Ipswich Town

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Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna spoke to Premier League productions after Saturday's draw against Everton: "I'm really proud. It was always going to be a tough game for us.

"I don't think it had been a 2-0 game, but the group responded really well. It took a great goal to get us back into it, but the group stuck together and I think we deserved at least a point.

"It's been a challenge [this season]. We knew everything would have to go right, and it hasn't. We know injuries has been a part of that. There's frustration in there, but it is what it is. The boys who have been available have given their all pretty much every week.

"The motivation hasn't been hard. A lot of the boys are playing in the Premier League for the first time. The only hard bit has been pulling them together as a group. I think you can see that they're still really fighting for the club."

On Julio Enciso's goal: "That's what he's capable of. We'd have liked to have him available for more of the season because that individual difference can get you points in this league."

Bobbie Jackson
BBC Sport Journalist

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On a day when the headlines were all about Everton's final Saturday 15:00 kick-off at Goodison Park before moving to new stadium Bramley-Moore Dock, Ipswich ensured they had a big role in the story.

In any other season a game in early May between a club already relegated - Ipswich - and a team set for a bottom half finish - Everton - would likely be overlooked by many, however, the occasion added a much-needed layer to encounter.

Everton were undoubtedly lifted by the atmosphere, with flags, banners and ticker tape greeting them on to the field, and it wasn't long until they led 2-0 through Beto and Dwight McNeil.

However, it might have been a case of throwing too much into the opening stages for the hosts as they soon started to fade and Ipswich found a foothold.

Julio Enciso was the catalyst for the comeback with a stunning 30-yard strike shortly before half-time.

George Hirst's header with 11 minutes remaining drew Kieran McKenna's side level but Ipswich were unable to find a winner.

Ipswich are playing for pride at this point and it was a performance their fans can be proud of as they make the long journey back to Suffolk.

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Ipswich overturned a two-goal deficit to gain a result in a Premier League game for the first time since October 2001 against Southampton (3-3).

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Everton's performance

What did you make of Ipswich's display?

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies.

Five matches make up Saturday's Premier League action and BBC Sport will bring you every kick.

• Aston Villa v Fulham (12:30)

• Everton v Ipswich Town - BBC Radio 5 Live

• Leicester City v Southampton

• Arsenal v Bournemouth (17:30) - BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 15:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

I am covering this game for BBC Radio 5 Live and I am really looking forward to going to Goodison Park again.

Everything points towards a home win, despite Everton losing their previous two games.

Ipswich are definitely down now and, while they won't throw in the towel, they might be a little less spirited now they know they are relegated.

Their confidence has been sapped over the course of the season and, after watching them recently, I can't back them to get anything here.

They were flimsy against Arsenal, then well beaten by Newcastle, and it would be a shock if they scored at all, let alone break my record for the fastest goal scored by an away player at Goodison.

Everton have stuttered in the past couple of weeks but I don't think that is a bad thing for David Moyes.

He has over-achieved since taking charge in January, when the reality is that he has got the same group of players as his predecessor, Sean Dyche, and there needs to be a lot of work done on improving that squad in the summer.

Sutton's prediction: 2-0

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Listen to Everton v Ipswich on BBC Radio 5 Live at 15:00 BST on Saturday

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Earlier, we asked you to name the current Ipswich player from a series of clues.

The correct answer is Sam Szmodics.

Alex Fletcher
BBC Sport journalist

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With just four games to go in the Premier League this season relegation has been decided.

For the second season in a row, all three promoted clubs have been sent straight back down, and 14 points separates those in the relegation zone and 17th placed West Ham.

Southampton, Leicester City and Ipswich Town have just 10 wins between them this season, and there is still a chance that the Saints finish the campaign as the t-worst Premier League team of all time.

But where did it all go wrong?

A struggle to survive

According to Opta, this is the worst combined points total of any group of promoted sides at this stage of the season in Premier League history

The three teams have only managed to get 50 points between them - after just 34 games - and are 14 points behind the previous record which was set last year by Sheffield United, Burnley and Luton Town.

While Leicester and Southampton have seen changes in the dugout this season, Ipswich have stuck with Kieran McKenna, but this has not changed their fortunes.

Between them, they have picked up just 21 points at home, with Southampton and Ipswich winning just once in-front of their own fans.

Promoted sides face 'more of a challenge'

And things look set to get even more difficult for those coming up from the Championship.

According to Opta, five of the lowest eight Premier League points totals for promoted sides after 34 games have come in the last eight years. Southampton are currently on the t-lowest points total ever at this stage of the season, alongside Derby County.

Speaking before his sides relegation, Ipswich boss McKenna said the gap between the Premier League and the Championship "is getting bigger" and that "it's been getting more of a challenge for clubs to be able to bridge that".

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Ipswich Town midfielder Jack Taylor believes the club's difficult Premier League season has given him the "hunger" to improve.

Last weekend's defeat to Newcastle marked relegation for Ipswich but Taylor thinks there is plenty to take out of the season.

"It's not the outcome we wanted but the club is on an incredible journey. I've loved it and I'm really proud of where I've got to," he said.

"Looking at the bigger picture, If you take all the lessons that we've learnt this year in to next season, we can hopefully bounce straight back up."

Taylor has started just two league games this season, but believes the adversity has made him improve.

"I've overcome so many things personally, from missing out on squads at the start of the season, before finally getting a chance," he said. "You've got to become a better- player.

"No matter whether you are coming on for 30 minutes or just for one, you want to be positive. I've set a mentality for myself to use it as an opportunity to impress the manager.

"If I get the opportunity to start again, it's an opportunity to play in a Premier League football match and I want to show the best version of myself."

Guess the current Ipswich player from these three clues:

• I began the 2024-25 season playing in the Championship.

• My first goal for Ipswich was scored against Manchester City.

• I played twice against England in the Nations League earlier this season.

Come back to this page at 17:00 BST for the answer

Alex Fletcher
BBC Sport journalist

Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Everton (kick-off 15:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• The team face "a lot of late judgement calls" in of availability.

• Nine players missed their match against Newcastle and McKenna said: "It's not very dissimilar this week. Certainly in two games time we'll be much, much closer to where we'd want to be in of availability."

• Wes Burns, Nathan Broadhead, Aro Muric, Jaden Philogene, Kalvin Phillips,

• Chiedozie Ogbene, Sammie Szmodics, Conor Townsend, and Axel Tuanzebe all missed the Newcastle match through injury while Jens Cajuste and Omari Hutchinson were unused substitutes after recent problems. Leif Davis is serving a suspension, and Ben Johnson will also be banned this weekend.

• On what he can take from the final four games: "It's not about that, the summer is a reset. We want to finish the season as strongly as possible in our first season back in the Premier League for 22 years, especially for our ers."

• On relegation: "There is no doubt that the injury and availability hasn't helped in the second half of the season but I don't think it's ever about one moment. We know that we've come up short and we are where we are."

• McKenna believes the club have learnt "lots of lessons".

• On David Moyes' career as a Premier League manager: "It's hard not to ire. It's becoming less common to have a career with his longevity at the highest levels of the game and he's doing a good job at Everton."

• On facing Everton at Goodison Park: "We expect a tough match, they've been really stable since he [Moyes] went in there and their strengths are clear. We know the context of it with Goodison [Park]. They will want to finish off their last home games well and make it a party atmosphere."

Follow all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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Everton have conceded a higher share of their Premier League goals in the second half of games than any other side this season (66% - 27 out of 41). However, Ipswich have scored fewer second half goals both overall (12) and as a percentage (36%) than any other side this term.

Ipswich have won their past two away league games against Everton, beating them 3-0 in September 2000 and 2-1 in February 2002.

Everton are among the clubs interested in 22-year-old Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap, with the English forward believed to have a £30m release clause. (The i Paper, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Fulham are said to be interested in Ipswich right-back Ben Johnson, with Town having been relegated from the Premier League. (Sky Sports), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Seb Brown
Fan writer

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Ipswich Town will be playing Championship football again next season. While the full-time whistle on Saturday delivered the official confirmation, in reality the fanbase have been expecting and preparing for this moment for the last few weeks.

This is the fourth relegation I have experienced as a Town fan, along with 1995, 2002 and 2019, and although failing to survive this season is disappointing, this time around the feeling, for me, is very different.

The chants at the full-time whistle from the away end made it clear to the players and management that we are proud of their efforts this season. There was no outpouring of negativity, no tears, only . The game against Newcastle was a microcosm of our season with an encouraging start and signs of competitiveness before two arguable decisions from the officials ended the game as a spectacle. This league has become a completely different animal from the one we last left 23 years ago, both on and off the pitch.

The Premier League is a phenomenon. A global brand celebrated for the product it delivers to watching audiences, who in turn reward it handsomely - enabling the participants to grow stronger and stronger. However for the second season in a row the three promoted clubs have returned straight back to the Championship. Promotion and relegation, reward and jeopardy are crucial to the structure of the English game and yet there has never been less risk for the established Premier League sides.

Four years ago this month fans were seen protesting outside stadiums of the 'big six' clubs against the European Super League format. The planned breakaway was soon shelved as the lack of relegation was thought to remove all competitiveness from the proposal. Given the same 17 clubs will be participating in the Premier League for a third consecutive season in 2025-26, I fear the Super League may now exist in all but name.

Find more from Seb Brown at the Blue Monday Podcast, external

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We asked for you to tell us the key reasons behind Ipswich's relegation from the Premier League.

Here are some of your comments:

Matt: Overall, the quality of the squad was not good enough for the Premier League. There was not enough depth. Our five subtitutes were good League One and Championship players while our opponents had internationals. Injuries to proven playmakers like Wes Burns, Omari Hutchinson, Jaden Philogene, Nathan Broadhead and Chiedozie Ogbene also meant we did not create attacks.

Christianna: Too much too soon. A fantastic side with a fantastic leader in Kieran McKenna, but all a year or two too soon. Incredibly proud of the team and manager for performing as well as they have. Finishing 17th was the target, and whie we have fallen short, anyone who has watched the games (and not just the highlights) will see that we have given a good of ourselves.

James: Really inept recruitment is what has sunk us. There were a few bright spots in Dara O'Shea and Liam Delap, but we bought a calamitous goalkeeper in Arijanet Muric and then stacked our attack with youngsters from the Championship, while relying on a collection of the old, the sick and the lame in centre midfield.

Matt: The manager decided that we could play like we did in the Championship and it would be all right! Instead we should have been defending for our lives.

Russell: Essentially, recruitment and an unsettled team. The boys who won two promotions were not really given a chance to prove or to develop themselves. How must some of them have felt having done all the hard work only to be almost sidelined by untested and untried players?

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The Telegraph's Luke Edwards speaks highly of Ipswich Town on BBC Radio 5 Live'sFootball Daily podcast after their relegation to the Championship was confirmed.

"They have had a good go at it," said Edwards. "They have been the best performing of the newly promoted teams, but there was a bit of naivety in the style that they wanted to play.

"They came up short but I like Kieran McKenna and the way that he talks. They were in League One two years ago so it has been a remarkable journey and maybe one that has happened too quick.

"The club will be in a better position financially and it will bring stability in the long term. They have strong building blocks to have another stab at promotion next season in the Championship.

"Of the three teams going down, I see them as the best equipped to come back up. The fans are behind them because they are just grateful for what this team have given them over the past two years."

Listen to the Football Daily podcast on BBC Sounds

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Ipswich Town's future for football next season has now been confirmed.

Saturday's 3-0 defeat by Newcastle means the Tractor Boys will be returning straight back to the Championship after their first Premier League campaign in over 20 years.

Kieran McKenna's side are currently on course to finish highest of those relegated teams, so perhaps there is a smidgen of positivity to take from that.

But why is it they have not been able to survive this season?

Is it recruitment? Tactics?

Or has the step up just been too big?

Let us know - and we'll publish a selection later on Monday