Kayden Jackson was delighted to help Ipswich Town to victory on a night of personal frustration in front of goal.
Jackson played a central role in the Blues’ success in front of the Sky Sports cameras, though he will have left Portman Road thinking he could have scored twice against Derby.
The striker’s anticipation helped force the winning goal as he latched onto Curtis Davies’ underhit back-pass, with Jackson skipping round goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith before hitting the post with the goal at his mercy.
Wes Burns was on hand to follow up and score the winner, before Jackson saw Wildsmith save his penalty after Burns had been brought down by David McGoldrick.
Jackson’s miss was the fourth penalty Derby have kept out in October alone.
“I think I could have been out there until 3am and it still wouldn’t have gone in, but the main thing is the win,” he said, speaking to Sky Sports after the game.
“It’s one of those things. You score some and you miss some but it’s all about us getting the win and the three points.
“We have worked very hard all weeks going into the game so we knew what they could bring. But we knew what we could bring as well. We have been working on counter-pressure since pre-season, winning the ball back high and that’s where the goal has come from.
Manager Kieran McKenna was impressed with Jackson’s display against the Rams.
"I thought he was excellent, I have to say," the Town boss said. "I know he'll be disappointed he didn't score the penalty, but that's a difficult situation because Lee (Evans) and Conor (Chaplin) are the designated penalty takers and neither of them are on the pitch.
"So it takes courage to go and grab the ball and step up to take it. The keeper saved it and that can happen.
"If he's disappointed with that then hopefully he can get over it quickly because I thought his all-round performance was outstanding. I thought he was as he was at Sheffield Wednesday, unplayable at times against good experienced defenders.
"That was one of the cleanest games he has had for us in terms of his hold-up play, his connections and, of course, his running and his pace.
"I thought there were some excellent individual performances out there and his was certainly one of them."
Jackson was named man-of-the-match by Sky after the game, with the Town striker praising the 28,000-strong Portman Road crowd for their role in the victory.
“This season the fans have been incredible,” he said.
“Fair play to them, coming in their numbers weeks in, week out. It’s down to us as players to give them something to cheer about.”
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