Town back to winning ways reviving hopes of automatic promotion

Spirit, commitment, passion.

Just three of the qualities sorely missing in the back to back defeats at Wrexham returned to the Town squad last night (Tuesday, February 24) following their 2-0 victory in the Championship at Watford.

There was no shortage of skill attached to the victory with one of the highlights being Christian Walton’s penalty save from Tom Ince’s spot kick in the second half.

The Tractor Boys return to winning ways, thanks to goals from Sindre Walle Egeli and a much needed one from George Hirst, helped to secure the three points and with Middlesbrough only drawing with Leicester it put the boys in blue six points adrift of second placed Boro with two games in hand.

The result revived the Town’s hopes of automatic promotion with manager Kieran McKenna getting the response he wanted from his players as they secured a sixth away win of the campaign to move back up to third place.

Egeli volleyed them in front after a first half free-kick rebounded to him off the wall and Hirst sealed the outcome when he bundled the ball home via his chest three minutes after being sent on as a substitute.

Ince had the chance to reduce the deficit from the penalty spot, but was denied by Walton as Ed Still suffered his first defeat as Watford boss, having taken four points from his first two games in charge.

The Blues can now look forward to three successive matches at Portman Road against Swansea, Hull and Leicester.

McKenna, speaking to Town TV after the game, said: “A really strong performance. I really liked the way the group went about it. I thought we really good in the duals, really aggressive and imposed ourselves well on the ball and played well first half.

“Really happy for Sindre to get the goal and then second half we knew what we needed to do . It was to fight for the clean sheet but also to stay ready for the moments when we wanted to go and the second goal and I thought we did a pretty good job of that.

“Got the second goal then a bit livelier in the last 10 minutes than what we would have wanted but great when you make a mistake like that to give away the penalty and you get a free lesson really because Walts steps up with a big save that saves any big nerves in the  last bit of it and a good night’s work.”