Winger Tommy Oar and his Town team-mates are glad to have the opportunity to play in tonight’s FA Cup third round replay at Portsmouth.
Boss Mick McCarthy has said he didn’t want the tie to go to a second game because it adds to the workload for his promotion-chasing squad, but fringe men like Oar see it as a valuable opportunity to get closer to full match fitness.
The 24-year-old Australian international, who arrived at Portman Road last summer via a five-year stint with Dutch top-flight club Utrecht, scored his first Ipswich goal in the first game that ended 2-2 thanks to substitute Ryan Fraser’s 88th minute equaliser.
Oar said: "Most of the boys who played in the first game haven’t really played many minutes and even though it’s an extra game for the club it’s probably a much-needed game for a lot of us so we’ve no complaints about that.
"To score my first goal for Ipswich was a special moment for me but in general it wasn’t our best performance.
"There were a few areas where I was a bit sloppy as well, but having not played 90 minutes for a long time it’s always difficult to get back into the match rhythm.
"Having now got that under my belt, I will be better for the experience, so hopefully I can show that at Portsmouth.
"I wasn’t nervous in the first game. I think that’s the wrong word. I would say I was a little bit anxious, probably trying too hard to impress. I think that was my problem.
"Portsmouth played really well last week and I think we really struggled to put a lot of pressure on them.
"They kept the ball exceptionally well but I think this time there will be no surprises and we know exactly what to expect from them.
"We know what we have to do to counteract their way of playing as well, so hopefully we can get off to a good start and set the tone early.
"Was I surprised at how much they pushed us in the first game? No, not really. We watched footage of them before the game and we all knew it was going to be tough.
"I don’t think it was just the difficulty of the game; I was more impressed by their style of football.
"When people talk about League Two in Australia I would have thought it would be very direct and very physical, but the way they played was more like what I experienced in the Eredivisie in Holland.
"It was great to see but from our perspective we will be a bit better prepared this time and will be looking to make it a bit more difficult for them.
"The fact that we will meet a Premier League club in the fourth round gives us an added incentive to win the game and it would be fantastic if we got through to play Bournemouth. Everybody would love to have that game at home and I’m sure the supporters would as well, so fingers crossed.”
Meanwhile, Oar believes he made the right choice in signing for Ipswich — and McCarthy — last year.
He added: "The manager is a really good people person. He has high expectations of everybody and that has been a key to our success.
"We train the way we play and I think that’s how he works, making sure you have to be sharp every single day in training. It creates a very professional, competitive atmosphere so it’s good.
"I always wanted to come to England and play football. As a kid I was always watching English football on television. I loved my time in Holland but I always saw it as a bit of a stepping stone to hopefully get to England.
"Coming to a club like Ipswich is perfect for me because it’s a great club with a lot of history and also very ambitious, and it’s great to be a part of it.”