McKenna has turned promotion into a habit, but this might be his most difficult job yet.
Kieran McKenna is one game away from adding another major achievement to a coaching career that is moving quickly.
Ipswich Town head into the final day of the Championship season knowing victory over QPR at Portman Road would secure promotion back to the Premier League.
After a 2-2 draw away at Southampton, the picture is simple enough now: win, and Ipswich are up.
They sit on 81 points, one clear of Millwall and two ahead of Middlesbrough. It is not done yet, but the advantage is clearly theirs.
For McKenna, it would be a third promotion in four years and another reminder that he is becoming one of the most highly regarded young managers in the country.
What makes this campaign interesting is that it has looked very different from Ipswich’s previous rise.
The promotion-winning side of 2023-24 had a feel-good energy around it.
There was momentum, togetherness and a sense that the whole squad was stronger than any individual star.
McKenna built a team that worked collectively and exceeded expectations.
That group climbed out of League One and then followed it by winning promotion from the Championship at the first attempt. It was one of the better stories in English football at the time.
But once Premier League football was secured, Ipswich chose a longer-term route rather than simply chasing survival with short-term signings. The club recruited players who could remain useful even if relegation came.
In the end, relegation did come.
Ipswich competed for parts of the first half of the season but gradually lost momentum and belief, eventually finishing 19th. It was a difficult landing after such rapid progress.
Then came another summer of major change.
Omari Hutchinson and Liam Delap both earned Premier League moves, while several familiar figures from the recent promotion squads also departed. Captain Sam Morsy moved on, along with Nathan Broadhead, Luke Woolfenden, Massimo Luongo and Conor Chaplin.
It was the end of one chapter and the start of another.
Ipswich spent heavily by Championship standards, though player sales meant they still turned a profit. On paper, the squad looked strong enough to challenge near the top immediately. Some even expected them to run away with the division.
Instead, the season began awkwardly.
Ipswich failed to win any of their opening five matches and it took until November before they managed back-to-back league victories. For long stretches, they never truly looked like an automatic promotion side.
In fact, they have spent only 28 days in the top two all season.
Yet the Championship often rewards consistency more than style, and this year no side has fully taken control. That opened the door for Ipswich to recover from their slow start and stay in the race.
There has also been frustration among supporters, because many feel this squad should have produced more.
Defensively, Ipswich have been excellent. They hold the joint-best defensive record in the league, which has given them a platform across the campaign. That solidity may ultimately be what sends them up.
Going forward has been less convincing.
Delap’s departure left a significant gap. His movement and presence suited Ipswich’s system, and replacing that influence has not been straightforward.
George Hirst has reached 10 goals but has not consistently looked at his sharpest level. Ivan Azon, on loan from Como, has brought effort and energy, but finishing has been an issue.
Much of the attacking burden has instead fallen on Jack Clarke and Jaden Philogene. Both are dangerous wide players, both capable of deciding games, but there has been a tactical challenge in fitting them into the same side given their preference for operating from the left.
That imbalance has mattered.
Another recurring problem has been breaking down deep, compact defences. Against teams happy to sit in a low block, Ipswich have often looked short of ideas.
They have missed some of the direct running of Chaplin and the technical quality Broadhead once offered, while Marcelino Nunez has shown flashes rather than sustained influence.
Even Leif Davis, whose 18 assists in the previous promotion season made him one of the Championship’s most productive full-backs, has seen his output drop to four. A change in role, with more emphasis on moving inside, has reduced some of his attacking threat.
So this is not a flawless promotion push. Far from it.
But if Ipswich beat QPR on Saturday, few around Suffolk will spend much time worrying about the imperfections.
Promotion is promotion. Supporters know that better than most.
If they do return to the Premier League, another rebuild will almost certainly be required. The gap between the divisions remains brutal, and any promoted side must quickly adapt from controlling matches to surviving long periods without the ball.
That may be where this season’s defensive improvement becomes important. McKenna’s side have shown they can be more disciplined, more pragmatic and harder to break down.
Those traits matter upstairs.
There is also the question of McKenna himself. Strong young managers attract attention, and if a stable Premier League club were to come calling, interest would be understandable.
For now, though, his focus will be on one final task.
Beat QPR, take Ipswich back to the top flight, and complete a third promotion in four years.
That would be difficult to ignore.
