30 September 2023 , 05:00
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Marcus Harness is calling on his Ipswich team-mates to enjoy the moment rather than dream of winning consecutive promotions.
The Tractor Boys have won seven of their opening eight league games and winger Harness produced a hat-trick of assists as they came from two goals down to dump Wolves out of the EFL Cup on Tuesday.
But manager Kieran McKenna has told the squad to not look at the Championship table until after Christmas. And despite finding his reduced role as an impact player off the bench “difficult”, Harness says it is vital to revel in the present rather than look too far into the future.
“This is a special group, a special team, a special club,” he said before today’s trip to Huddersfield. “We’re just trying to enjoy it while it lasts and hopefully it lasts a long time. We always back ourselves to cause problems and I fancy us against most teams.”
That the 27-year-old is not throwing his toys out as he fights to reclaim his spot in the starting XI is also a testament to the mentality McKenna has fostered.
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Harness was a standout performer in the opening months of last season after joining from Portsmouth. But a torn meniscus sidelined him in November and he has struggled to get back into a team that has lost three times in all competitions in the calendar year.
“I haven’t chipped in as much as I’d have liked,” he said. “But if I keep doing the right things it’ll come. The lads have been playing so well, it’s just about me trying to keep the pressure on. It’s been difficult coming off the bench at times.”
McKenna has been experimenting with him in different positions on the training pitch. And Harness says a constant desire to innovate is one of the keys to their success under the EFL’s youngest manager, who is demanding a daily level of intensity that the winger has not seen in 11 years as a professional.
Harness added: “The manager and his staff are always trying to find solutions. I’m ready to be called on and there’s a few positions we’ve looked at. I feel I’ve been doing well in training but everyone is. I’ve never been involved with a group that trains at such an intensity, including the ones who aren’t playing.
“We’ve got a big squad, a lot of us aren’t playing much, but there’s no bad eggs. It’s a pleasure to be a part of.”