Ipswich Town chairman and chief executive Mark Ashton has asked fans to “ignore the noise” surrounding the club and manager Kieran McKenna, as the Tractor Boys continue to try and find their feet in the Premier League after consecutive promotions.

Speaking in an exclusive interview on BBC Radio Suffolk’s The Blue Hour, Ashton said: “We have a very talented manager, who we worked very hard to re-sign this summer. I think he made the right choice and the best choice to stay with us.

“He is a friend, a colleague and a top manager who will move this football club forward.

“My job wasn’t really to persuade Kieran to stay – it was to emphasize the logic that we were the best fit for him. It was about focusing on the present moment and where this football club maybe.

“Some will say we are behind the other clubs in this league, but we are only behind them in terms of time.

“Rome wasn’t built in a day. We didn’t take a journey – we built a rocket. We still have a long way to go and there are going to be bumps in the road. This is not okay To be honest, we are in the biggest and best league in the world.

“Let’s just remember where we were two years ago, when we started against Morecambe in League One at home with a half-empty stadium.

“We must not forget where we come from.”

Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds