If Ipswich Town Do This – Ex-Striker Sees Top Two Path
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Former Ipswich Town striker Sam Parkin has insisted his former club need to sharpen their form on the road, but still feels the Tractor Boys could land automatic promotion, even without a traditional number nine.
Ipswich currently sit third in the Championship standings on 54 points, five adrift of second-placed Coventry City and seven behind leaders Middlesbrough at the summit.
The Tractor Boys’ form at Portman Road has been formidable, second only to the Sky Blues, with just one home defeat all season, alongside five draws and ten victories.
Away from home, however, results have been far less kind, with Ipswich managing only five wins from 14 matches on their travels so far.
Kieran McKenna’s side have also been operating without a recognised out-and-out number nine, with the bulk of their goals instead coming from wingers Jack Clarke and Jaden Philogene.
Parkin weighed up Ipswich’s promotion credentials by pointing to the stark contrast between their commanding displays at Portman Road and their erratic results on their travels.
He noted that while the football on home turf is not always expansive, it is consistently effective, with the Tractor Boys often doing just enough to see games out.
However, he reiterated that away form is the key concern, labelling it topsy-turvy, and argued that even without a recognised number nine, the squad’s overall quality means an improvement on the road would keep them firmly on course for promotion.
Parkin said on EFL All Access (13:02): “I think it’s pretty clear for Ipswich, and it’s difficult to predict at this stage in terms of the amount of games to go, but they just need to improve away from home.
“They are just swatting teams aside.
“I know they dropped points against Preston relatively recently at Portman Road, but they are playing in third gear at times at Portman Road and getting the job done.
“It’s not as free-flowing as the previous promotion, but it doesn’t have to be.
“So that away form, it’s been really topsy-turvy.
“They improve that, and there are some difficult games, granted.
“They’re in the top two for me.
“I think it’s the best squad, and I think, despite maybe not having that number nine, I think they’re still in a great position to get promoted automatically.”
The Portman Road outfit face a testing spell on the road, with three of their next four games all coming away from home, starting with trips to the Racecourse Ground to face Wrexham, first in the FA Cup on 13th February and then in the league on 21st February.
That run continues with a visit to 11th-placed Watford at Vicarage Road on 24th February.
The Tractor Boys moved to bolster their squad last month with the signings of Anis Mehmeti and Dan Neil, the latter having drawn interest from Scottish giants Rangers, and will be hoping both players can make a swift impact as they look to keep their promotion charge on track.
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