Luke Garbutt has said his new Ipswich Town team mates are “itching to get the season started” after their pre-season campaign ended with a 0-0 draw at Cambridge United.
This afternoon’s friendly ended in anything but after Flynn Downes was shown a straight red card for headbutting Paul Lewis in a late flashpoint that saw Cambridge’s Jabo Ibehre also given his marching orders.
While keen not to discuss the incident, Garbutt said manager Paul Lambert was overall pleased with his side’s second-half showing which saw James Norwood and Downes both denied by smart saves from Callum Burton.
The Everton loanee, who came on at half-time, said: "I thought we started a little bit slow and then second half, we upped it and created a few chances and the gaffer was pleased with how we played in the second half. We need to be a little bit more clinical in front of goal - which will come.”
When asked about Downes’s late red card and the reaction after the match in the dressing room, Garbutt said: "I can’t really comment on the issue to be honest. I’ll leave that to whoever deals with that type of thing.
"From my point of view, I just wanted to focus on the game and that was a little bit of a situation that arose. I think all parties are dealing with it.
"Flynn played well, he’s a good player. His performance was good, he was his usual self, energetic, up and down - that’s all I can comment on.”
Downes appears unlikely to face further action unless the FA investigate the incident.
Garbutt, who is expected to start at Burton Albion in next weekend’s League One curtain-raiser, added: "The team has done five or six weeks of pre-season and they are all just itching to get the season started.”