Burkina Faso
Indonesia
Nigeria

Former Man Utd coach Kieran McKenna takes charge of first Ipswich game

mirror.co.uk, 29 December 2021, 22:42
A look at Wednesday night's EFL talking points including Rovers sealing a sixth consecutive victory thanks to a 2-1 win over Barnsley as their superb form continues

The football usually comes thick and fast this time of year.

However, Covid outbreaks at clubs have meant that many games were sadly postponed.

No fewer than 19 matches bit the dust this evening across the EFL's three divisions. It meant just nine games got the green light, similar to Boxing Day when only a portion of matches went ahead.

Some teams are in the situation where they have not played for the best part of three weeks whilst others have played twice in the space of just a few days.

Let's hope that the bizarre, lop-sided scheduling clears itself up - and quickly.

Nevertheless, here, we look at some of the talking points to emerge from Wednesday night's games.

McKenna off the mark

Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna sealed a 1-0 win over Wycombe to get off to a victorious start to life in management.

The Northern Irish coach swapped Old Trafford for League One earlier this month but tonight was his first taste of the dugout.

The Tractor Boys have under-performed all season and this win over one of the division's high-flyers will make people sit up and take notice.

With more than 26,000 inside Portman Road, McKenna will hope Town's revival can now properly begin as they look to make an assault on the play-off places in the second half of the campaign.

Blackburn the real deal

Blackburn Rovers' outstanding renaissance shows no signs of letting up.

They entered tonight's visit of Barnsley having won their last five - with five clean sheets to boot.

The struggling visitors cancelled out Joe Rothwell's opener on the stroke of half-time, with Carlton Morris netting for the Reds.

But Rovers bounced back from conceding their first goal in 551 minutes. And it was the man-of-the-moment Ben Brereton Diaz who scored what proved to be the winner.

The Chile international struck home midway through the second half to bring up his 20th league goal of the season. His outstanding exploits in front of goal have got plenty of Premier League sides sniffing.

But Tony Mowbray's men will be hoping to hold on to him as they chase an unlikely promotion.

This win takes them to 45 points and up to third - level with second-placed Fulham and just a point behind leaders Bournemouth.

These truly are halcyon days for Rovers fans.

Teen's night to remember

Millwall pulled off a superb 1-0 win at Coventry in the face of plenty of adversity.

The Lions were unsuccessful in their attempt to get the fixture postponed. As well as Covid-19 cases, Millwall have a string of injuries to contend with.

But they ploughed on and their depleted resources were evident, with boss Gary Rowett having to name 15-year-old Zak Lovelace on the bench.

They made a mockery of their predicament with Tom Bradshaw scoring a late winner to move the Lions within three points of the play-offs.

Rowett rounded off a memorable, if testing, night when he handed Lovelace an unexpected debut as a substitute in stoppage time.

The other Championship game saw plenty of drama with Middlesbrough strengthening their grip on a play-off spot with a dramatic 2-1 win at Blackpool, with both sides scoring in stoppage time.

League Two bore draws

Only two games survived in League Two.

And it's fair to say that Barrow against Oldham and Swindon versus Stevenage will not live long in the memory for those in attendance.

Both games finished 0-0 and did little to aid the four sides' respective promotion and relegation aims.

Top News

19 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City have reportedly identified Girona boss Michel as a potential successor to Pep Guardiola. 19 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Istanbul Basaksehir will be looking to secure a third win in four matches when they welcome Caykur Rizespor to the Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium on Sunday. 19 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander Arnold has admitted Liverpool may have gifted the title to reigning champions Manchester City. 19 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane would reportedly rather coach Manchester United than become Bayern Munich's new manager. 19 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two sides with varying ambitions will face off when Gaziantep welcome Kasimpasa to the Gaziantep Stadium on Sunday evening. 19 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Galatasaray will resume their quest for another Super Lig title when they welcome relegation-threatened Pendikspor to Rams Park on Sunday evening. 19 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola has confirmed that Luis Sinisterra will miss Sunday's away meeting with Aston Villa due to a hamstring injury. 19 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Rangers and Hearts do battle at Hampden Park on Sunday with a place in the Scottish FA Cup final on the line. 19 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk On Sunday, Manchester City Women will continue their Women's Super League title bid with a home game against West Ham United Women. 19 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid's captain Nacho Fernandez has reportedly made the decision to depart the club at the end of the season, prompting interest from Inter Milan, among other clubs. 19 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sassuolo remain in relegation danger heading into gameweek 33 when they welcome Lecce to the Mapei Stadium in Sunday's Serie A action. 19 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City will be looking to set a new unbeaten club record when they face Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley Stadium on Saturday evening. 19 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta should have all but one of his troops available for Saturday's Premier League showdown with Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux. 19 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk With only the Premier League title left to fight for, Arsenal hit the road in the top flight to take on Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux on Saturday evening. 19 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United's financial fair play standing received a boost this week as Borussia Dortmund's qualification for the Champions League semi-final triggered another payment as part of Jadon Sancho's loan deal, according to a report. 19 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to take a further step towards the French crown, Paris Saint-Germain will welcome Europe-chasing Lyon to Parc des Princes for a Ligue 1 clash on Sunday night. 19 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Following a nailbiting success in Europe, Aston Villa return to their pursuit of a place in the Premier League's final top four, as they host mid-table Bournemouth on Sunday. 19 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal Women will attempt to claim a fourth consecutive victory in all competitions when they play host to Leicester Women in Sunday's Women's Super League contest. 19 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk With the chance to rise back to the Premier League summit, Arsenal travel to the West Midlands to clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday evening. 19 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Pep Guardiola has revealed that Cole Palmer had been expressing his desire to leave Manchester City for two years prior to his move to Chelsea last summer. 19 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sean Dyche has acknowledged that both he and his Everton players must "give more" and "do better" if they are to avoid relegation from the Premier League, and he has also encouraged the Toffees fans to get behind his team in the final few weeks of the campaign. 19 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Having faced Bayer Leverkusen last weekend, Werder Bremen could be cursing their luck as they host in-form Stuttgart at the Weserstadion in gameweek 30's Bundesliga action on Sunday. 19 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Everton have received a triple injury boost ahead of Sunday's Premier League showdown with relegation rivals Nottingham Forest at Goodison Park. 19 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino has revealed how he wants Cole Palmer to improve if he is to remain a success at Stamford Bridge. 19 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly started discussions to extend the contract of one of their first-team goalkeepers. 19 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has delivered a mixed injury update ahead of Sunday's Premier League clash with West Ham United at Selhurst Park. 19 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk After completing the job in Europe, Atalanta BC must go again in Serie A, as they continue their quest for a top-six finish in Sunday's clash with mid-table Monza. 19 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Five West Ham United players have emerged as injury doubts for Sunday's Premier League clash against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. 19 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk A place in the FA Cup final is up for grabs when holders Manchester City lock horns with Chelsea in a last-four tie at Wembley Stadium on Saturday evening. 19 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag has confirmed that Alejandro Garnacho apologised to him for his activity on social media after last weekend's 2-2 draw against Bournemouth.