Stoke City boss Mark Robins believes that beating Ipswich Town over the course of the season will effectively guarantee promotion, after his side slipped to a 1-0 defeat at Portman Road on Wednesday night.
A stunning second-minute strike from Jaden Philogene separated the sides, condemning Stoke to their third consecutive defeat and their fifth in six games. The slump has seen the Potters fall out of the Championship play-off positions after what had been a promising start to the campaign.
Losses to Sheffield United, Hull City and now Ipswich have allowed Kieran McKenna’s men to leapfrog Stoke in the standings. Four points now divide the two clubs, both of whom are fighting for a return to the Premier League.
Robins: Finish above Ipswich, and you’ll go up
Robins suggested that Ipswich will be one of the division’s benchmark sides this season, arguing that whoever manages to finish above them will earn promotion. Despite the defeat, he felt the performance was much improved from Stoke’s previous outing and that there wasn’t much between the teams.
“They’re a top side, and we said before the game that anyone who finishes above Ipswich will get promoted,” Robins told the club’s official X channel. “They’re very well coached, and there are plenty of similarities between the way they play and the way we play.”
The Stoke manager lamented the early goal that ultimately decided the contest. “Philogene scores a worldie—great play, we press badly, they work it well, and he puts it in the top corner. After two minutes, that’s the difference,” he said. “But we didn’t crumble like we did on Saturday, and that’s a positive.”
Stoke now sit eighth after 20 matches, one point outside the top six. Robins is approaching his one-year anniversary at the club, having taken charge last New Year’s Day after a disastrous first half of last season that saw both Steven Schumacher and Narcis Pelach dismissed before his arrival.
Ipswich proving their promotion credentials
McKenna’s side had a bumpy start to life back in the Championship but are now showing why managers like Robins view them as automatic promotion contenders. Fresh from Premier League relegation and backed by reinvestment following big-money departures such as Liam Delap and Omari Hutchinson, Ipswich were always expected to push for an instant return.
Philogene’s superb winner underlined the quality throughout their squad and reinforced the belief that finishing ahead of them may be crucial for any team chasing a top-two spot.
For Stoke, the task now is to reset quickly, build on the positives from the performance and halt their losing streak before their promotion ambitions take further damage.