Ipswich Town: Kieran McKenna provides assist throughout the promotion battle

Kieran McKenna believes that Ipswich Town supporters have an important role to play between now and the conclusion of the season, and he encourages them to continue to support the club both at home and away.

With nine games remaining, the Blues are third in the Championship, four points behind leaders Leicester City and one behind second-place Leeds United. They have had the fewest defeats of any side in the division and, along with the Foxes, have scored the most goals [74] in 37 games.

Portman Road is the place to be at the moment, with an average attendance of 28,797 this season. Although it is unclear whether the campaign will end with another promotion and a return to the Premier League for the first time since 2002, fans are pleased with how the players have kept up the pace with three teams that competed in the top tier last season.

Town’s final fixtures will be critical, as they must still host promotion contenders Southampton and travel to archrivals Norwich City. Many of the other teams are either striving to finish in the top six or avoiding relegation to League One, so everything is on the line over the next seven weeks.

As a result, McKenna urges supporters to continue to crowd IP1 and follow the squad across the country, knowing how much it will assist the players maintain their position at the top of the standings.

“The support will be extremely important,” he told the East Anglian Daily Times and Ipswich Star. “It’s been there all season, but as the season comes to a finish, having the amazing sell-out crowds at Portman Road and the strong away support will only give us the extra push we need.

“It is a long season in the Championship. At this point in the season, every team has fatigued bodies and players with ailments, some of whom have been playing through them for months.

“When you’re approaching single digits in terms of league games, having the support behind us, the atmosphere that we’ve created in the stands, and the away followings is huge.

“It’ll give the players every motivation to really push with maximum effort right to the very last game.”