Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna gives thoughts on FA Cup ahead of AFC Wimbledon trip

Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna has given his thoughts on the Emirates FA Cup as the Tractor Boys prepare for their third-round tie away at AFC Wimbledon on Saturday (12.30pm).

The Blues dispatched of Bracknell Town, Buxton and Rotherham United in the world’s oldest and most historic cup competition last season but fell short against Burnley in a fourth-round replay, losing 2-1 at Turf Moor.

While the stock phrase of ‘focus on the league’ gets thrown around at this time of year, McKenna admitted his side will be doing all they can to win the away trip at the weekend.

“For the biggest clubs in the country it’s a fantastic competition to win. For other clubs in the country it’s a fantastic competition of tradition and a chance to cause upsets and go as far as you possibly can,” said the Town boss.

“For us, we’re going to try and win the game and we’re going to try and go through. That’s the target and the motivation for Saturday and we’ll pick a team that gives us the best chance to do that.

“I think a lot can depend on the context of your season. Of course, there’s only a limited number of teams in the hat who have a realistic chance of winning the competition and we’re probably further towards the teams who are unlikely to win it, but I think it can add different things to your season.

“Last year, it was a big addition to our season for example. The Rotherham game and the Burnley games, as a team who are pushing for promotion form League One, I think it gave the group great confidence in terms of how we were going about things.

“We knew after those games that we were on the right track. We knew if we kept working how were were then we would have a great chance of success at the end of the season and that we were on track for doing well in the Championship should we get there.

“So it can give you a boost in your season in different periods. For sure this season, no doubt about it, our priorities are very much on the league games. The season that we’re having has only exemplified that and that will be our biggest focus of the second half of the season.

“At the same time, we’ve had some injuries over the last week or two but we have a healthy squad and we want to add to that squad over the next couple of weeks.”

McKenna admitted there will be changes to his side and stated it is a positive that the majority of the squad have played a game over the last 10 days.

He also said some players have ‘little issues’ in terms of injury news, while left-back Leif Davis will not be involved on Saturday but new signing Jeremy Sarmiento is expected to make his Town debut.

“The fixture schedule in the second half of the season in the Championship isn’t quite so rigorous and we’d be more than happy to progress in the competition and have the fixtures.

“It’s a chance to focus on something completely different. Focus on a different competition, different opposition, different type of game and a different brand of football. It just freshens up the routine a little bit.”