A few weeks ago, this seemed unthinkable, but with this weekend’s events, the table shows that Ipswich Town’s chances of winning
A few weeks ago, this seemed unthinkable, but with this weekend’s events, the table shows that Ipswich Town’s chances of winning the league are not as slim.
Why the reason for this great optimism? The current league table provides an explanation for the answer. Leicester City was the clear favorite until very recently, and a month ago, they led the standings by a comfortable 12-point margin. This came at the same time as Ipswich’s decline, as they were still reeling from their terrible FA Cup hangover after losing 1-2 at home to sixth-tier Maidstone United.
It took the wind out of the Blues for a bit, but now that the Foxes have lost three straight games and the Eagles have won five straight, the gap between first and second is just three points! Leeds also lost their winning run of ten games when they were drawn 1-1 away to Huddersfield, their bitter rivals. After their midweek cup exploits against Chelsea, they appeared worn out.
The Tractor Boys are currently two points ahead of the Yorkshiremen after leapfrogging the Whites into second place as a result. In contrast, Southampton had to rely on a goal in the 96th minute to win away at Birmingham, who had 10 men remaining, following Sanderson’s dismissal for a tackle on Smallbone. Despite this, the Saints are now five points behind Ipswich in second place after losing three of their previous five Championship games.
After 35 games, the top half of the division will automatically advance based on their 11 remaining games. Similar to last season, when Ipswich had an incredible winning run around this time, it appears that history may repeat itself. Football logic would be defied by this, as newly promoted teams from League One typically don’t do this well. Since assuming the reins two years ago, manager Kieran McKenna’s team has won 57.5% of the 81 games they have played, with just 8 losses.
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