Ipswich Town beat MK Dons 3-0 at Portman Road yesterday. STUART WATSON reflects on the action.


GOOD TIMING

Let's start with the opposition.

No doubt about it, MK Dons looked a shadow of the team that finished third in League One last season - and that probably shouldn't have come as a surprise.


The Buckinghamshire club scored 78 league goals in 2021/22. Coming into this fixture they were able to call upon men who contributed just five of those.

Scott Twine, Harry Darling, David Kasumu, Peter Kioso and Troy Parrott were among the key men to depart over the summer, while Mo Eisa, Will Grigg, Daniel Harvie, Josh McEachran and Tennai Watson are all currently injured.

Striker Matthew Dennis was making his first ever league start above National League level. Former Town loan winger Louie Barry was making only his third start in League One. The visitors' forward four, which also included Conor Grant and Matt Smith, had an average age of just 21.

This is a team very much in transition. Just like Ipswich this time last year, they have stumbled out the blocks as a result.

"We're in the early stages of a long journey. You have to be realistic, we are in a bit of a rebuild," admitted boss Liam Manning afterwards, his side sitting bottom of the pile after three straight defeats and not a single goal scored.

A case of catching a team at the right time? Yes. But take absolutely nothing away from the way Ipswich took full advantage.

TURNING UP THE HEAT

By the time kick-off arrived, the temperature had reached 33 degrees.

Would we see two possession-based teams slowly feeling their way into a chess match? Nope. Town burst out the blocks, playing with a high intensity high press.

Freddie Ladapo forced a defensive error and tested the keeper inside the opening minute. Marcus Harness appealed for a penalty moments after MK Dons scrambled away a dangerous low Leif Davis cross.

Wes Burns' expertly taken opener duly followed in the fourth minute and the tone was set.

Against the run of play, Dennis headed a golden chance over for MK Dons in the 10th minute. Would that rock Ipswich's confidence? No. They got straight back on the front foot.

The referee halted the game for a drinks break midway through the half. Would that halt Ipswich's flow? No. They soon added a second when Marcus Harness bundled home a rebound.

For the first time since December 2014, Ipswich led by more than a single goal at half-time in successive league games.

GETTING THE JOB DONE

One of football's many cliches is that '2-0 is a dangerous scoreline'.

Ipswich proved that last season by letting such a lead slip against both AFC Wimbledon and Cambridge.

There was a fear that might happen again last weekend when Forest Green pulled one back in the second half, but Ipswich pulled through after a slight wobble.

With that in mind, there may have been a few doubts in Blues fans' minds at the interval.

Might Town run out of gas after such a big first half effort in the energy-sapping sunshine? We saw that happen to Bolton on the opening day.

Again, the answer to that question was no.

Ipswich's collective press wasn't quite as intense. But then again it didn't need to be. Instead, they focussed on keeping the ball and keeping their shape.

MK Dons had replaced right-winger Grant with left wing-back Henry Lawrence at the break and switched to a back three, matching up Town's 3-4-2-1 set-up. Veteran defender Dean Lewington looked far less exposed, but MK also looked even less of an attacking threat.

With clever game management, the Blues stayed disciplined and waited for the right openings to come. They clinically took one to kill the game off on the hour, Conor Chaplin guiding the ball home inside the box.

A quadruple sub soon followed and the fresh legs of Kayden Jackson, Sone Aluko, Tyreece John-Jules and Kyle Edwards helped keep the energy levels high.

GOING UP A GEAR

Wes Burns scored Town's opener and had a big hand in the second. On top of that, the Welshman's touch was really sharp. He's looking back up to speed now following a truncated pre-season due to international duty.

On the other wing, Leif Davis took a big step in the right direction. The £1m+ late summer signing from Leeds has, understandably, taken a couple of games to feel his way into a new team. Here we saw a lot more of the attributes associated with him. The 21-year-old looked fit, athletic and direct. And hopefully there's a lot more to come.

If he and fellow new boy Harness can develop a left-sided relationship like Donacien and Burns have then Ipswich are going to take some stopping.

STAR MAN

Sam Morsy and Lee Evans dominated midfield, the aforementioned Burns and Davis were a threat down the flanks, while Harness, Chaplin and Freddie Ladapo worked tirelessly as a front three.

Man of the match has to be Janoi Donacien though.

It was him who blazed past a flat-footed Lewington to set up Burns for the opener. And it was him who bombed on from deep to collect the ball off Burns, chop inside and set up Chaplin for the third.

We always knew he was an outstanding one-v-one defender. The 28-year-old is becoming a real offensive weapon too now. He even produced a crowd-pleasing nutmeg towards the end.

It's crazy to think about how drastically JD's Town career has turned around.

TOP OF THE LEAGUE

It took Ipswich eight games to put seven points on the board last season. They've reached that tally in three this time.

Town sit top of the table (ahead of Sheffield Wednesday on goal difference) after three games.

News that Norwich had lost to Hull, and sit bottom of the Championship, added to the party mood inside Portman Road.

We've been here before, of course. Ipswich made flying starts to their first two seasons in League One only to be derailed come October.

That's why optimism has to remain cautious.

McKenna's feet certainly remain grounded. He started talking about Tuesday night's trip to Burton in only the fourth sentence of this post-match assessment.