Ipswich Town: Karl Fuller on remarkable McKenna and Chaplin stats

What realistically is on track nowadays anyway?  The season might have 14 more games left, but it has been a ride beyond all expectations already.

If you are like me, you must spend a considerable amount of time looking at the league table, admiring many of our results, and enjoying life. I mean, why would you not?

Even after a dry spell of not  winning many games recently, we still find ourselves keeping in touching distance of second place. You would expect the current top three to be motoring ahead, but equally, our pace remains relentless.

Wes Burns enjoys Saturday's win at Swansea (Image: Pagepix Ltd)
For those that follow me on ‘X’ you will know my posts after each win display Kieran McKenna’s league record as manager of Ipswich.

After the brilliant 4-0 win at Millwall last week, McKenna’s record after his 100th league game in charge boasted some remarkable stats.

It was incredible to have amassed 202 points. But the standout figure for me was just 12 defeats. Let me repeat that. Twelve defeats in 100 games!

My own personal record since McKenna arrived is four defeats witnessed in the 56 games I have been present at. We are living in Kieran McKenna’s world, and it is a happy place.

There were a couple of other standout points from last Wednesday night’s game. You will know that I have become a bit of a specialist wannabe for live TV facts and figures involving Town games.

Town's 4-0 win at Millwall last week was their biggest live away win (Image: Pagepix)
I can report that maybe unsurprisingly, the 4-0 win was our biggest away win in a live TV game. In fact, only a 5-0 home win over Luton Town in October 2006 was a bigger result.

You may recall Alan Lee scoring a hat-trick in that game. And when Ali Al-Hamadi netted from the penalty spot, he became the 100th different Ipswich player to score in a live TV game.

Those aforementioned McKenna figures increased further on Saturday with an excellent and solid three points at Swansea. We really ground out a good win there.

It is no coincidence that we look more composed at the back since Cameron Burgess returned. One man does not make our team of course, far from it. But it has been enhanced defensively.

We wondered with a run of games against teams in the lower half of the table if we could get back on a winning run. Two in two has been the perfect start.

The feeling now will be to guard against complacency. Not to get carried away. But then McKenna will know that. He will still be on the ‘one game at a time’ mantra.

Conor Chaplin hit his 50th Town goal on Saturday (Image: Ross Halls)
Kudos to Conor Chaplin for scoring his 50th goal for the club on Saturday. That is a remarkable return and made Chaplin the 23rd Ipswich player to reach such a landmark. That is a statistic that I am indebted to the Renegade Statman for.

As I am also for the fact that only Darren Bent, David Johnson, and Paul Mariner reached the 50-goal mark quicker in the last 50 years.

The difference here is that those three were out and out strikers. Proper number nines you could say. For the role he plays, and his diminutive stature, this is an immense return for Chaplin. We are blessed on so many fronts.

One of which leads me back to McKenna. There is not a single second that I thought he would be on his way to Crystal Palace as recently rumoured. I also think that he will be here next season regardless of how this one ends.

Kieran McKenna was recently linked with a move to Crystal Palace (Image: PA Images)
But it did have me thinking about when that time inevitably comes. If he were to leave Ipswich whilst on this continued trajectory, it will be an immensely sad day for the club.

We have lauded his first 100 games in charge, I desperately hope that there are another 100 at least to be enjoyed. His departure one day does not bear thinking about.

Two home games this week to hopefully bring us six more points to keep up the pressure on Southampton and Leeds. The ride continues!