Boss Paul Lambert praised both Town teams after last night’s two 75-minute friendlies at Colchester, which they won 4-0 and 1-0, their first action for five months, believing they played some excellent football. Lambert also outlined the situation with some of the players who were missing at the Jobserve Community Stadium.
"I thought some of the football was excellent from both teams [we put out],” Lambert told iFollow Ipswich.
"I thought we played really good football, I thought we dominated the games, which was great. We got a few goals.
"Five months is a really, really long time to not play football and all credit to the guys, to go and do what they’ve done was exceptional.
"I think our last game was Coventry [on March 7th], that seems a light year away and it’s been really difficult for everybody on and off the pitch, the uncertainty, not knowing what was happening, everything really which has affected the game.
"But to come back and train the way they have in a really strange situation [has been impressive]. And playing games again without contact is really strange, then you have to go into contact, there’s getting used to that again.
"As I say, big credit to the team, they’ve done great and I think that’s evident from what they’ve shown tonight.”
He says it wouldn’t have been a surprise if there had been a few cobwebs after such a long lay-off.
"There’s a bit of that, you’re never quite sure because after five months off we don’t know what shape the guys are going to come in in,” he continued.
"They’ve worked hard, throughout the last few weeks, they’ve worked really, really hard but the shape and the condition [they’ve come back in has been good].
"We’ve tweaked one or two things from last year, we have to go again, we’ll try our best to have success and we’ll try everything we can to make the club get promoted. We’ll try again and we’re a really good side when we play like that.”
As well as the five goals over the two games, there were clean sheets in both and it was a solid night all-round for the Blues.
"It was, and [they were playing] 70 minutes for the first time, it’s the first time they’ve played in five months,” the Scot added. "That’s the way you view it, but there are a lot of tired legs as well.
"We’ve another proper tough game on Saturday but it’ll be great for us, a great experience going to Tottenham and we’re really looking forward to it. It’s a great game.”
Lambert was pleased with how keepers Harry Wright, 21, and Adam Przybek, 20, fared with Tomas Holy on the sidelines with a shoulder problem and David Cornell not involved having only joined the club on Monday.
"The two younger kids done great tonight, they had two big saves just before half-time, so I’m happy with them,” he said.
"Tomas being on the way back is a big bonus for us and Cornell is coming in after having a really successful season at Northampton, so we’re looking not too bad.”
Also missing were striker James Norwood, defender James Wilson and midfielder Jon Nolan, along with striker Oli Hawkins who is short on training, also having signed on Monday.
"James [Norwood] is on his rehab from the injury he had last season, he’s doing well,” the Blues boss confirmed.
"And Jon Nolan has picked up a calf injury, which he did last year, which has been frustrating. The lads are getting there, that’s the most important thing.”
Looking ahead to Saturday and the friendly against Tottenham at their new stadium, he added: "If you don’t enjoy that and you don’t enjoy going and playing against that level, then you’ve got a problem. The stadium alone, I think the lads will be taken aback by it.
"But if you want to get to the highest level in football, you have to aspire to play that and, first and foremost you have to be good enough to play it, so let’s see if they realise what it’s takes to get to the top level.”