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Kieran McKenna's Ipswich have embarked on a stunning run in recent weeks which has seen them rack up twelve points from their last five games. They are ninth in the table, six points off Wycombe, who hold the last qualification spot for the playoffs.
Change of Guard Brings a Change in Fortunes
Despite starting the season on a resounding note which saw them slam Doncaster Rovers 6-0, they have stuttered. Things looked promising for Paul Cook's men until October when the club registered wins against Gillingham and Shrewsbury.
The downside for Cook's men began in November when they lost to Plymouth. The result was followed by defeats to Sunderland and Rotherham. Ipswich failed to reignite the form they witnessed in the early months.
Paul Cook's tenure ended after the club failed to beat Barrow in the FA Cup second round, forcing a replay.
Since then, the club has seen brighter days.
Kieran McKenna, the former Manchester United assistant coach under Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer, was appointed as the new head coach.
Ipswich drew against Sunderland in McKenna's first match and earned subsequent wins against Gillingham and Wycombe. The club have lost just twice against Bolton and Sheffield Wednesday since then and have moved out of mid-table and remain in firm contention to sneak into a play-off slot.
Defensive Regij
One of McKenna's early objectives was to restructure the club's defense, which by League One standards was caught as leaky. He shifted to a classic 3-5-2 deploying two defenders as fullbacks to provide a cushion to the backline.
After a change in formation, Sam Morsy was recalled into the first XI as a holding midfielder. The pairing of Morsy and Tyreeq Bakinson have proved vital to them converting leads into wins. Four out of their last six wins in the division have come by a solitary goal margin.
Reinforcements for Ipswich
The arrival of Dom Thompson from Brentford on loan was a shrewd piece of business done in the winter to bolster their defensive resources. The English U-23 fullback has already made a couple of Premier League appearances with Brentford this season. No doubt his experience of top-flight football will come in handy given the club's odds of promotion.
Tyreeq Bakinson is another reinforcement made early in the transfer market. His experience of Championship football will again be worth it in gold. In fact, he has already made 13 appearances for the club, scoring one goal.
Ipswich stand a golden chance to enjoy the play-offs this season.
