With just one point separating them from league leaders Leeds United and Leicester City—who now hold the automatic promotion spots—Ipswich Town is competing for a position in the Premier League.
The Tractor Boys restored their promotion hopes on March 16 with a decisive 6-0 victory against relegation-fighting Sheffield Wednesday, following an unexpected 2-1 loss to Cardiff City on March 9.
Easter weekend always marks the start of EFL squeaky bum time, and for Kieran McKenna’s team, this is their chance to show that they deserve to play in the Premier League next season.
Whatever transpires from now until the end of the season, the Suffolk team has had an amazing season, and it is noteworthy that they are in the running for the Championship title despite only being promoted from League One the previous season.
The recent triumph of McKenna’s team can be attributed in large part to attacker Conor Chaplin, who joined the team from Barnsley prior to the 2021–2022 season.
Conor Chaplin was an absolute bargain
For a mere £750k, the Tractor lads acquired the star player from Barnsley. Since then, he has grown to become one of the team’s most valuable assets and has the potential to play a significant role in the Championship’s final phases of the quest for promotion.
In his 39 League One games, Chaplin notched nine goals to go along with three assists, and the Suffolk team finished 11th in the third division. It was Chaplin’s best season at Portman Road.
In 2022–23, McKenna’s first full season with the team, the former Portsmouth player was absolutely phenomenal, tallying an incredible 26 goals and generating five assists in 45 games in League One.
Because of his efforts during that season, he and Jonson Clarke-Harris of Peterborough United shared the division scoring lead, and the Tractor Boys were promoted to the second division automatically.
With 37 games played thus far in the Championship, Chaplin has continued to be a threat, tallying 12 goals and dishing out seven assists to teammates.
But the 27-year-old recently suffered an injury, therefore he was not in the lineup the following week when his team played Sheffield Wednesday.
Ipswich will hope Chaplin’s return from injury is soon
After the triumph on Wednesday, McKenna told the East Anglian Daily Times that Chaplin had a strain in his “side/back” that he had acquired during training.
Considering the Tractor Boys’ success in pursuing a promotion thus far, McKenna will be hopeful one of his key players is healthy enough to play by Easter weekend.
The Englishman and Wales international Nathan Broadhead are tied for the Portman Road team’s top scorer this season with 12 goals each in the Championship.
However, Chaplin has recorded seven assists this season compared to Broadhead’s meagre three, making it obvious who the Tractor Boys’ primary goal threat is.
However, Chaplin did not play in his team’s 6-0 thumping of the Owls, demonstrating that McKenna’s men are still quite dangerous without their top goal scorer.
The Tractor Boys, who acquired the forward for a mere £750k, will be ecstatic that Chaplin has the ability to propel them to the Premier League, as it seems improbable when they signed him as a League One team in 2021.
