Town’s U23s face Bolton Wanderers at Portman Road in their final Professional Development League Two South match of the campaign this evening (KO 7pm). Aaron Drinan, Chris Smith and Chris Goteni are among those set to feature.
The young Blues are set to finish either third, their current position, or fourth in the league table with coach Gerard Nash having been pleased with their efforts this season.
"I’m pleased with how it’s gone this year,” he said. "I’ve said it a lot of times, it’s always better to be winning games and it really helps I think in terms of keeping the momentum of the season.
"The U23s job, like the U18s job, is a very tough job because the team changes literally daily, weekly. You get a real mix of trialists coming in, senior players coming down, players coming back from injury.
"So, as much as you might want it to be a team, it’s not a team. We all represent Ipswich Town Football Club and you want the team to do well, but I wouldn’t read too much into the league table.
"Chris Hogg and I have certainly worked hard all season to prepare them for games as we would if it were a first team, but there’s a lot of things that go into a league table.
"If we were third from bottom, which I think we were last season, then I’d be coming in and saying the same things, so I’d have to be consistent on that.”
With the U23s more about development than results it’s sometimes the case that the better you’re doing as a coach the worse the team gets as players move on up to the senior side.
"Yes, and that’s what the job should be, if that isn’t happening then that’s probably an issue,” Nash reflected.
ðŸ"º | Town's U23s are in action against Bolton Wanderers at Portman Road this evening (kick-off 7pm)
The game will be broadcast LIVE on the #itfc Facebook page pic.twitter.com/b85DNeoNJi– Ipswich Town FC (@Official_ITFC) April 23, 2018
"Fortunately, we’ve been able to send a lot of players out on loan this year if they weren’t playing in the first team and certainly that’s been more beneficial for them than staying and playing in the U23s.
"But the players who have stayed and played have been professional and have done things properly.
"We’ve had a much better season than seasons gone past but it was never about winning the league or anything like that.”
With Nash and his assistant Hogg currently working with the first team for caretaker-manager Bryan Klug, Geraint Williams will be in charge of the team this evening. The visitors are top of the Professional Development League Two North table.
Admission to the Cobbold Stand only is free to season ticket holders with prices otherwise £3 for adults and £1 for concessions.