Ipswich are back in the Premier League after a 22-year absence!

Ipswich Town sealed promotion back to the Premier League after a 22-year absence with a comfortable win that also mathematically confirmed Huddersfield's relegation to League One.

Portman Road partied in earnest once Wes Burns broke the deadlock midway through the first half and Omari Hutchinson added a second goal just after half-time to give the scoreline a truer reflection of the home side's dominance.

The Tractor Boys, as they're affectionately known, were last in the top flight in 2002 and also become the first team since Southampton in 2012 to complete back-to-back promotions to the Premier League.

No wonder their jubilant supporters were happy to chant the name of their 'Messiah' manager Kieran McKenna.

There was an air of excitement and expectation in Suffolk reflected by thousands of supporters who turned to greet the team coach with blue smoke filling the streets around the stadium.

Ipswich only needed a point to guarantee going up and McKenna could not have wished for better opponents than Huddersfield who already looked certainties for the drop, needing to win with a 15-goal swing to avoid it.

Their manager Andre Breitenreiter had publicly criticised his players and made four changes for their final game.

Ipswich had eight goal attempts in the opening 25 minutes without testing visitors goalkeeper Chris Maxwell who was starting his first game of 2024.

The best opening fell to Burns who was played in by Conor Chaplin but got his angles wrong and slipped a low finish past the post.

But the same combination finally ended the deadlock after 27 minutes.

Chaplin had the awareness to find Burns on the right-edge of the penalty area and he fired across Maxwell into the bottom corner to spark jubilation among a capacity crowd.

News that rivals Leeds were losing to Southampton added to the feelgood factor and the home side nearly added a second goal before half-time when defender Luke Woolfenden stepped forward and hit a drive from 25 yards that Maxwell needed two attempts to stop.

Chaplin was also upset that he didn't get a penalty when he fell under a challenge by Matty Pearson.

Portman Road, packed to its 29,000 capacity, erupted again only three minutes into the second half when Chelsea loanee Omari Hutchinson wriggled free inside the penalty area and hit a low finish that Maxwell could only help push into the corner.

It was Hutchinson's 11th goal of the season and he celebrated with a nifty back flip. It was also the cue for all the songs to come out. 'Stand Up if you're Going Up' was hollered loudly with nobody left in their seats.

Left-back Leif Davis underlined the adventure in Ipswich's game by bombing forward looking for a third goal and going close with a volley that bounced into the ground rebounded over the crossbar.

Even in their final moment of triumph, Town played with a sense of freedom and desire for more goals, a tribute to their manager.

Goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky was probably glad to have a first shot on target to save from Josh Koroma after 73 minutes so he could feel part of it.

McKenna was treated with scepticism by some senior Manchester United players when he coached at Old Trafford under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Perhaps they should have listened because the 37-year-old Ulsterman is clearly one of the most gifted coaches of his generation.

It marks a momentous two years for Ipswich, who went up from League One as champions last season before becoming unlikely frontrunners for an immediate promotion to the top flight.

Former Man United U18s coach McKenna joined the club in late 2021 to replace Paul Cook, who was sacked after the team were left in mid-table following two wins in nine matches.

After stabilising the club in the 2021-22 season, McKenna's Ipswich took flight in 2022-23 as they finished second in the table behind Plymouth Argyle, scoring an incredible 101 goals along the way as they racked up 98 points.

The last time Ipswich were in the Premier League was the 2001-02 season, when they were relegated after finishing 18th having registered 36 points.