FERMANAGH native Kieran McKenna has said he feels 'delighted, proud and exhausted' after leading Ipswich Town back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
The highly-rated young manager steered the Tractor Boys to the top flight for the 2024-25 season, their first in the Premier League for 22 years.
Despite being relegated, Ipswich kept faith with the former EnnisKillen Gaels minor player and he has rewarded the club with a third promotion in four years.
"I'm a mixture of delighted, proud and exhausted to be honest," he told Ipswich Town TV.
"Another incredible day, a special day, we've all worked so, so hard for it and it feels truly honoured to have three days like this."
'Special day'
After spells with the academies at Tottenham and Manchester United — where he later served as a first-team coach under José Mourinho — McKenna took charge of Ipswich in December 2021 with the club in mid-table in League One, their third season in the third tier.
In his first full season the following campaign, he led them to second place and promotion to the Championship, where he secured a second successive promotion, again as runners-up.
Following their rapid rise, the Tractor Boys endured a difficult return to the Premier League, winning just four of their matches as they suffered an immediate return to the Championship.
Despite that and a tricky start to this campaign in which they failed to win their opening four games and sat just two points and two places above the relegation zone, Town kept faith with McKenna.
Ipswich captain and Dublin native Dara O'Shea leads the celebrations at Portman Road (Image: Paul Harding / Getty Images)After winning only three of their first 10 games, the London-born coach turned around Ipswich's fortunes as they went on to win 20 of the remaining 36 league fixtures to secure second spot.
The final, decisive victory came on Saturday at home to QPR, with Ireland international Kasey McAteer adding the final goal late on in a 3-0 win.
Speaking to Ipswich Town TV, McKenna quipped that the midfielder's 85th-minute goal allowed him to finally savour the occasion.
"I would have loved us to have got the third goal [earlier in the game] and let me maybe enjoy it a little bit more and the supporters probably enjoy it a little bit more but that's not been the story of our season too often," said McKenna.
"We had to work hard for it and when the third goal went in that was probably the first time I could look round and take it all in and know that it's going to be a special day."
'We've got stronger'
Despite the loss of key players such as Liam Delap and Omari Hutchinson following relegation, McKenna said he felt the experience coupled with a tough campaign this season would stand his squad in good stead for the Premier League come August.
"The group has had to really come together, you know the story, there has been so much change," he said.
"We've had the majority of a group that are really having to come together either with us for the first time in the Premier League last year and not winning or joining us this summer and trying to come together and become a team.
"That's took time but I think we've got stronger as the season has went on and the character and the togetherness of the group has got stronger and stronger, our football has improved as we've went along.
"I know how hard we've had to work for this and it could have been really different so I'm really proud of everyone."
As well as McAteer, who joined from Leicester City at the start of the season, Ireland are also represented at Portman Road by defender and club captain Dara O'Shea and midfielder Jack Taylor, both of whom were part of Ipswich's Premier League squad in 2024/25.
Ireland’s Chiedozie Ogbene and Sammie Szmodics both started the campaign at Ipswich but finished the season on loan at Sheffield United and Derby County respectively.
Ipswich Borough Council confirmed today that an open-top bus parade will take place on Bank Holiday Monday to celebrate the club's top-flight return.
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