Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna says he hopes supporters can keep getting behind his team's brave play-out-from-the-back brand of football.

Following an international break, the top-two chasing Blues will look to make it seven straight wins when they go to Derby County on Saturday.

The approach, as always, will be to build attacks from the feet of goalkeeper Christian Walton.

"As a supporter you want to see the ball far from your net, so there can be tension when the keeper has it - that’s normal emotions, I understand it," said McKenna.

"There are reasons why we want to do certain things on and off the ball though and I’d just ask the supporters to try and enjoy the skill levels and the amount of work that goes into developing a brave, attacking playing style like ours."

East Anglian Daily Times: Goalkeeper Christian Walton is often the man who starts Ipswich Town attacks.Goalkeeper Christian Walton is often the man who starts Ipswich Town attacks. (Image: Ross Halls)

He continued: “Accrington and Burton recently both went man-to-man against us. If all 10 players on the outfield pitch are marked and you pass to any of them then it’s going to be a 50/50 fight ball. That type of scrappy game is going to suit the opponent more than us.

“So it's really important that we create an overload to be able to control the game as we do. One way to create that overload is for your goalkeeper to have the bravery to wait on the ball, attract an opposition forward and then release a spare player. Then we can move through the pitch and try and exploit that space.

“It’s a big part of why we have more possession than anyone else in the league and, more importantly, why we have far and away the most shots in the league, far and away the most expected goals in the league and why we’ve scored the most goals in the league. 

“If anyone wants to go through and see how many goals we’ve conceded in the last 14 months from building up then that would be there to see.

"We’re also the team who concede the least shots from high presses in the league which, considering we’re probably the team who build up from the back the most, says something."