Town manager Paul Jewell felt a 1-1 draw was the least his side deserved from their opening Championship game against Blackburn at Portman Road. Jason Lowe’s late own goal equalised Colin Kazim-Richards’s debut goal for the visitors before the break.
Jewell said: "I think the least we deserved was a draw, not because we were brilliant on the ball, but through our endeavour.
"We passed the ball a little bit slowly, a bit like we did on Tuesday [in the first half]. But they made it difficult for us. After we conceded a bad goal from a set play, they sat in there, but you can’t fault our lads for their effort.
"I don’t think there were too many negatives today,” he continued. "I thought we were going to have to extend the programme to fit in their squad.
"They are a quality team and they made it difficult for us. They’re going to be right up there, there’s no doubt about it in my mind.”
The Blues boss was always confident his side would have the stamina to keep battling until the end, despite the heat: "We had to keep going and I said at half-time that if we keep going we’ll finish strongly because we’re certainly a fit team, and we finished the game the stronger.
"We’ve got a really young and athletic [midfield], Lee Martin’s athletic, Carlos and Cressy are, so I didn’t think we would wilt, but it was really hot out there.
"We didn’t play great but we got something out of the game when maybe in the past we wouldn’t have done.”
Jewell was delighted with the impression Jason Scotland made from the bench: "He’s got that touch of quality.
"He might be able to finish too many 90-minute games but he’s certainly been an impact player for us, coming off the bench or playing for some part of the game because he’s got that touch of quality and makes us play a little bit.
"The conditions today were so difficult with the heat and [I’m pleased] to come from a goal behind. I can’t tell you how hot it is out there.”
The negative was yet another set piece goal conceded with Jewell increasingly exasperated: "What can you do? Other than go out there and head it away myself I don’t know what else I can do.
"It doesn’t matter how good or bad the opposition is, or how good you are between the two boxes, if you don’t defend set plays or don’t make the most of your set plays, like we did in the last minute, it can cost you the game.”
Overall, the Liverpudlian was content with the first afternoon of the Championship season: "I’m satisfied as we got something out of the game. You’re never happy. We want to play better, we want to win games but this league is as competitive as it’s ever going to be.
"We go to Watford on Tuesday, that’s going to be another big test and, as Blackburn will know and the other teams that have come down will find out, you don’t get an easy game in the Championship.”
In terms of adding players before the trip to Vicarage Road, Jewell said: "We might have Jay Emmanuel-Thomas back!” he joked.
"The only time I’m not trying to get a new player is when the game’s on. We’re trying to improve the squad, everyone knows that, it’s about being patient all summer and getting the right ones that will take us forward.
"We’ve got a good group at the minute, we’ve got a small squad, we need to improve that as we go along as we’re going to have injuries and everything else. We need to improve it, no doubt about that.”
As for the bid he made on Thursday, believed to be for Derby striker Steve Davies, he says it has been turned down: "That’s been rejected.”
Blackburn boss Steve Kean thought his team might have won: "We’re a bit disappointed, to be totally honest. We feel that we controlled the game for the first hour and got our noses in front.
"There was a big turning point in the game. If Colin Kazim-Richards’s chip drops into the net, we’re probably going away with three points.
"Having said that, the Ipswich side, who I saw in midweek playing against Bristol Rovers, they’re well organised, have lots of good players and there won’t be many teams who come here and get three points. I must give credit to Ipswich, they were excellent.”