Meet the opposition | Ipswich Town
As Swansea City prepare to host Ipswich Town at the Swansea.com Stadium, we take a closer look at the Tractor Boys.
What's their story?
Founded in 1878, this is the Tractor Boys first season back the Championship following relegation from the Premier League at the end of last term.
That relegation came after back-to-back promotions from League One to the top-flight.
Aside from their four-year spell in League One, they have spent the majority of the last 70 years in the top two divisions of English football, and have been in the Premier League for five seasons across three spells.
But their true golden period came under Sir Bobby Robson in the late 1970s and early 1980s as they finished runners-up in the First Division in 1981 and 1982, as well as winning the FA Cup in 1978 and the Uefa Cup in 1981.
How's their form?
Solid. After something of a slow start to the season, the Tractor Boys are showing signs of finding a firm footing and putting results together.
They have won five and drawn three of their last 10 games. In their last two they have thumped QPR 4-1 away from home and then drawn with Watford on home turf/
Who's the gaffer?
Kieran McKenna. This is Mckenna’s first senior management job, with the 39-year-old having previously coached the Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United under 18 teams, before becoming assistant manager to Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford in 2018.
Mckenna started his footballing career at Spurs in 2002. However in 2009, at the age of just 22, Mckenna had to retire due to a recurring hip injury.
He then looked to move into coaching and joined the Spurs academy, taking on that under-18s' role in 2015 before heading to the Red Devils a year later.
Mckenna was appointed Ipswich boss in December 2021. Since then he has managed 188 games across all competitions, winning 86 and securing those consecutive promotions that took Ipswich from the third tier to the top-flight.
Who's the captain?
Dara O'Shea. The defender took on the armband full-time in the summer following Sam Morsy's departure, having led the side on a number of occasions in the top-flight last term.
The Dublin-born 26-year-old joined the Tractor Boys from Burnley in 2024, but first emerged at West Bromwich Albion where he rose from the youth ranks to the first team.
O'Shea ended up making 107 appearances in all for the Baggies between 2017 and 2023, helping them secure promotion to the top-flight in 2020.
He also had spells on loan at Hereford and Exeter City..
He joined Burnley in 2023 and spent a year at Turf Moor before his move to Portman Road.
Who are the key men?
Jaden Philogene is Ipswich's topscorer with six goals so far this season, having joined them in January 2025 in a £20million move from Aston Villa.
Philogene had come through the academy ranks with the Villans after joining the club from the Pro:Direct Academy and made six senior appearances across the five years of his first spell with the club.
He had loan spells with Stoke City and Cardiff City, and impressed for the Bluebirds before making a permanent move to Hull City where his good form continued.
Twelve goals in his sole season at the MKM Stadium were enough to convince Villa to re-sign the forward in 2024, before making the switch to Portman Road.
Former Leeds United youngster Jack Clarke has scored five goals despite not being a regular starter so far this term for the Tractor Boys.
The winger has always been a livewire presence, and made the switch to East Anglia from Wearside after an impressive spell with Sunderland.
He joined the Black Cats for an undisclosed fee from Premier League Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2022 after a successful loan spell with the club as they secured promotion from League One.
A key part of that promotion winning team, Clarke continued to be integral figure in the Black Cats line-up, showing signs of the ability that persuaded then-Tottenham manger Jose Mourinho to sanction a £10 million pound transfer to the White Hart Lane club in 2019.
Defender Darnell Furlong was a new recruit at Portman Road in the summer, having spent the previous six seasons with West Bromwich Albion, helping them reach the Premier League in 2020.
Furlong is a Queens Park Rangers academy product, and made 64 league appearances, including a handful of Premier League outings.
He also had loan spells with Northampton, Cambridge and Swindon while at Loftus Road, prior to making the switch to the Baggies in 2019.