Simon Jordan’s verdict on Ipswich Town promotion race

Despite a difficult upcoming schedule, former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan believes Ipswich Town will be promoted from the Championship automatically this season.

The Tractor Boys have had an outstanding season in their first year back in the second tier after being promoted from League One, spending much of the season in and around the top two positions.

Following a 1-0 defeat to East Anglian rivals Norwich City on Saturday, Ipswich were held to a 0-0 draw by Watford at Portman Road on Wednesday night.

The Tractor Boys had several chances to win the game, with Nathan Broadhead hitting the post in the first half and Kieffer Moore coming close with a header, but they were thwarted by the Hornets’ strong defensive play.

With the draw, Kieran McKenna’s side moves back into second position, one point ahead of third-placed Leeds United ahead of Saturday’s home encounter against Middlesbrough.

Jordan: Ipswich Town will achieve automatic promotion

While Ipswich face difficult matchups against Middlesbrough, Hull City, Coventry City, and Huddersfield Town between now and the end of the season, Jordan feels the Tractor Boys have enough to win the league and achieve automatic promotion.

“It’s an intriguing league, and you’re looking at sides that are in there that are former Premier League sides in recent times, you’re looking at clubs like Ipswich that have been out of the Premier League for a long time but have great pedigree in the past,” Jordan stated in an interview with talkSPORT.

“I believe they are doing an excellent job with their ownership, manager, and the way they are developing both a football club and a football team.

“Ipswich will look at last night’s outcome as a combination of the two; when you’ve got the run in and you’re hoping to achieve automatic promotion rather than being cast back into the lottery that the play-offs can be, you’ve got to win your home games.

“They’ll see it as a point earned, but they’ll also argue that these are our home games and we must win.

“If you look at what they’ve got coming up, Middlesbrough is always a difficult fixture at home whenever you play them; they’ve got Hull away, who are trying to get into the play-offs; Coventry away, who are trying to get into the play-offs and create an opportunity; and Huddersfield on the last day of the season, who are trying to stay in the division and compete with the likes of Birmingham.

“So you look at those games, and they all have something on them, with the Middlesbrough game possibly having nothing in it for Middlesbrough, and you think, they’re all struggles, but Leeds will have something similar.

“I think Ipswich have done incredibly well this season, and there’s a lot they can learn from this.

“They’re going to be competing to get in the Premier League one way or another by the end of the season, I’ve just got a sneaking suspicion they might just have enough about them to get into the automatic spots.”

Ipswich Town must not be disappointed by Watford draw

Ipswich squandered an opportunity to seal their place in the top two against Watford in midweek, but the Tractor Boys must immediately move on from their unhappiness with the result.

The Hornets have progressed dramatically under interim head coach Tom Cleverley, and they have proven to be formidable opponents for Leeds and West Bromwich Albion in recent weeks.

With games against Middlesbrough, Hull, and Coventry to come, Ipswich will have been eager for three points against Watford, but the draw puts them back in the automatic promotion spots and assures that their fate is in their own hands.

In what has been an exceptional season, the Tractor Boys have consistently demonstrated that they should not be underestimated, and they are more than capable of winning their final four games to secure a return to the Premier League.