Relegation, rebuild, and revival: Ipswich Town’s journey back to the Premier League

In 2019, after 17 years of Championship football, Ipswich Town were relegated to League One. With just five wins, and 36 goals scored, Town had finished rock bottom of the table, falling into the third division for the first time in 62 years. Under the disastrous ownership of Marcus Evans, Paul Lambert failed to reverse Ipswich’s fortunes, finishing 11th in the shortened 2019/20 season. This brought about renewed calls for Evans to sell the club which was operating on a shoestring budget and suffering from a lack of direction, seeing itself dragged even further away from former days of European and domestic glory.

In the midst of yet another below-par season, hope was reignited in the spring of 2021, as American consortium Gamechanger 20 Ltd completed a £40 million deal to purchase the club. The arrival of former-Wigan boss, Paul Cook, offered further promise. However, his time at the club proved short-lived, and following a goalless FA Cup tie with Barrow, Cook was relieved of his duties in early December the same year.

The subsequent appointment of Kieran McKenna soon became a popular one, even if it proved too little too late for any hopes of a promotion push the same season. However, working largely with an inherited side, the 22/23 season finally saw Ipswich emerge as notable promotion contenders. January additions of Harry Clarke, Massimo Luongo, Nathan Broadhead, and George Hirst inspired a remarkable finish to the campaign, with the Tractor Boys achieving 37 points from a possible 39 leading up to the final day. This record saw the Tractor Boys leapfrog Sheffield Wednesday, finishing second behind an unstoppable Plymouth Argyle side, in one of the most entertaining promotion races in the league’s history.

Going into the final day last Saturday, the equation was simple: one point against already relegated Huddersfield would be enough to guarantee second place

Whilst many then tipped Ipswich for a respectable mid-table finish upon their return to the second tier, the momentum never seemed to fade for Kieran McKenna’s men as they made an impressive start to Championship life that included victories on the road at Sunderland and Southampton. Despite a tricky winter period, the January market was again utilised wisely; the loan signings of Kieffer Moore and Jeremy Sarmiento provided an additional boost to the attacking ranks.

The Town squad, still largely composed of the League One side, then pulled off another incredible run from 14 February, winning nine games out of 10, and scoring 29 goals in the process. As the season drew to a close, and all four automatic promotion contenders struggled for points, Ipswich again found themselves in an intense end-of-season battle, but this time against the three previously relegated, and significantly wealthier, Premier League sides (Leicester, Leeds, and Southampton).

Going into the final day last Saturday, the equation was simple: one point against already relegated Huddersfield would be enough to guarantee second place, even if promotion rivals Leeds could see off Russell Martin’s Southampton side at Elland Road.

As the final whistle blew, Ipswich’s 22-year absence from the top flight had ended, and the Portman Road pitch was soon flooded by the jubilant home crowd

An early lead for Southampton settled any nerves amongst the Ipswich faithful, a goal that saw even the travelling Huddersfield fans rise to their feet to mock the misfortune of their Yorkshire rivals. A Joël Piroe equaliser temporarily put a halt to the party cheer, but then, in the 27th minute, Portman Road erupted as a superb near-post strike from Wes Burns sent the Blues on their way.

Hearing that Southampton had regained the lead was again welcome news, and in the second half, Chelsea loanee Omari Hutchinson wrapped things up early on, carrying the ball across the shaky Huddersfield back line, before firing from distance into the bottom-left corner. The remaining 45 minutes saw perhaps the least amount of goalmouth action at Portman Road this season, but the job was done and as the final whistle blew, Ipswich’s 22-year absence from the top flight had ended, and the Portman Road pitch was soon flooded by the jubilant home crowd.