Hladky to keep out Edo Kayembe's speculative strike from the halfway line late on.
With the Blues having missed out on a chance of going top, McKenna said: "It just wasn’t our night in terms of them going in the back of the net. We take the big positive with the clean sheet, and we take the point, which are all hard-fought in the Championship – especially at this time in the season.”
Position: 2nd
Saturday, April 13
Ipswich Town 1 Middlesbrough 1
In-form striker Emmanuel Latte Lath headed Boro in front against the run of play, but Luongo's far post finish at a corner levelled things up.
Sarmiento hit the post for the Blues, while Hladky made a couple of outstanding saves late on. It left everyone wondering whether this would prove to be a major missed opportunity after both Leeds and Leicester had suffered defeats or another important point on the board.
McKenna said: “Over the course of the last two games, could we have had an extra couple of points? For sure. Could we have lost today? Possibly. We’ll get however many points we’ll get. I don’t think they’re going to leave an ounce of effort there."
Position: 1st
Saturday, April 27
Hull City 3 Ipswich Town 3
A thrilling game of high stakes football ultimately ended all square.
Three times Town led in this game. Hirst scored on his surprise return to the starting line-up, while Hutchinson twice produced outstanding curling finishes from outside the box.
Three times Hull, chasing a play-off place, fought back as Liam Rosenior threw on attacker after attacker. Ozan Tufan, Liam Delap and Noah Ohio all netted equalisers, the last one coming in the 87th minute.
McKenna, who was left thumping the dugout in frustration when the late leveller went in, said: "It was a wonderful game and I saw so many of the things that I love about the team."
With Leeds having suffered a shock 4-0 loss at QPR, Town were left needing four points from their final two games...
Position: 3rd
Tuesday, April 30
Coventry City 1 Ipswich Town 2
Just like the memorable midweek win at Barnsley in April 2023, this was the night when everyone realised that a giant step towards promotion had been made.
Moore's early strike was cancelled out by Haji Wright's drilled finish in the 64th minute, but it wasn't long before Burgess restored the lead with a composed finish following a scruffy set-piece situation.
It was a nerve-shredding evening, especially during 11 minutes of added time, with the full-time whistle sparking joyous celebrations.
Town had beaten the recent FA Cup semi-finalists on their own patch. They had one foot in the Premier League.
Position: 2nd
Saturday, May 4
Ipswich Town 2 Huddersfield Town 0
Just one point required on the final day against a team virtually relegated. Would Town hold their nerve? You bet they would. It was never in doubt.
Burns broke the deadlock to ease any nerves. Hutchinson, who finished the season on fire, scored soon after the restart to make sure.
The Blues could have scored more, but no-one cared. It was party time at Portman Road.
Position: 2nd
The celebrations
Ipswich, following a 22 year absence, are back in the Premier League!
Last Saturday's joyous pitch invasion and celebratory Bank Holiday Monday bus parade are historic scenes that will live long in the memory.
Second place in League One was secured with 98 points and 101 goals. Second place in the Championship was secured with 96 points and 92 goals. Incredible.
One week on, the magnitude of this achievement still hasn't fully sunk in.
What a team. What a season.
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