EYE ON THE OPPOSITION | Ipswich Town (A)

EYE ON THE OPPOSITION | Ipswich Town (A)

Port Vale make the trip down to Suffolk on Tuesday night as they face promotion chasing Ipswich Town at Portman Road.

The Tractor Boys currently sit second in the League One Table on 85 points, after a run of 14 league matches unbeaten, whilst the Valiants sit 18th on 46 points.

It is Vale’s first trip to Portman Road since 2000, here is what you need to know about Town.

ONE TO WATCH: Conor Chaplin

Vale will want to watch out for Ipswich’s in-form forward Conor Chaplin on Tuesday, with the 26-year-old netting a hattrick in a 6-0 win against Charlton Athletic on Saturday.

The Sussex-born attacker started his career at Portsmouth, scoring 25 goals in over 100 appearances for the south coast side during a five-year spell at the club.

In 2018, Chaplin was sent on loan to Coventry City, and a year later, the move was made permanent.

After two years in the West Midlands, Chaplin made the move up to Yorkshire, switching the sky blue of Coventry for the red of Barnsley.

The forward was a key member of the Reds side that made the playoffs during his second season at the club, however, he would leave at the end of that campaign, transferring to the Tractor Boys.

Chaplin has enjoyed his two seasons in East Anglia thus far, especially this current campaign, in which he has netted 22 goals and provided four assists.

THE MAN AT THE HELM: Kieran McKenna

In the dugout at Ipswich Town since 2021, Kieran McKenna has been a major hit at Portman Road since he signed a three-and-a-half-year contract at the club.

The Northern Irishman started his career in football as a player, but after many years in the academy at Tottenham Hotspur, his playing days were cut short due to a hip injury.

McKenna then wasted no time in turning to coaching, helping out youth teams at Spurs, Leicester City, and Nottingham Forest in his younger days.

After many years at Spurs, he made the move to Manchester United’s youth set up becoming the Manager of their under-18s side.

Only two years after joining United in 2016, he was promoted into a First Team coaching role under Jose Mourinho and then later Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

McKenna had shown that he was ready to step into management, and he made that step in December 2021, being appointed by the Tractor Boys as Manager.

Ipswich’s form drastically improved under the Northern Irishman’s stewardship, as the side went on an 11-match unbeaten streak between February and March, but the form was only enough to see them finish 11th.

Now in the hunt for promotion in only his first full campaign at the Tractor Boys, McKenna has so far proven he is the right man for the job.

STADIUM: Portman Road

Ipswich have played their football at the famous Portman Road since 1884, and it has played host to many memorable matches since its opening nearly 140 years ago.

One of the more famous stadiums in the division, Portman Road can hold up to 29,673 fans after redevelopments of the ground earlier this century.