Following Tuesday night’s 1-1 home draw with Watford, the Blues boss dropped Ben Johnson, Cedric Kipre, Jens Cajuste, Sindre Walle Egeli, Chuba Akpom, Jaden Philogene and replaced them with the Leif Davis (back from injury), Jacob Greaves, Jack Taylor, Kasey McAteer, Marcelino Nunez and Jack Clarke.

Another way of looking at it, however, was that it was just three changes to the team that had started the 4-1 win at QPR seven days earlier.

When sitting down to start his post-match press conference, McKenna quipped ‘what are we starting with today, away wins or teams changes?’ in reference to a couple of the hot topics for debate recently.

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Asked, given that comment, if he had considered a possible backlash to his team rotation today, he replied: “I think you have to be strong. You know if we don’t win the game, then that will be the reason why.

“But I’ve said from the start, I believe in the group and that the group’s going to be really important for us. It’s how we have always worked over the last few years. I think we train in a pretty unique way and players have always been able to come in and understand the jobs and do the jobs. I think the games that we’ve made more changes this season, the performances haven’t dipped in any way.

“It’s not something that I can focus on. We have a talented group who are working really hard. It’s a benefit to us if we can utilise them all over the incredibly busy schedule that we have.

“It makes us a better team. It makes us a more dangerous, threatening team over the course of a 46-game season to have more players engaged, ready to step up at different moments from the start or from the bench.

“It’s good day for the squad, a good week for the squad, a good block for the squad. It’s good for people like Christian Walton and Jack Taylor, who maybe didn’t play in the previous block of games, coming in and doing well.

“I say it because I believe it – I think they’re all genuinely going to be important.”

Town move up to seventh in the Championship table, two points off the play-off places, with a game in hand to come.

Asked for his overall assessment, heading into the third international break, McKenna said: “I think it’s such early days for a new group still. The first four games were difficult. A lot of players arrived late, players leaving right up until the end of the window, lots of situations unresolved.

“I think since the first international break, and the group’s come together, the attitude and commitment from everyone has been excellent behind the scenes.

“I think performances have been steadily improving. Of course, there’s bumps in the road. We had a big bump in the road in this block with two losses in quick succession.

“But I think there’s been pretty steady improvement from individuals and from the relationships in the team and from the team as a whole. And we’ve ridden out one bump and there’s going to be more to come. So we just need to keep on that path.

“We need to keep trying to improve every aspect of our game and be ready to ride out the bumps in the road whenever they come. If we do that, then we’ll see where we are at the end of the year.”