Ipswich Town: Kieran McKenna reacts when asked Norwich City question by reporter | OneFootball

Ipswich Town's upcoming clash with Southampton will need to be rearranged due to the Saints' FA Cup progression

Ipswich Town are five points adrift of the automatic promotion places following their 1-1 draw at home to Leicester City on Saturday.

The Tractor Boys went 1-0 behind when Patson Daka opened the scoring for the visitors in the 39th minute at Portman Road.

But a second half strike from Sindre Walle Egeli levelled the scores, with the two teams sharing the spoils.

The result ended a three game winning run for the Suffolk outfit, who then fell further behind second place Middlesbrough when they won 4-0 away to QPR on Sunday.

However, Ipswich have a game in hand on their automatic promotion rivals, with their sights still set on returning to the Premier League.

The club suffered relegation from the top flight last year with a 19th place finish, and are hoping to make a swift return back as part of their plans to establish themselves at that level long-term.

Kieran McKenna reacts to Norwich City question

Kieran McKenna has taken aim at Norwich City amid concerns over the fixture pileup for Ipswich following the weekend’s FA Cup results, which included the Canaries' 3-0 defeat to Leeds United.

The Northern Irishman was asked if he was disappointed about the results of the fifth round, to which he responded, via the East Anglian Daily Times: "Are you suggesting I was disappointed that Norwich didn't win?!"

Southampton’s victory over Fulham will mean that their upcoming league clash in April will have to be postponed, making it the fifth game of the Suffolk outfit’s season that has had to be rearranged.

The Tractor Boys still have one game to make up against Portsmouth, which was previously postponed on two occasions due to issues with the Fratton Park pitch both times.

The Ipswich boss suggested that there could be some changes made to the schedule to account for Championship sides going far in the FA Cup, but that he’s not too upset with the postponement.

"The FA Cup one is what it is,” added McKenna.

“However, there's something that could be done differently for the Championship clubs who progress in that cup because it is a big challenge now for Southampton, but also for the teams who are playing against them, including us who already have a game to rearrange.”

However, McKenna outlined his frustration with the first Portsmouth postponement, given the number of injuries they had at the time, but that he’s looking forward to the busy end to the season for his team.

"The only rearrangement that still annoys me is the Portsmouth one and I think you know why,” he continued.

"We're going to have a lot of games, we're going to have tough games, but there are some brilliant games in there to look forward to.

“It should be a really exciting end to the season.

"But that's all to come.

“All we can control at the moment is the next game.

“We have to keep performing well and picking up results to make sure that it is an end to the season with a lot on it.

"If we can get to that point, and we're still fighting for our goals, and if we have to go and win back-to-back and back-to-back games in quick succession away from home, then that'll be a great challenge for us."

Ipswich are currently fourth in the Championship table, and will now be awaiting a new date for their clash with Southampton, which could be later in April.

The gap to third place Millwall is just one point, but Middlesbrough are five clear in second.

Next up for McKenna’s side is a trip to face Stoke City on Tuesday night in an 8pm kick-off.

Busy end to the season could be detrimental for Ipswich

Being a game behind rival teams can be frustrating as you’re constantly having to play catch up, and a second game in hand will only add to that feeling.

There’s not much they can do about Southampton’s progression to the FA Cup quarter finals, so Ipswich just have to accept it and move on.

However, the busy schedule could be detrimental for Ipswich in the run-in, as it will put greater strain on their squad compared to their rivals’ schedules.

Given the injury to Jaden Philogene that has now impacted the team, they can hardly afford any more injuries or else the push for an automatic promotion place could prove very tough with this intense schedule.