Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich Town join elite Premier League promotion record holders | OneFootball

Ipswich Town have joined an exclusive role of honour this year, becoming only the fifth club since the inception of the Premier League to earn consecutive promotions from the third tier to the top flight in successive seasons.

Watford (1998-99 and 1999-00), Manchester City (1999-00 and 2000-01), Norwich City (2010-11 and 2011-12) and Southampton (2011-12 and 2012-13) are the other teams who have accomplished this feat.

No team in England’s top four tiers has gained more than Ipswich’s combined points tally of 194 over the past two seasons.

Their points tally of 96 this season is the second-highest number of points recorded over a single league campaign in club history, only behind the 98 they attained in League One last season.

Manager Kieran McKenna has masterminded their rapid rise over the past few years, with his excellent tactical acumen, and an expansive style of play that saw finish as the highest scorers in both their promotion campaigns in League One and the Championship.

After a 22-year absence from the top flight, Ipswich may need to consider how to tighten a defence that leaked 57 goals this season, considerably more than the 41 conceded by champions Leicester, and third-placed Leeds’s 43. They also will need to invest in a squad, which still contains a large number of players that featured for the club in League One.

Supporters will at least be glad that American private equity firm Bright Path Sports Partners will provide increased investment next season after purchasing a 40% stake in the club, as they hope to bridge the vast gap between the Championship and Premier League and avoid an immediate return to the second tier.

With Ipswich becoming only the fifth team to achieve consecutive promotions to the Premier League, here is a brief look at how the previous four teams fared before them.

Watford (1998-99, 1999-00):

Club legend Graham Taylor guided Watford back to the top flight during his second stint as manager, after defeating Bolton 2-0 in the Play-Off Final. However, the Hornets looked well short of the standard needed for Premier League survival, finishing bottom, with a then-record-low 24 points.

Manchester City (1999-00, 2000-01):

Manchester City’s famous Division Two play-off triumph against Gillingham in 1999, was followed by promotion back to the top flight a year later. But despite adding the Premier League experience of Alfie Haaland, Steve Howey, and Darren Huckerby into the squad, City were unable to avoid relegation, finishing in 18th, eight points behind Derby County. They secured an immediate return to the Premier League in 2002, where the club has remained ever since.

Norwich (2009-10, 2011-12)

Norwich fans will be reminding their east Anglian rivals Ipswich that they also have risen from the third tier to the Premier League in two straight seasons. And perhaps Ipswich fans will hope they re-adjust to Premier League life as well as the Canaries did after promotion, who finished 12th in 2012 with 47 points, comfortably in mid-table 11 points clear of relegated Bolton in 18th. They remained in the Premier League until 2014.

Southampton (2010-11, 2012-13)

Ironically, much like Manchester City 11 years prior, Southampton achieved consecutive promotions to the Premier League a season after another team had achieved the same feat. Fortunately for the Saints, they did not replicate how City fared in the Premier League after promotion, with a young, promising Southampton team finishing 14th, five points from the relegation zone. Southampton, hoping to regain a Premier League place via the Play-Offs this month went down only last season.

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