LONDON (Reuters) – Ipswich Town would have believed a first win of the Premier League season was on the cards after going 2-0 up at Brentford but let their lead slip in another harsh lesson that left manager Kieran McKenna with mixed emotions.
Ipswich had their winless streak since promotion extended to nine matches as they lost 4-3 at Brentford, denied a point when Bryan Mbuemo scored a stoppage time winner.
“I have great pride in the performance. The quality and resilience that we’ve shown following a really challenging week led to so many good things. We score three goals away from home and could have had a couple more,” said McKenna.
“But, of course, it’s extreme disappointment and devastation about the late goal that means we don’t get any points for our efforts.
“Look, we always try and take the positives from things and I think we did so many things today that showed we are back on the right track.”
Ipswich remained on four points, only one place above the relegation zone.
“We showed our real identity as a team from a mental and tactical point of view. Although we didn’t get any points to show for it, I think it was a real step in the right direction. If we show those things on a consistent basis then we’ll be competitive in the majority of the games and have a chance to pick up points,” added McKenna.
Ipswich are next up against fellow promoted team Leicester City next Saturday, with the manager hoping a long injury list will begin to clear.
“There’s been a lot of disruption, but that makes me even more proud of the performance and the mentality we showed as a team,” he said.
Ipswich defender Harry Clarke endured a day to forget after scoring an own goal, conceding a penalty and then being sent off.
He became only the second Premier League player to complete this unwanted treble after Southampton defender Jan Bednarek, who pulled off the feat against Manchester United in 2021.
On Clarke’s dismissal for a second booking, when it looked like he might have got the ball on the edge of the box, McKenna added: “I don’t know whether he’s got a touch on the ball or not.
“If he hasn’t got a touch on the ball there probably can’t be too many complaints. If he got a touch then it’s probably not a yellow card. Our focus needs to be on defending both situations better in the first place.”
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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