Ipswich Town’s trip to Oxford United ended in frustration on Friday night, but Kieran McKenna received a rare dose of good news the following day.
The Tractor Boys saw their six-match unbeaten run halted in a 2-1 defeat at the Kassam Stadium, where goals from Mark Harris and Przemyslaw Placheta lifted Oxford’s survival hopes and stalled Ipswich’s recent charge toward the play-off positions after an inconsistent start to the season.
A major challenge now looms, with runaway leaders Coventry City visiting Portman Road next weekend. Coventry strengthened their grip on top spot with a 3-1 win over Charlton Athletic on Saturday, Ellis Simms scoring twice at the CBS Arena. But the headline development came from the team sheet.
Coventry were without star striker Brandon Thomas-Asante, and the Coventry Evening Telegraph later revealed that he will be sidelined until the new year with a torn hamstring. Manager Frank Lampard confirmed: “Brandon has a hamstring injury and he’ll be out for six weeks or so.” Thomas-Asante is currently joint-top scorer in the Championship with Derby’s Carlton Morris, who is also injured but expected to return far sooner than initially feared.
Lampard did offer some encouragement to Sky Blues supporters by suggesting that American forward Haji Wright could return in time for the trip to Suffolk.
For Ipswich, Thomas-Asante’s absence is undoubtedly a boost. The striker has emerged as one of the league’s standout performers this season after managing just four goals in a disappointing previous campaign. His transformation has been remarkable—10 goals and three assists in 17 matches, helping Coventry build a ten-point advantage at the top and rack up 50 goals in their opening 18 league fixtures.
Still, the upside for McKenna only goes so far. Even without their leading scorer, Coventry overturned an early setback to beat Charlton comfortably, showing their attacking strength remains intact. With Ipswich coming off a deflating loss at Oxford, next weekend’s clash at Portman Road promises to be their toughest examination of the season so far.