Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna remains confident his side will secure automatic promotion to the Premier League on the final day of the Championship season, despite a tense 2-2 draw away at Southampton that has also kept Millwall’s hopes alive in the race.
At St Mary’s, Ipswich were on the verge of sealing second place when Wes Burns put them ahead shortly after the restart. A win would have effectively confirmed promotion, given the near-impossible goal swing required to deny them. However, Southampton—still chasing their own promotion ambitions at the time—responded strongly, turning the game around with two goals to take control.
Ipswich, though, refused to surrender momentum and were rescued late on by a stunning equaliser from Jack Clarke, ensuring they left with a valuable point rather than a damaging defeat.
The result leaves the automatic promotion picture finely balanced heading into the final day. Ipswich now sit just one point ahead of Millwall, with Queens Park Rangers also still in contention. McKenna’s team finish their campaign against QPR, while Millwall travel to relegated Oxford United knowing a strong win could still open the door to a remarkable late surge into the top two.
For Millwall, the scenario is simple but demanding: victory is essential, and even that may not be enough if Ipswich avoid defeat. Should Ipswich slip up and Millwall take maximum points, Alex Neil’s side could clinch only their second-ever promotion to the Premier League.
Reflecting on the draw in Southampton, McKenna praised his team’s performance despite the missed opportunity to secure promotion early. He described the match as one of the most intense and high-quality fixtures of his tenure, particularly within the Championship context.
The Ipswich boss admitted his side were close to finishing the job on the night but insisted the overall display reinforced his belief in their season-long progress. While disappointment lingered over not securing victory, he stressed that the performance level gave his squad confidence heading into the decisive final weekend.
McKenna emphasised that his players had shown the qualities required for promotion throughout the campaign and urged them to carry that belief into the final fixture. Although Ipswich were unable to mathematically seal their Premier League return at Southampton, they remain in control of their own destiny as the season reaches its conclusion.
With pressure mounting and margins extremely tight at the top end of the Championship, the final day promises a dramatic finish, with both Ipswich and Millwall still mathematically capable of shaping their own promotion fate.
