Is 3-0 victory over table topping Coventry City a turning point in the season for Ipswich Town?

Ipswich Town’s emphatic 3-0 victory over table topping Coventry City at Portman Road could be a major turning point for the Tractor Boys’ season.

The result moved the Super Blues up from seventh spot to fourth and could reignite their hopes of a swift return to the Premier League ahead of the busy Christmas and New Year programme of fixtures.

It put them five points behind second placed Middlesbrough and recorded just the second defeat of the season for Coventry who are still sitting pretty at the top of the Championship … a massive 12 points ahead of Town.

But Ipswich need to show some consistency in a tumultuous season which saw them gain just four points from a possible nine following the recent away games against Hull, Oxford and Blackburn.

They now face another midweek clash when Stoke City come to Suffolk on Wednesday before next weekend’s match at Leicester City.

But today’s game against Coventry could have turned in the visitor’s favour but for a superb deflection of the ball onto the foot of the post by the Town’s goalkeeper Christian Walton following a shot by Josh Eccles and then turned Ephron Mason-Clarke’s curling shot over the bar.

But the Sky Blues fell behind shortly before half-time when they failed to clear a corner and Jaden Philogene teed up Sindre Walle Egeli on the edge of the box to lash in the opener.

The Tractor Boys kept their foot on the gas and deservedly doubled their lead on the hour when Marcelino Nunez’s astute long ball played in George Hirst  who raced clear to beat a helpless Carl Rushworth.

Walton came to the rescue again for Town when he turned away a shot from Jack Rodoni and the hosts capped an emphatic win in stoppage time with a breakaway third when substitute Ivan Azon scored at the second attempt.

Coventry City manager Frank Lampard was critical of referee Paul Tierney for not issuing a second yellow card to Hirst after he kicked the ball away in the first half after being ruled offside.

Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna told BBC Radio Suffolk that his team were “good value” for the victory and added: “We showed quality with the ball and composure in the second half and belief to play through the pressure.

“We defended well and counter-attacked well and I thought we were good value for it.

“We know where we’re at. We’re developing as a team, but there’s still inconsistencies there that we’re working through.

“But we know when teams give us space, whenever we have the confidence we know we can play really, really well and I also know that we can defend really well.

“We know we’re capable of performances like that, but we also know it’s a brutal, relentless 46-game league and it’s about consistency and how you go after a good day and after a bad day, the strength of your mentality, it tests all those things.”