Ipswich seek final home game promotion repeat

Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna hopes history will repeat itself as they look for the win to return them to the Premier League.

Town won their final home game of the season when they went up from League One in 2023 and again 12 months later as they reached the top flight for the first time in 22 years.

They are at home to Queens Park Rangers on Saturday and three points will seal a second promotion from the Championship under McKenna - any other result could see them forced to settle for a play-off place.

"You accept the extra adrenaline and pressure that comes around the game, but you also try and enjoy it," McKenna said.

"It's going to be a wonderful atmosphere in our stadium - it's the third time in four years that we're had a home game to try and get promoted. It's not lost on us that these are special times. We want to deliver a big performance and a big result."

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McKenna has no fresh injury problems in his squad as they prepare to face a mid-table QPR side beaten in their past three matches.

"I watched their game against Derby last week, they had nearly 70 per cent possession against a team in the play-offs - they've got a very good manager, a very professional manager, I'm sure they'll have trained and prepared this week," McKenn

"They'll be motivated to come and finish their season on a high in front of their away supporters and do themselves proud," said McKenna.

"We're prepared to face a good side. If you look at the strength of the teams near the bottom of the division, there's a reason they've not been anywhere near that all season - because they've got good players and a good manager.

"We respect their strengths and we'll go into the game with humility but also we know that over this season and a lot of seasons now, we've been a really good side at Portman Road."

Captain and centre-back Dara O'Shea will be playing his 45th league match of the season on Saturday - and 55th in total - and has not received a single yellow card.

O'Shea was in the West Brom squad that won promotion to the Premier League behind closed doors in the Covid-affected 2019-20 season.

"It was really strange. I was a lot younger then and probably didn't understand the magnitude of getting promoted - I maybe thought it was something that happened all the time," O'Shea said.