3 things we clearly learnt about Ipswich Town after their 1-0 win over Gillingham | OneFootball

It was a good day for Ipswich Town on Saturday, as they beat Gillingham 1-0 at Portman Road.

After a goalless first half in which the struggling visitors again impressed under newly appointed manager Neil Harris, it was the Tractor Boys who got the opener 15 minutes from time.

That came courtesy of Conor Chaplin, as he produced an excellent finish into the bottom corner from the edge of the area after doing well to control George Edmundson’s pass into him.

With that goal proving enough to claim all three points for the hosts, there will be plenty for manager Kieran McKenna to think about moving forward.

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So with that in mind, we’ve taken a look at three things we learnt about Ipswich from that win over Gillingham.

They can grind out wins

While it may not have been the prettiest of wins, this will still be a hugely satisfying win for those of an Ipswich persuasion.

Throughout the coruse of the 90 minutes, Gillingham produced an extremely impressive performance at Portman Road, and will feel unlucky not to have come away with something from the game.

Ultimately though, the three points is all that matters, and the fact that Ipswich were able to claim those despite being under pressure for much of the game, certainly bodes well for their prospects of continuing to pick up wins as the season goes on.

With so many players coming into Ipswich in the summer, there were always going to be some that worked out better than others, and Chaplin is well on his way to being a success, rather than a failure.

The 24-year-old’s brilliantly taken winner against the Gills was his seventh goal in 23 league games this season, meaning at this rate, he is on his way to recording the highest scoring campaign of his career so far.

Indeed, if you were to take Chaplin’s goals out of the equation, the Tractor Boys would be nine points worse off than they actually are, highlighting just how important he has been to Ipswich since his move in the summer.

Play-offs not out of the question

Following that win over Gillingham on Saturday, Ipswich have now claimed five wins and 15 points from seven league games since McKenna was appointed as manager.

That is the sort of form that over the course of a whole campaign, would take a side to promotion, and goes to show just how big an impact the 35-year-old has had since taking over, considering the club had won just seven of 23 league games this season prior to his appointment.

The Tractor Boys are now eight points adrift of the top six with 16 games to play, a deficit that can be overhauled, and given we often see sides making a late run into the play-offs, Ipswich may have timed this upturn in form brought about by McKenna’s appointment rather well.