Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna voiced strong frustration over a controversial added-time penalty that denied his team a victory, forcing a 3-3 draw at Stoke.
Manager’s Post-Match Reaction
Milan Smit stepped up to convert the 12-yard kick after Cedric Kipre was penalized for pulling back Lamine Cisse in the penalty area. McKenna described the call by referee Thomas Kirk as ‘a really soft penalty.’
‘There’s nothing other than a devastated dressing room, a really frustrated dressing room,’ McKenna stated. ‘I’m really frustrated with our role in the last minute and the fact that we didn’t game manage and show the composure we needed.’
He highlighted the irony, comparing the minimal contact to an incident in the 96th minute during Saturday’s match against Leicester. ‘From an Ipswich persuasion, I don’t quite know the word for the irony – the level of contact Cedric’s put on a shoulder there compared to what happened,’ McKenna added. ‘So we’re really unhappy with how that’s panned out.’
Thrilling Comeback from Two Goals Down
Stoke held a deserved 2-0 lead at halftime thanks to goals from Smit and Bae Jun-ho. Ipswich mounted a strong response in the second half, with an Eric Bocat own goal, followed by strikes from Jack Taylor and substitute George Hirst, putting the visitors 3-2 ahead with eight minutes of normal time left.
McKenna praised his squad’s resilience despite a shaky first half. ‘The group showed outstanding character and quality in the second half,’ he noted. ‘We hit the inside of the post early, but went into halftime in a difficult spot after a couple of mistakes.’
Stoke’s Perspective
The draw keeps Stoke in 15th place, despite just one win in their last 11 league outings. Manager Mark Robins lamented his team’s second-half dip after a commanding opening period.
‘We spoke about doing the same things – making sure that we win the duels, win the headers, don’t have it so it’s a ‘game of two halves’ story – and straight away we come out, we turn our back,’ Robins said. ‘We miss tackles, miss things. Pressure’s not on the ball quite where we needed it to be.’
Robins pointed to the young squad’s average age of 23 in the first half. ‘I’m pleased. And I said to them at full-time, I don’t know what to say because part of me is really happy with a lot of that, apart from three moments of the game.’
