Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna says everyone associated with the club has to fully embrace a tough set of fixtures that will come thick and fast.

The newly-promoted Blues went into the third international break of the season sitting second in the Championship table.

Now, after a chance for everybody to catch their breath, Saturday's trip to West Brom (5.30pm) will sound the starter gun on a run of 10 games in the space of 38 days that includes a mouth-watering Christmas trilogy against Norwich, Leeds and Leicester.

"It is pretty natural to look at this next block as being up to and including the Stoke game on New Year's Day," said McKenna.

"It's a really busy period where we're playing a lot of the teams you would expect to be up at the top end of the table, but it's a challenge we've got to really embrace.

"This club was out of the Championship for too many years. We wanted to be back playing against big teams, big clubs, in full stadiums, on TV and with interest in the games.

"We know it's going to take a big, big effort from the whole club. Everyone in the squad is going to have to be ready to play, it's going to take some big performances, we're going to have to stick to our philosophy, we're going to have to find ways to compete even when we're not playing well, we're going to have to find different ways and different solutions."

On West Brom, who sit seventh in the table, the Blues boss said: "They're a really strong team, no doubt about it. Outside those who came down from the Premier League they are certainly as strong as anyone in terms of their experience, physicality and quality.

"They're well-organised and well-coached, so it's a really tough proposition, but these are the challenges we want. We want to test ourselves, improve, compete at this level and try and get some big results against these type of teams.

"They'll have to respect our strengths too. It should be a really good game."

 

TOWN'S NEXT 10

Sat, Nov 25: West Brom (a) 5.30pm (Sky Sports)

Weds, Nov 29: Millwall (h) 8pm (Sky Sports)

Sat, Dec 2: Coventry (h) 3pm

Sat, Dec 9: Middlesbrough (a) 3pm

Tues, Dec 12: Watford (a) 7.45pm (TownTV & Sky Sports Arena)

Sat, Dec 16: Norwich (h) 12.30pm (Sky Sports)

Sat, Dec 23: Leeds (a) 12.30pm (Sky Sports)

Tues, Dec 26: Leicester (h) 7.45pm (Sky Sports)

Fri, Dec 29: QPR (h)

Mon, Jan 1: Stoke (a)