Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna admitted it was a “devastated dressing room” following the Blues’ last-gasp 2-1 defeat to AFC Bournemouth at Portman Road and felt his side’s disallowed first-half goal, which would have given them a 2-0 lead, was harshly ruled out.
The Cherries netted on 87 and five minutes into injury time to grab all three points, the Blues having taken the lead in the 21st minute through Conor Chaplin’s first Premier League goal.
“It’s a devastated dressing room today,” McKenna said. “I thought there were so many good things in the game, so many good things in the performance, the commitment levels were outstanding. Some of our play was really, really good. Right up to the point of their first goal, really.
Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna saw his side fall to a third straight defeat in the Premier League after Bournemouth found two late goals Picture: Barry Goodwin
“And it’s a disappointed group because we felt like we deserved to take the lead, felt like we had a second goal which was harshly overruled, to be honest. Felt like we had chances in the second half.
“It was always going to be a difficult second half, especially with the quality of the subs that they were bringing on, but we felt like we defended well, we had chances to get the second goal and on 86 minutes, I think we were in as much control of the game as you can be at 1-0 against a team of that level. There wasn’t a huge threat, we were defending well.
“And a really poor first goal from our point of view changes the momentum of it and then they have the momentum and the quality to execute really well for the second goal.
“It’s an extremely disappointed group, I don’t think we got what on an individual level or as a squad we deserved from the game.
“But that’s football and as much as it’s a devastated dressing room at the moment, I know what the reaction will be. I believe in what the reaction will be and I believe we will be back fighting next week.”
Asked whether, in the wake of previous late victory-denying wins against Brentford and Leicester, it sometimes feels like it’s not meant to be for Town this season, McKenna said: “Certainly not a feeling of it not being meant to be or anything like that. We feel like we could have had more points certainly than we have. Even just by rights of being competitive in almost every game, then you think that you give yourself a great chance to come out on top of the margins.
“But it’s not time to feel sorry for ourselves, we need to work, we need to keep trying to push our level.
“The boys are improving. You look at the individual performances, Cameron Burgess, Jack Taylor, Conor Chaplin, to give three examples of lads who have come from League Two. Jack Taylor at Barnet to his first start in the Premier League today.
“Look at the level of performances, the work that’s going on, the players know there’s so much good work going on.
“But we need to own what we can own, keep trying to improve the squad in every way that you can possibly do that, to go get a second goal to turn it to that level of performance that you can go and get a second goal and open up a margin, even if we felt like we possibly did.
“And we need to own the mistakes that we made late in the game. It’s not luck, there are things we can do better and it’s also a very, very high level of opponent, who, if you’re winning the game, are going to chase the game with top level quality forward players coming onto the pitch, and the margin for making a mistake is a really, really small, and that was the case today.”
McKenna was asked about his options from the bench, the Blues boss not having made subs as early as perhaps he might have done last season in a similar game in the Championship.
“It was hard to make subs early today because the players were doing so well,” he responded. “I think everyone who has watched us a lot knows that very often we make subs early as the team works so hard and puts so much into the game that often by 60 or 70 minutes, there’s not much left to give.
“But I thought we were controlling the second half really, really well, so until the point exhaustion really hit with a few, there was no real need to make the changes.
“Jack Taylor starts the season as probably our fifth-choice midfielder and you look how he stepped in today in that game and performed how he did. It tells me that the group’s working really well, the players are improving, are adjusting, are adapting, not just to the level of the games but also to our training level with more players in the building. So we feel that we have strength there.
“Now, do we have a bench on paper, on the balance sheet like any other team in the Premier League? No, we don’t. Do we have a starting team on paper, on the balance sheet like any other team in the Premier League? No, we don’t.
“But do I believe in how the players work? Do I believe in their readiness to come in and give the team absolutely everything that they can? I do and that’s why they’re all here and competing.
“Of course, we’re going to try and improve the squad as we go along over the next window and the windows after that, but I’m not going to hide behind that, I believe the work that each member of this group is doing day-by-day and think we’re seeing that players are stepping up at different moments.”
Regarding Liam Delap, who appeared to suffer an ankle knock shortly before he was subbed and had toiled for much of the second half, McKenna said: “I don’t think it was anything in particular. It was his third game in the Premier League from Forest to this one. He was tired in that second half and so was Omari [Hutchinson], there’s no two ways about it.
“The demands on those two players are higher than we would have wanted at this stage, it was never probably the plan that they would start every game, Omari playing 90 minutes in different positions pretty much every week.
“So we need to add and help those boys, but like the rest of the group, they’re doing everything they can to help the team, so I’m proud of them.”
McKenna was full of praise for Cameron Burgess, who returned to the XI for Jacob Greaves after missing out on Tuesday.
“Fantastic,” the Blues boss enthused. “I thought he was excellent in defence, how he defended the box, how he led but also some of his composure on the ball was really good as well, which is a good step for him.
“Like some of the other players who I mentioned and so many players in the group, he’s improving and he’s stepping up to the level and really pleased with him today.”
It was put to McKenna that if the Australian international continues to show similar form, his team will keep more clean sheets over the course of the campaign.
“Let’s hope so,” he said. “He was excellent, I have to say. A credit to him. I think the players deserve a lot of credit, to be honest. I don’t say it all the time, so I don’t think there’s any harm. I think he deserves a lot of credit.
“Look at Cameron’s journey, where he’s come from. I think we had six of our starting 10 outfielders today who have played in League Two or lower, another four or five on the bench, similar journeys and to be competing how they are, they don’t want any pats on the back for it now, because they’re all in the process of trying to improve and establish themselves at this level.
“But, as much as we’re really disappointed with the result, and that’s the most important thing to us today, I’d like to think not just the players and their families but I’d like to think the supporters can take a lot of pride in how so many of them are acquitting themselves.”
Regarding Justin Kluivert’s off-the-ball challenge on skipper Sam Morsy as the game kicked off, which both referee Michael Salisbury and presumably VAR saw nothing in, McKenna said: “I’ve not seen it back, to be honest, so I couldn’t speak much on it, I was eyes on the ball.”
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After the game, Town issued a statement regarding a medical emergency in the directors’ box. Asked if he could add anything to that statement, McKenna said: “The club will give a statement when it comes. I wasn’t aware of it during the match, I’ve been filled in since.”
Quizzed on how he will look to maintain a positive mood among his squad after the manner of today’s result following on from the defeats at Nottingham Forest and to Crystal Palace on Tuesday, McKenna said: “It’s a disappointing week for us. We know that with the last few games that we’ve had.
“But at the same time, I think the players know and feel, especially in today’s game, even on Tuesday or Saturday, I don’t think we’re too far away against really good sides.
“But over the course of the three games we’ve had in the last eight days, is the margin to us taking three points, five points, six points, seven points in those three games, is that a huge jump? I don’t think it is.
“It is a jump, we’re not unlucky every single game, we’ve had unlucky moments, but there’s a jump that we need to make.
“But within that, I don’t want to lose and I don’t think the dressing room are losing how many good things we’re doing to compete so relentlessly week in, week out, to be in games, to be imposing ourselves at certain times and sticking together in difficult times in games.
“I think we’re doing a lot of things well, so I don’t think the players will drop confidence in our direction from a performance like today.
“Of course, belief in the results is hard when you concede a late goal like today, but I think they really believe in the way that we’re working, they believe that we’re improving.
“Can’t guarantee what that will give us at the end of the season but I think they all really believe in the path that we’re on.”