Ipswich Town

Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna was delighted by his side's latest win at Blackburn despite injuries in his squad.

They remain on the heels of second-placed Middlesbrough as they look for a second promotion to the Premier League in three seasons.

"It was nice to get the early goals. It puts you in a great position in the game and from there we were always comfortable," he told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"Blackburn played their part and didn't give up on the game so it kept it competitive but we also know we could have killed the game off a lot earlier with the third goal. It didn't come until the end but it came in a nice way when it did.

"It would have been nice to have had a more relaxing view of the second half if we had been able to get the goal earlier but I didn't think it was for the want of doing the right things. We have goals in the group and in the squad."

Jaden Philogene had to go off with a knee problem and McKenna confirmed Chuba Akpom and Kasey McAteer also have injuries.

Town are at home to Bristol City on Tuesday evening.

Image source, Getty Images

Ipswich Town striker George Hirst will be available for the side's game against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday (12:30 GMT), boss Kieran McKenna has confirmed.

The Scotland international has not played since 20 December after being substituted in the ninth minute of their 3-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday with a groin injury.

"He's trained all week," McKenna told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"He's an important part of the squad so he'll be with us tomorrow."

Hirst has scored six goals for the Tractor Boys this season, twice as many as he had in the Premier League the season prior.

Image source, Getty Images

Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna has hailed his team's "quality and resilience" after being named Championship manager of the month for December.

Town won four of their seven games last month, including a 2-0 victory away to leaders Coventry City, and were beaten only once.

"This award is credit to everyone involved with the team and also the supporters, because it was a really challenging December with lots of games and lots of travel," McKenna told the club website., external

"Although not every game went our way, we really stuck at it and showed lots of quality and resilience. That took a lot of effort from everyone and it's especially pleasing for us to win this award in a month which asked so much of us.

"We know it will take a big, big effort over the next few months and it's now about everyone continuing to work hard, sticking together and seeing where we are at the end of the season."

McKenna was chosen by the judging panel ahead of fellow nominees Watford's Javi Gracia, Sergej Jakirovic of Hull City and Swansea head coach Vitor Matos.

It is McKenna's sixth Manager of the Month award, and he was also named EFL Championship manager of the season in 2024.

Ipswich are third in the table, just two points behind second-placed Middlesbrough but with a game in hand, and are at home to Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.

Image source, Opta

Ipswich Town will resume their Championship promotion push with the visit of Blackburn Rovers to Portman Road on Saturday (12:30 GMT).

The Tractor Boys have motored up the standings, taking 16 points from the seven games since these sides drew 1-1 in the rearranged fixture at Ewood Park on 2 December.

If Middlesbrough fail to win at West Brom on Friday night, Kieran McKenna's side would climb into the automatic promotion places with a win against Rovers, who start the day 20th, four points above the relegation zone, after a run of one win in 10 games dating back to November.

• Ipswich Town are unbeaten in their past nine home league games against Blackburn Rovers (W4 D5) since losing 3-1 in 1994/95 in the Premier League.

• Blackburn have won one of their past eight league games against Ipswich Town (D3 L4), a 2-0 home win in January 2019.

• Since the start of November, Ipswich Town have won the most points in the Championship (28) and only Sheffield United (27) have netted more goals than the Tractor Boys (25).

• Blackburn Rovers have drawn six of their past nine league matches (W1 L2) – their previous six draws beforehand came over a period of 51 games (W20 D6 L25).

• Ipswich's Azor Matusiwa has made the most interceptions (46) of any Championship player this season, while he also ranks third for possession won (140).

Image source, Getty Images

Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna, Watford's Javi Gracia, Sergej Jakirovic of Hull City and Swansea head coach Vitor Matos have been nominated for the Championship's manager of the month award for December.

McKenna has moved Ipswich into the top three and within two points of second-placed Middlesbrough after taking 14 points from their seven games last month, which included two wins over leaders Coventry.

Watford reappointed Gracia as head coach in October and an unbeaten run in December has pushed them into the play-off places, with the Hornets currently on a four-game winning run in the league.

Jakirovic has taken Hull City into promotion contention with wins at Middlesbrough and Millwall.

Swansea boss Matos started his reign with successive defeats but four wins from their six games in December has taken the Welsh side eight points clear of the relegation zone.

The winner will be announced on Friday, 16 January.

Image source, Shutterstock

The company asked to update an image of former Ipswich Town manager Sir Bobby Robson above the club shop say it is an "absolute honour".

Work has begun to remove the existing image installed in 2009 and replace it with one of Sir Bobby holding the Uefa Cup, which Town won in 1981 by beating Dutch club AZ Alkmaar 5-4 on aggregate in a two-leg final.

"We'll be done by Friday, we're hoping," Tom Wright of the Needham Market-based Hudson Group told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"Taking off the old is more tricky than putting on the the new. Sometimes it comes off in nice pieces like wallpaper, other times it comes off in really small pieces.

"The club decided the new image and it was trial and error to get it to suit the proportions of the building above the club shop. The actual image isn't the problem, it's how, when you blow it up, the resolution is correct and it's nice and clear blown up so large."

Sir Bobby was in charge of Ipswich from 1969 to 1982 before going on to manage the England national team for eight years and then other club sides including Barcelona and Newcastle United.

"Sir Bobby brought so much success to the football club, he's an icon and walking down to Portman Road, it'll be the first thing you see, it'll be great," added Wright.

"I'm very excited about seeing the finished product as I'm sure the club are as well. It's Ipswich Town's biggest success so I imagine that's the reason the club picked that image."

Former Ipswich Town midfielder Alan Judge believes signing a "natural finisher" and getting George Hirst fit again could decide where they finish this season.

The Tractor Boys are currently third in the Championship, two points behind Middlesbrough and eight adrift of Coventry City, before Saturday's home game against Blackburn Rovers.

Hirst, however, has not played since 20 December because of injury.

"When you watch George live, you see what he does for the team. He does a lot of work, he's like a battering ram, he plays well with a number 10 who scores goals," Judge told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"If they could get someone in who is that natural poacher, so if George plays 60 minutes on he comes, or they could switch it, I think that's what Ipswich would possibly look at.

"If you could get that natural finisher in, with the amount of chances that Ipswich create, that's the difference between finishing in the top two and the play-offs."

Town, meanwhile, have been linked with a possible move for Fulham midfielder Tom Cairney, who will be out of contract this summer.

"If a player like Tom becomes available, you have to go and get him," added Judge.

"The quality he has on the ball - if you play him alongside [Jack] Taylor, [Azor] Matusiwa, Tom doesn't have to do much running.

"I was lucky to play with Tom at Blackburn and his vision, his technique, his touch is top notch."

Leicester are set to compete with Ipswich and Charlton for Birmingham's Scotland striker Lyndon Dykes, 30. (Daily Mail, external)

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Tuesday's gossip column here.

Image source, Getty Images

The 2025-26 FA Cup fourth-round draw will take place on Monday, 12 January at approximately 18:35 GMT.

Proceedings will take place before kick-off in the third-round tie between Liverpool and Barnsley at Anfield.

Former England internationals Steven Gerrard and Joe Cole will conduct the draw that will consist of 32 teams live on TNT Sports.

Supporters can also follow the draw on the BBC Sport website and app.

All matches will be played around the weekend commencing Saturday, 14 February.

Unlike in previous years, there are no replays if matches end as a draw. All ties will go to extra time, and if necessary, a penalty shootout.

Non-league Macclesfield are the lowest-ranked team in the draw after beating holders Crystal Palace in a remarkable 2-1 victory.

What are the ball numbers?

• 1. Wolverhampton Wanderers

• 2. Southampton

• 3. Aston Villa

• 4. Port Vale

• 5. Wigan Athletic

• 6. Ipswich Town

• 7. Wrexham

• 8. Chelsea

• 9. Manchester City

• 10. West Ham United

• 11. Brentford

• 12. Fulham

• 13. Sunderland

• 14. Liverpool or Barnsley

• 15. Burnley

• 16. Norwich City

• 17. Arsenal

• 18. Leeds United

• 19. West Bromwich Albion

• 20. Salford City or Swindon Town

• 21. Burton Albion

• 22. Grimsby Town

• 23. Hull City

• 24. Newcastle United

• 25. Oxford United

• 26. Leicester City

• 27. Birmingham City

• 28. Bristol City

• 29. Stoke City

• 30. Macclesfield

• 31. Brighton & Hove Albion

• 32. Mansfield Town

Pundits Dion Dublin and Rob Green join host Jason Mohammad to bring you the action and talking points from Friday and Saturday's FA Cup ties.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Wrexham 3-3 (4-3 pens) Nottingham Forest

• Preston North End 0-1 Wigan

• Macclesfield Town 2-1 Crystal Palace

• Everton 1-1 (0-3 pens) Sunderland

• Wolves 6-1 Shrewsbury Town

• Fulham 3-1 Middlesbrough

• Manchester City 10-1 Exeter City

• Newcastle 3-3 (7-6 pens) Bournemouth

• Stoke City 1-0 Coventry City

• Tottenham 1-2 Aston Villa

• Bristol City 5-1 Watford

• Cambridge United 2-3 Birmingham City

• Charlton 1-5 Chelsea

Image source, Getty Images

Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna said his side should have had a more comfortable afternoon after not making the most of their dominance in the 2-1 victory over third-tier Blackpool in the FA Cup third-round.

"We scored a really good first goal and we could have done better to get a second quicker," McKenna told BBC Radio Suffolk following the victory at Portman Road.

"We moved the ball really really well and got into great positions. We are still working to find the last little bit in some of these games and it took longer to get the second goal than we wanted, but we got it from a set play and then it was a job done.

"The referee has decided to make it interesting, giving them a penalty that wasn't a penalty in the 94th minute. That made it a bit tighter but we should have killed the game off a bit earlier.

"Credit to Blackpool they kept going and did some good things in the game but we did as well.

"We want to go deep in the FA Cup and look forward to the draw. It would be nice to play a Premier League team, but the league is the priority."

There are 18 third-round ties in the FA Cup on Saturday - 16 involving Premier League and Championship teams, who all enter the competition at this stage - and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Cheltenham v Leicester (12:15) - BBC Radio Leicester

• Everton v Sunderland (12:15) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Macclesfield v Crystal Palace (12:15) - BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live & BBC Radio Manchester

• Wolves v Shrewsbury (12:15) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3 & BBC Radio WM

• Boreham Wood v Burton Albion

• Burnley v Millwall - BBC Radio London

• Doncaster v Southampton - BBC Radio Solent

• Fulham v Middlesbrough - BBC Radio 5 Live

• Ipswich v Blackpool - BBC Radio Suffolk

• Man City v Exeter City - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Newcastle v Bournemouth - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2 & BBC Radio Newcastle

• Salford P-P Swindon

• Sheff Wed v Brentford

• Stoke v Coventry - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3, BBC Radio Stoke & BBC Radio CWR

• Bristol City v Watford (17:45) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Radio Bristol and BBC Three Counties Radio

• Cambridge United v Birmingham (17:45) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Grimsby v Weston (17:45)

• Tottenham v Aston Villa (17:45) - BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio London

• Charlton v Chelsea (20:00) - BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio London

Kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

And find out how to follow the FA Cup across the BBC this weekend here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Fulham v Middlesbrough" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Tottenham v Aston Villa", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to football on BBC Sounds