😡 Furious McKenna Slams Hirst After Missed Penalty in Ipswich’s 2–1 Defeat

Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna was left fuming after his side’s 2–1 defeat, pointing to George Hirst’s missed penalty as the crucial moment that swung the game away from the Blues.

Ipswich had a golden chance to take the lead early on when they were awarded a spot-kick, but Hirst’s poor effort was easily saved — a moment that McKenna says piled unnecessary pressure on his team.

“The pressure wouldn’t have been much if our striker scored the penalty,” McKenna said sharply after the match. “But he missed it, and that made things much harder for us. Then our defenders scored an own goal which gave them the lead, and from there, we were chasing the game.”

A night of debut goals! Both Morgan Whittaker and Dara O’Shea find the net for the first time in their club colours as Middlesbrough secure all three points 🤝 pic.twitter.com/5BGG4tXJVb

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Despite a spirited second-half performance and a late consolation goal, Ipswich couldn’t find an equaliser and fell to a disappointing 2–1 defeat.

“It’s frustrating because we created enough chances to win,” McKenna added. “Moments like that penalty decide matches — we have to be more ruthless.”

The loss marks a setback for Ipswich, who will now look to regroup and respond positively in their next fixture.