Kieran McKenna admitted Ipswich Town were well short of their best, but he applauded his players’ determination as they climbed to fourth in the Championship with a 2-0 victory at Hull City.

Hull arrived in strong scoring form after finding the net in 13 straight games, yet Ipswich limited their threat throughout. The visitors, however, struggled to create much themselves until former Hull men Jaden Philogene and Chuba Akpom were brought on just past the hour mark.

Philogene made an instant impact, sending in a looping cross that Marcelino Nunez headed in unchallenged. Moments later, Akpom struck his first goal for Ipswich to seal a third consecutive away win and hand Hull their first home loss in seven matches and a second league defeat on the spin.

Reflecting on a sixth game unbeaten, McKenna said: “We showed what you need on nights like this on a difficult pitch. Both teams had trouble adapting. When things aren’t flowing and you don’t have the control you want, you have to stay switched on and united. Our defensive shape was outstanding.

“We were much better after the break. We settled on the ball, adapted to the conditions, and once that first goal went in our confidence surged. From there, we looked capable of scoring plenty.”

Ipswich are now only three points behind second-placed Stoke, who face Hull at home this weekend, but McKenna stressed that league position is not a priority at this stage.

He continued: “Of course you’d love to be top and win every match, but it doesn’t matter to me or the squad where we sit right now. I’m looking at progress, and although it hasn’t always been smooth, I think we’re moving forward. There’s still a lot to work on, but the key is to stay together, stay calm, and keep improving.

“Mentally, this run has shown we’re taking big steps toward understanding what it takes to succeed in the Championship.”