Town boss Paul Cook was left frustrated that his side once again got themselves into pole position and let that situation slip as they were defeated by Arsenal’s U21s on penalties to exit the Papa John's Trophy, citing individual errors.
The Blues were two at half-time in front courtesy of Kayden Jackson’s first goals in almost a year and looked comfortably on their way through to round three. However, two Arsenal goals in four minutes turned the tie on its head and the North Londoners won the penalty shootout 4-3.
Asked whether anyone would have seen the Blues exiting the competition at the break, Cook said: "You’d be a fool to say you’d never [see that if you’d been] following and supporting us.
"A really disappointing night. I thought we worked hard on the game tonight. We know Arsenal have got a lot of quality players, but we got ourselves in the most fantastic position but we end up losing a game we can’t lose, but we did. And that’s the most disappointing thing.
"The reality is, what have we really learnt from a quarter to eight until half-past nine that we didn’t know before the game? Not a lot.
"There are areas where we clearly know we have to improve on and within that personnel around the club that might feel safe sometimes, but that’s not how it works at big clubs.”
What went awry in the second half? "I’m not going to start analysing the goals we’ve given away, there’s no point. I certainly won’t ever get after people, I don’t believe in that.
"Like a lot of games, we’ve got ourselves in a great position and we don’t have the ability to be durable, to be honest, to be workmanlike and just see a game out.
"It was a game that looked like you could not not see out, we were really in control of the game. We had a good reaction after Arsenal equalised, but it was a little bit too much, too late, wasn’t it?”
He added: "For Ipswich Town fans, for clubs that want to be successful, you have to win games. It’s disappointing that we go out on penalties, that’s the margin of games.
"But it was a game we should never have lost and unfortunately for us, and for our fans, that’s where we are at the minute.”
One of the positives was Jackson’s two goals, his first since the start of last December: "Outstanding. I said to the players before the game, ‘Make sure you give me a selection headache for Saturday and certainly there were lads within that starting line-up tonight that 100 per cent have. And there are lads who certainly have just cemented probably what I already knew.
"You can’t speak highly enough of Kayden. Kayden certainly is the big shining light from tonight, he should rightly get the plaudits.”
Could he play in the league this season? "I don’t want to start discussing all the different stuff after games, we’re going from game to game.
"We wanted a three-game winning week, we were desperate for it. Three home games, three different competitions and wanted three wins.
"Unfortunately tonight we haven’t delivered it, it just puts us under that little bit more pressure to make sure we win on Saturday.”
Cook says there were players who gave him something to think about before Saturday’s home FA Cup tie against Barrow.
"Without a shadow of a doubt,” he said. "There are qualities within the team that we’re lacking at the minute and there were qualities out there tonight that would certainly help the first team.
"Tonight, that’s what we’re working [on]. We are a work in progress, I get sometimes the disgruntlement, I get it, 100 per cent, I feel it.
"Everyone wants to finish a race quickly and it’s just not like that. Sometimes it does take time, it does take what we’re trying to do. Within that you’ve got to manage disappointment and I’m well prepared to manage that.”
He continued: "You know yourselves, you know against Crewe when it got nervy, same again tonight. We make games nervy, we give ourselves problems in games we shouldn’t.
"We’re not under great pressure, we’re not getting pinned back and clearing it off the line. We have massive individual errors that keep costing us and until we change the individuals at times, then the individual errors won’t change.”
Is that something a manager can’t do anything about? "I wanted to genuinely say to one of our fans, the minute the Arsenal goal went in, they shouted at me. And I actually shouted ‘What about shouting at one of the players?’, which is natural.
"But I will always take it for the team, I always carry that. I’m sorry, I’m only be a little bit jovial, if I’m being truthful.
"When you want to be good, you’ve got to have a steeliness about you and an edge that you must carry. And unfortunately at the moment, we don’t carry that.”
He added: "Listen guys, we’re in the middle, like a lot of clubs, of wanting to get better and wanting change.
"We’ve made 11 changes tonight. Again we’ve put a team on the pitch that we felt was good enough, no different than a lot of stuff that we see.
"Yes, we’re in the position, we’re in pole position and we give the position up. And it’s something that when you try and create a winning culture and a winning habit [which will happen again]. Will we be in the lead again in games? Yes. Will we have to see them out? Hopefully so.”
He says the narrative of the game illustrates Town as they are at present: "It’s football today for us. It’s where we’re at. I think sometimes the fans and everyone probably thought we’d have one window and it would be magic.
"But when you’re trying to build a club and you want to go on and you want to be stronger and stronger, I think it’s clearly obvious that we’re going to need more time.
"But that’s something that supporters mightn’t accept and you feel our fans getting a little bit disgruntled. And I understand it, I’ve got no problem with it. But we haven’t got a magic wand that’s for sure.”
Reflecting on the positives, such as Tom Carroll’s return after just over a month out with a hip flexor problem, Cook said: "We had some good performances tonight, you watched the game. At times we looked good.
"We did what we wanted to do in the game, we created chances, we got in the lead, we got the second goal. And unfortunately the goals we give away, they just beggar belief, but that’s football.”