Ipswich Town: Luke Woolfenden on promotion push and Kieran McKenna

On starting more games than anyone under McKenna...

I think I’ve had a good season individually. I’ve played the majority of games and carried out efficiently what the boss has asked me to do.

I think he knows he can trust me with things he wants delivering, whether that be defending on the halfway line, building from the back or dealing with big spaces in one-v-one situations. 

He knows nine times out of 10 what he’s going to get from me. He sees that, Perty (assistant boss Martyn Pert) sees that. Being the player who has started the most games under him does speak massively of that trust and I’m really thankful for that because I never really had it in my career before.

Even when you come out the team he’ll sit you down and by the time you come out the meeting you’re almost happy that you’ve been dropped, in a way, because he’s so good at explaining his reasons!

I’ve fallen on me feet with him as a manager, but, to be fair, I think I've earnt it after the last three!  (Paul Cook, Paul Lambert and Paul Hurst).

Luke Woolfenden (right) celebrates with Ali Al-Hamadi and Omari Hutchinson after the latter's dramatic late winner against Rotherham. (Image: Steve Waller)

On whether fans have now got their heads around the 'bait the press' delayed passing out from the back approach... 

To be fair, I think the majority of them have. When I go out the majority of people I see come up and say ‘don’t listen to them that moan about getting it forward’. I have a laugh about it with the boys. 

It's one of those things. People see football in different ways. I think the majority have got their head around it and appreciate the way we play. The ones that haven’t, well it’s been two years now so I don’t think they’re going to change! 

It’s about being brave, setting traps and trying to draw out the opposition. If they think they’ve got the chance of winning the ball higher up they’re more likely to commit bodies and that leaves us with an overload at the top end of the pitch. We’ve reaped the rewards from that a few times this season, scoring a fair few goals that way. 

We know what we’re doing because we work on it in training so much. 

The bit that gets me is when you hear the groans and then two seconds later there’s a round of applause. It’s like, ‘When I do it next time are you still going to groan?!’  

For me, that’s the toughest part of it. When it goes go right, and everyone is up on their feet clapping because we’ve scored a goal, that first build-up part can be forgotten about. 

Luke Woolfenden believes the majority of Ipswich fans have now got their heads around the way he's asked to play. (Image: Stephen Waller)

More on McKenna...

He’s very good at reading the room after games. Sometimes we’ll all be up when we’ve won, but not played well, and he’ll say ‘let’s not kid ourselves’. Then there’ll be other times where we’ve maybe drawn, not been far off winning, are all beating ourselves up a bit and he comes in and says ‘actually, there was a lot of good things in that’. He’s very good in that sense. 

We’re all pulling the same direction. Regardless of who’s playing and who’s not involved in the squad, there are no bad apples in the group. Everyone is just really, really determined to make sure Ipswich have a good end to the season. 

Luke Woolfenden in action against Preston North End. (Image: PA)

On whether Town are in the title race...

It seems like every year we’re up against teams that want record-breaking seasons! 

We were all quietly confident that we’d have a good season, but it’s probably gone better than anyone would have imagined.

We’ve had a great start and, to be fair, we’ve not really spoken about it. It’s just been a case of ‘keep ticking along’. 

Are we in a title race? You can look at it how you want. There are three greats teams around us who have come down from the Prem. We’re probably the only team that is keeping pace with them. 

If you want to call it a title race... The fans can call it that, they can get nervous and excited about it, we’re just ticking along. 

On not going up for set-pieces...

Chaz (first team coach Charlie Turnbull) has got me back on the halfway line at the minute. I think that Maidstone counter-attack has given him nightmares! 

We've got other threats up there. Big Kieffer (Moore) from any cross, set-plays... You’ve seen the size of him, he’s an absolute monster of a man. Leif (Davis) must licking his lips chasing down that assists record. They’re going to be massive for each other. 

Luke Woolfenden says he's worked on his defensive game with Ipswich Town assistant manager Martyn Pert. (Image: PA)

On improving his aerial game...

I’ve done a lot of work on my defensive game with Perty this season. In the Championship there’s always a striker looking to press you. You have to get on things quick. 

It’s not just about winning the duels, but it’s also about trying to pick out a player on your team so you can then go and attack rather than the ball just falling anywhere and them coming back at you.

It’s something that all of us have worked on this season. 

On completing 101 passes out of 102 in the 4-0 win at Millwall...

I’m not sure about that one, you know! I remember it. I was trying to pass to Omari (Hutchinson), it hit the guy’s stud, but still got to him. So I think it’s 102 out of 102! 

I watched an interview with (Leicester's Jannick) Vestergaard the other day and he was talking about how his job is almost easier with the way the play. Because they keep the ball so long there is less defending to do. 

Luke Woolfenden celebrates after helping his hometown club achieve promotion to the Championship last season. (Image: PA)

On what it would mean to him to reach the Premier League with his hometown club...

(Puffs out his cheeks). It would be unbelievable really.

That’s a tough question because I've always felt like... I’ve never thought of it... For a long time it was all about a League One team trying to get to the Champ. Before this season I'd never really thought about getting to the Prem. 

But it’s a club that is massive within Suffolk. Everyone really wants it to do well and, with the backing its got now, it really feels like its got that upward trajectory where it could just fly.  

I was a kid sitting in the crowd when we lost in the play-offs to Norwich all those years ago (2015). I’m too young to remember the club in the Premier League (2000-2002). I was three or four. I’ve only seen the clips. 

That’s why it almost feels a bit unreal for me. That time seems so far away, but it actually wasn’t. There’s been a whole new generation of fans since then and there would be even more if we got to the Premier League. 

So, yeah, it would be unbelievable for me, being from here, with lots of mates who are Ipswich supporters, to do it. It really would be unbelievable.