IPSWICH TAKE AIM AT SKY SPORTS PUNDIT AND LEEDS DURING PROMOTION PARADE
Ipswich Town took aim at a Sky Sports pundit for doubting their Premier League credentials as the players enjoyed a beer-fuelled promotion parade.
Open-top bus celebrations saw defender Luke Woolfenden rant to the crowds about Don Goodman tipping the Suffolk club to tail off in the promotion hunt. “I’ll have to sit for six weeks now, and listen to Don Goodman tell us we’re not good enough for the Prem like we did in the Champ,” said Woolfenden. “We’re still going to finish mid-table, Don, but don’t worry about it. This group can do whatever we want, man. We’ve worked so hard.”
Having suggested Ipswich would be unlikely to maintain their promotion push, Goodman had said “Ipswich’s defensive record is a bit shocking for a team going for automatic promotion” compared to Leicester and Leeds, who were “solid and effective in both boxes”.
With Leeds now facing the play-offs, players on the bus also joined in chants of “Leeds are falling apart again” to the tune of Joy Division’s Love Will Tear Us Apart.
Ipswich’s return to the top tier after a 22-year wait came following a 2-0 win against Huddersfield at Portman Road on Saturday. Woolfenden, when asked if life could get better than this, later said: “It will get better when we have a moment’s silence for Don Goodman.”
Following cheers, he then added: “I think he’ll be absolutely gutted that we got promoted. He’s been calling us c---- all season.”
Goodman was at Saturday’s promotion-clinching match on co-commentary duties, working in a row in front of the Ipswich players not in the matchday squad.
Manager Kieran McKenna hailed his side’s “amazing achievement” as the bus parade toured the town. “It’s an incredible turnout, amazing seeing so much joy,” he told Sky Sports.
“Everyone deserves it, the whole town deserves it, the players…for how hard they’ve worked. And the supporters, who’ve followed so loyally for years and have been waiting for a day like this.
“We just set out to be as good as we could possibly be. The closer you get to the end you know you’re within reach of an amazing achievement and we’re so glad we were able to finish off well.”
Promotion marks a remarkable turnaround for the club, who were languishing in 11th place in the third tier when McKenna took over in December 2021.
The following season he guided the team to automatic promotion, picking up 98 points to finish narrowly behind League One title winners Plymouth.
McKenna already has one eye on next season in the Premier League and described it as a “massive job”.
He added: “Next season will be the challenge. We kept an incredible level of consistency from League One to the Championship in all aspects really and we’re going to have to do it again. It’s a massive job.”
2024-05-06T18:33:32Z dg43tfdfdgfd