Key Takeaways
- Ipswich lie second with a game in hand, yet a shock loss at Portsmouth has tightened the promotion race.
- Midfield star Hayden Hackney may return for Middlesbrough, who must win at Portman Road to keep automatic hopes alive.
- Southampton have closed to within three points, setting up a possible decider at St Mary’s on 28 April.
Ipswich Town will welcome Middlesbrough to Portman Road on Sunday knowing a single slip could let three hungry rivals back into the automatic-promotion fight.
Kieran McKenna’s side sit second, one point above third-placed Millwall and three clear of surging Southampton, yet the Tractor Boys are still haunted by Tuesday’s 2-0 defeat at lowly Portsmouth. That setback came only days after a first victory at Norwich in two decades and cut the cushion Ipswich once enjoyed.
Middlesbrough, fifth and winless in four, sense a lifeline. Their England midfielder Hayden Hackney, who rejected a record £20 million move to Suffolk last summer, has missed the same span with a calf strain. His possible return would boost Michael Carrick’s men, who must become the latest visitors to upset Ipswich’s strong home form.
McKenna has rebuilt his squad with close to £100 million of new talent, leaving only a handful of the heroes who earned back-to-back promotions. Fans have embraced Jack Clarke’s 14 goals and the flair of Jaden Philogene, while Dutch anchor Azor Matusiwa has quietly run the midfield.
Yet expectation weighs heavily. “Everyone says we should be walking this,” captain Dara O’Shea admitted. “The Championship doesn’t work like that.”
Southampton, written off after a dreadful winter, have not lost since mid-January under new boss Tonda Eckert and could pull level if results go their way before the sides meet late this month. Millwall, meanwhile, still dream despite wobbling when top.
Five matches in 13 days await. Ipswich know three more wins will almost certainly end their brief exile from the Premier League, but as Portsmouth proved, logic rarely survives the division’s final weeks.