Kieran McKenna hails Ipswich resilience after victory over leaders Coventry

Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna hailed his team’s resilience after their 3-0 victory over Championship leaders Coventry.

Goals from Sindre Walle Egeli, George Hirst and Ivan Azon lifted the hosts up to fourth place as Frank Lampard’s side suffered only their second away defeat of the season.

The hosts also had goalkeeper Christian Walton to thank for producing two outstanding saves from Josh Eccles and Ephron Mason-Clarke to keep the visitors out.

McKenna said: “We stuck together and stuck in there. We know the first goal is so, so important in every game, especially in the home games here, and from that point on I thought we showed some real confidence on the ball, played through the pitch, broke the press really well and defended well and counter-attacked.

“It was a really good result and it’s been a good challenge this week. The group’s really stuck together I felt in the last couple of days and I thought it was a really resilient performance and we showed quality as well.

“The result was important today, but it’s more about the week to be honest.

“When we get the first goal and the confidence grows in the team I know how well we can play and teams then leave a space and it was more about sticking in it in the first part of the game before the goal when we weren’t smooth at that point.

“We were struggling to impose ourselves on the ball…the ball’s hardly in play and it’s not a very good game.

“But there lots of games like that in the Championship. In those moments you have to stay tough and stay strong.”

Coventry boss Lampard felt Hirst should have received a second yellow card for kicking the ball away, having been booked after 10 minutes for a foul on Liam Kitching.

He said: “I don’t love yellows for kicking the ball away, but if Josh Eccles deserves one then Hirst unfortunately deserves one.

“It’s the rules and unfortunately for us it went against us today.”

On his side’s performance, Lampard added: “I think our play in the first half, we were the strong team for me in the game and you could feel the stadium feeling it.

“We were very clean and winning second (balls) with good confidence, our press was spot on and they struggled to play through us.

“That bought some angst to the stadium…but when the goal comes it’s scrappy and it gives you that different feeling when you go in at half-time.

“But the players had to understand how they approached that first half and then in the second half probably a similar effect, they score and Hirst runs through and scores that goal it’s obviously difficult.

“There’s no real unhappiness with the way the players approached it. It just wasn’t our day.”