There are a lot of talking points after the first couple of weeks of the new Championship season, but the biggest is arguably Ipswich Town’s fantastic start to the campaign. The Tractor Boys are flying high at the top of the table and the Suffolk side’s odds on the Championship are getting slimmer, as they are now the fourth favourites to win the second-tier title.
Ipswich were a mainstay in the Championship for the best part of the 2000s, suffering relegation from the Premier League in 2002 and staying in the second tier until they ultimately dropped further down the English football pyramid to League One when finishing rock bottom of the Championship upon the conclusion of the 2018-19 season.
Climbing back to the Championship once you have fallen down to the pits of League One is no easy feat, but it took Ipswich longer than they would have liked to return to the second tier as they gained promotion on the fourth attempt last season — finishing a close second behind Plymouth Argyle on an impressive 98 points after winning 28, drawing 14 and losing just four of their 46 matches.
After their promising start to this season, the Tractor Boys will be hoping that they aren’t mowing around in the Championship for long. They started the season with a trip to the Stadium of Light and quickfire goals either side of half-time from Nathan Broadhead and George Hirst gave them a two-goal advantage over Sunderland.
The hosts got one back in the 86th minute to apply some pressure in the dying embers, but Ipswich held on for a massive three points to start the season. Then it was back to Portman Road for their first game in front of their own fans against Stoke City, and they certainly didn’t disappoint the 29,000 vocal fans as Luke Woolfenden and Kayden Jackson netted in each half for a 2-0 win.
Those who looked for Championship tips before the start of the season might not be surprised to see Ipswich getting off to a fast start, as many pundits and fans alike predicted that they could challenge in the top half of the table. But few would have put them down for one of the automatic promotion places due to the likes of Leeds United, Southampton and Leicester City being thrown in the mix after suffering relegation from the Premier League last season.
Of course, there is still a long way to go between now and the end of the season. Given the competitiveness of the Championship and the second tier’s incredibly demanding schedule, it goes without saying that a lot is going to chop and change in that time.
Those aforementioned sides like Leeds, Southampton and Leicester have far more quality and depth in their ranks, which will make a big difference in this marathon season. But Ipswich couldn’t have asked for a better start and now they need to keep building on that. The Tractor Boys could well be involved in the play-offs.
