David Sheepshanks says he was "thrilled" with last night's near 22,000 Portman Road crowd for the U19 international with Germany. England won 3-1 with Town's Darren Bent one of the stars of the night.

Sheepshanks said: "I was thrilled with the huge crowd, the performance of our players, Darren Bent and Matthew Bloomfield, with the result and indeed the whole event. The record crowd for such a match of 22,000 is a clear sign of the huge enthusiasm for football that now exists in our area. It reflects very positively on Ipswich Town Football Club and the efforts of our Community Department's work with schools and our marketing efforts to supporters of all ages throughout the region."

The club supplied reduced price tickets to many schools with a lot of children attending for just 50p.

Sheepshanks said that England U19 manager Martin Hunter had praised the Portman Road facilities and staff after the game: "At the end of the night the England U19 coach, Martin Hunter came to see me to personally commend the welcome and attentiveness of Ipswich Town staff throughout their three-day stay. Hosting an international match is a major event and all the staff at Portman Road deserve credit for managing it professionally."

Town have previously held U21 internationals at Portman Road and there are hopes that a full match may be brought to Portman Road in the future, although the club say there is nothing definitely on the cards as yet.

Photo: Action Images

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