Kieran McKenna pleased with Ipswich response to Wrexham defeat

Kieran McKenna was delighted to get Ipswich’s promotion push back on track with a 2-0 win at Watford in the Championship.

Goals from Sindre Walle Egeli and substitute George Hirst saw Town bounce back from Saturday’s 5-3 defeat at Wrexham and move up to third.

Watford spurned the chance of a late lifeline when Darnell Furlong fouled Tom Ince in the box but Ipswich goalkeeper Christian Walton dived to his left to save the substitute’s spot-kick.

Ipswich manager McKenna said: “It was great to get back to a clean sheet, which is one of the most pleasing things about tonight. It was really unlike us to concede those goals (against Wrexham) but it’s the Championship, you can get a crazy game like that.

“We got lucky at the end with a poor penalty from to give away. But Christian got the clean sheet that he deserved and the team deserved.

“It was a really strong performance, I really enjoyed the way the boys went about it. We played with really good tempo and built good pressure for a really good finish from Sindre that gave us a deserved half-time lead.

“We wanted to get the clean sheet out of the second half and we wanted to get the second goal. George will feel a good boost from that – it was an important goal.”

Ipswich took a 37th-minute lead when Marcelino Nunez’s free-kick bounced off the Watford wall to Walle Egeli, who executed an impressive volley.

Hirst doubled Ipswich’s advantage in the 77th minute, diverting home from close range after Jack Clarke’s shot had been deflected and Jacob Greaves retrieved to cross from the left.

Watford, who dropped down to 12th, were unhappy with referee Ben Toner penalising Mattie Pollock for a challenge on Ivan Azon on the edge of the box that led to the opening goal.

Hornets head coach Ed Still said: “It was a game of two halves. I was very disappointed with how aggressive we weren’t in the first half, although we didn’t concede any big chances apart from a free-kick that isn’t one.

“I don’t know in what world that was a free-kick against Mattie Pollock, it just isn’t.

“We had a really good spell at the beginning of the second half but we were unlucky with an unlucky bounce for the second goal. There was definitely room for us to get something out of the game.

“It does feel like we missed an opportunity to get at least a point out of the game, which would have been fair.”