Following the Potters’ 1-0 loss at Portman Road on Wednesday night, Stoke City boss Mark Robins declared that finishing ahead of Ipswich Town will gain you promotion this season.
Jaden Philogene’s spectacular second-minute strike proved the difference between the two teams, as Staffordshire suffered their third loss in a row and fifth in six meetings.
Robins’ side has already dropped out of the Championship play-off places despite a good start to the season before their current slump.
Defeats to Sheffield United and Hull City, combined with this latest loss to the Tractor Boys, have propelled Kieran McKenna’s team above Stoke in the rankings.
The two clubs are presently separated by four points, with both fighting for promotion to the Premier League.
Stoke City boss Mark Robins’ concerns Ipswich Town Promotion Claim
Robins feels that Stoke and Ipswich share many parallels in their playing styles, and that anyone who finishes ahead of the Suffolk club will be promoted to the Premier League this season.
The 55-year-old lauded his team’s performance despite the setback, notably their reaction to falling behind a goal so early, admitting there wasn’t much between the two sides.
“They are a really good team, and we said before the game that whoever finishes above Ipswich will be promoted,” Robins remarked on Stoke’s official X feed.
“So, they’re a tremendously good squad, they’re very well-coached, and there are many similarities between what they do and what we do.
“The problem for us tonight was Philogene scored a worldie from that position, which is a really good bit of play.”
“We make a mistake with the press, they get into a good position, he sets up, and he puts it in the top corner.
“This is the difference after two minutes.
“We didn’t fold like we did like a pack of cards on Saturday, that was a good thing.”
Stoke have dropped to seventh in the table after a 1-0 loss at Portman Road on Wednesday night, one point behind the play-off places after 20 games.
Robins is approaching his first year anniversary with the club, having signed on New Year’s Day 2025.
The Potters ended 18th in the table the previous season following a catastrophic first half in which two different managers – Steven Schumacher and Narcis Pelach – were fired before Robins arrived.
Ipswich Town will be in the automatic promotion mix this season—they’re too good not to be.
Ipswich had a tough start to the season under Kieran McKenna, whose new-look side had some teething problems, but they are now demonstrating why the likes of Robins are making such boasts about their promotion chances.
The Tractor Boys have dropped out of the Premier League and will be looking to return to the top level, and considering the money they re-invested after selling stars like Liam Delap and Omari Hutchinson, they could have done much better a lot sooner.
Philogene’s goal demonstrates the Suffolk team’s class, and why finishing ahead of them will be critical to securing automatic promotion.
Stoke must regroup after this defeat, take positives from their performance, and go again at the weekend, as they must halt their losing streak swiftly to prevent dropping out of top two contention.
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