Kieran McKenna is expecting 'a good football match between two footballing teams' when his Ipswich Town side take on Charlton Athletic, at The Valley, on Saturday afternoon.

The second-place Blues head to South London on the back of victories against Derby County (1-0 at home) and Port Vale (3-2 away).

Ben Garner's eighth-place hosts, meanwhile, will be looking to bounce back from a midweek home loss to MK Dons (2-0) and return to the form that saw them recently record impressive wins against Exeter (4-2 at home), Portsmouth (3-0 at home) and Shrewsbury (1-0 away). 

"This is a different type of game and challenge, playing at The Valley, compared to maybe a Burton or a Port Vale away," said McKenna.

“From what I've seen they weren’t always getting the results that their play deserved earlier in the season.

“I think they are second in the league for most possession metrics behind ourselves. They play good football, keep the ball well and are progressive. Their creation from open play is pretty good. 

“I think it will be a good football match between two footballing teams who like to play in a positive manner. 

“It’s a good pitch in a big stadium. It’s another great game for us."

He added: “We're only a third of way into the season. The league table does tell lies at this stage. Things will change, definitely, over the next few months. 

“We can’t worry too much about what position teams are in before we face them. It’s about looking at their strengths and their weaknesses. Charlton definitely have some strengths we need to be aware of. We know it’s going to be a very tough challenge." 

Town started October with three wins in eight days against Portsmouth, Cambridge United and Morecambe. Then, following a home loss to Lincoln and Papa John's Trophy defeat at Cambridge United, came further victories against Derby and Port Vale.

“This is the end of a busy spell that we have navigated really well without the usual depth of numbers," said McKenna.

“We’ll go with everything we can to try and get a result this weekend and then after that we can give the players a couple of days to recover before some much needed and valuable time on the training pitch."