Ipswich Town column: Everton test one of the biggest games of Kieran McKenna’s career so far

Kieran McKenna has got so many things right in his short managerial career.

But for me, one of the biggest things he’s been able to achieve is the fact that we don’t stay down for too long.

West Ham was awful. I was there and, like thousands of other Town fans, saw a performance and a team that, thankfully, we haven’t become too familiar with watching over the last two years. So, it’s no surprise that I’m expecting a huge response this weekend.

Although early on, this one feels gigantic. When the fixtures came out in June, I think we all thought Everton at Portman Road would be a fixture we had to get three points in. That feeling hasn’t changed. In fact, it’s even stronger.

We’ve had a decent start, considering the teams we’ve come up against, but how long can we keep saying that? It’s time for victories. It’s time for that statement. I would go as far as saying this game is one of the biggest of McKenna’s managerial career so far.

A bit far, you might say? I don’t think so. We were never expected to go and take points off Liverpool and Manchester City, or Brighton or Aston Villa for that matter. But this one, this is where we need to come alive.

I think it’s so important that we win it. Our performance against Aston Villa was one of the best I’ve seen. But we came away with one point to our name.

It’s time to get back to those levels, but ensure we get triple the amount of points for it. I’m nervous, but this group tend to thrive in these conditions, so I’m equally as excited too.

One thing I do want to touch on is the reintroduction of Nathan Broadhead – ‘Broady’ is back.

He played for Wales on Monday and I don’t think it’s long before we see him back at Portman Road. I think we’ve missed him, especially his ball carrying ability.

A Premier League player? Time will tell. But with 32 goal involvements in 62 games, he deserves his chance to show it.