Kieran McKenna has transformed Ipswich from a mid-table League One side to a powerhouse on the brink of Premier League promotion.

It's been 22 long years since the Tractor Boys were last in the top flight, a relegation season that saw them go down alongside Derby County and this term's Championship winners, Leicester City.

George Burley was manager, Marcus Bent was top goalscorer with 10 goals, while Hermann Hreidarsson and talkSPORT's Matt Holland were first team regulars.

Now, Town are just one game away from sealing an incredible return to the big time following their win over Coventry City on Tuesday - and the job McKenna has done deserves all the plaudits.

Rewind just three years and some Ipswich fans protested outside of their club's training ground, letting off flares to disrupt the players' preparations - an uncharacteristic move for the Town faithful who had clearly had enough of being stuck in the third tier.

Ipswich sat 12th in League One, having won just two of their last seven matches, with manager Paul Lambert under increasing pressure.

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The ex-Aston Villa boss was sacked soon after, with Paul Cook coming in and leading Town to end that season in ninth place.

Ahead of the 2021/22 season, Cook oversaw a major turnover in both the playing squad and coaching staff - backed by the club's new US owners - which involved introducing 19 new stars.

Two wins in 10 games at the start of the campaign saw Cook lose his job, though, with him bemoaning what he believed was an expectation for him to achieve 'instant success'.

Ironically, his successor went on to do exactly that.

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