Ipswich Town’s Dip Won’t Last Insists Ex-Striker | OneFootball

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Former Championship forward Chris Martin has claimed Ipswich Town are not getting the results their performances merit, highlighting concerns over how they conceded at Wrexham, but he remains positive regarding their chances.

Kieran McKenna and his men have been on an upward curve since November and now sit fourth in the table on 54 points, with two games in hand on the top three.

Over the weekend, they made the trip to the Racecourse Ground, where an eight-goal thriller unfolded and ultimately tilted in Wrexham’s favour, the hosts roaring back to seal a dramatic 5-3 victory.

New signing Anis Mehmeti opened his account for the Tractor Boys, but it was the headline-grabbing stat of five different scorers for the Red Dragons that damaged Ipswich’s push for automatic promotion.

Martin suggested Ipswich’s recent run of results should be viewed in context, pointing to the calibre of opposition they have faced and the level of their performances.

He argued that despite not getting the rewards they feel they deserve, there have been encouraging signs, even acknowledged by their manager, particularly for large periods against Wrexham.

The 37-year-old also acknowledged defensive concerns from the weekend loss but maintained that the squad’s overall quality should ensure the dip does not last.

Martin said on EFL All Access (24:19): “They faced some good sides, for one.

“Wrexham are a very good side and that’s a tough place to go.

“They played Preston and had a draw against Preston, and I think they dominated in that game.

“I don’t think they’re playing particularly badly, and judging off what Kieran McKenna said, he was quite happy with the performance level for large periods against Wrexham, so I think they’re playing fairly decently.

“They’re just not getting what they probably feel like they deserve, and I think the worry will be from the game at the weekend, just how easily they were to score against, so they’ll want to tighten that up.

“But I think the quality they have, I don’t think this will last for too long, this dip.”

Portman Road has been a fortress for the Tractor Boys this season, and a former Ipswich Town striker has stressed that sharpening their away form will be crucial, though he still believes automatic promotion remains within reach.

Back-to-back away defeats to Wrexham, in both the FA Cup and last weekend’s league encounter, have underlined that point, and another test awaits with a trip to ninth-placed Watford at Vicarage Road tonight.

An eight-point gap separates Ipswich Town from second-placed Middlesbrough in the race for automatic promotion, with the Tractor Boys holding two games in hand, setting up what promises to be a gripping run-in in England’s second tier.