Ipswich Town right-back Ben Johnson insists club should be proud despite impending Premier League relegation

Ben Johnson feels that the Ipswich Town squad have done the club proud this season, despite the Blues’ impending relegation to the Championship.

Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Chelsea leaves Town 14 points from safety with just six league matches remaining, meaning it is a matter of when, not if, the Ipswich’s fate is eventually sealed.

Kieran McKenna’s side have climbed two divisions in as many years following back-to-back promotions into the richest league on the planet, and Johnson says the players can take pride in the effort shown during what has been a difficult campaign.

“We have to win our games, we can only focus on what we do and not look at the other results,” the wing-back said following the point at Stamford Bridge. “Just enjoy it, come to these stadiums, play the best and do as well as we can.

“We’ve done extremely well this season considering how much everyone spends and the quality of players. We’ve tried our best, I don’t think we’ve been at fault at all this season.

“I think we’ve done the club proud and there’s been some highs and lows. But it’s the best league in the world and playing against the best in the world so it’s not easy. I feel like we’ve gone toe-to-toe and hopefully we can continue that.

“You’re playing against the best in the world, literally some of the world’s best players playing. We’ve got to play against another of the world’s best teams next week (Arsenal), so it’s not easy.

“I feel like we can rise to the challenge, I feel that we have done a lot this season but we’ve come off the back of some results and that happens. It happens to every team, it’s about how we’ve bounced back and I feel like the squad’s done brilliantly.”

Town went close to securing a league double over Chelsea when they raced into a two-goal lead following first half goals from Julio Enciso and Johnson before ultimately being pegged back.

Along with netting his first goal for the club, Johnson is pleased for his run in the side having started each of the last three Premier League games on the right of the front four.

He said: “I’m really enjoying it. It’s hard work, of course, because a lot of the time we probably don’t have a lot of the ball.

“That’s what we work on during the week – we work on having the ball, we work on not having the ball knowing that there’s going to be times in the game where we’re going to have to suffer. I enjoy that part of the game and that gets you the points.

“Playing football, the job we have is a privilege, we’re living a lot of boys’ dreams. We want to do it with a lot of heart and a lot of courage, we’ve got great support so that gives us that extra yard.

“We’ll see what happens. I’m an Ipswich Town player so I want to focus on that towards the end of the season and come back in pre-season. I’ll just enjoy my football.”

Town’s immediate relegation back to the second tier could be mathematically confirmed as early as this weekend’s visit of Arsenal if all results go against the Blues.

While there is an acceptance that this season will end in disappointment, Johnson dismissed suggestions that might lead to the team playing with more freedom than in previous matches.

“I don’t think so,” he argued. “We came here with an identical game plan that we’ve had all season against all the other teams.

“We’ve got so many new players at the start of the season, we spent a lot of money trying to put the pieces together and I think it takes time. Like anything, you don’t just click straight away.

“Of course, now it might be a bit too late, but I think we’ve put together a good side and a good squad that’s going to put us in good stead for now and next season. We’ll keep pushing and focusing on what we can do.”

On his relationship with right-back Axel Tuanzebe, Johnson added: “It’s not been ideal when Axel hasn’t played. I help him, he helps me, and I think it’s a good partnership. Hopefully we can continue that until the end of the season.”

With the Gunners’ clash at Portman Road next on the fixture calendar, Johnson is hoping to embrace the final few weeks of the season by standing up to the challenge some of the top sides in the Premier League will pose.

The 25-year-old said: “They’re coming off the amazing result against Real Madrid. Again, it’s the opportunities that we want to seize and want to play and look forward to playing against them.”