Central defender Richard Keogh is hoping the Blues can go on an FA Cup run once they’ve overcome National League North Buxton in Sunday’s second-round tie at Portman Road (KO 5pm).
Town won 3-0 away against Southern League Premier Division Bracknell in round one to set up the tie against the Bucks, whose assistant coach is former Blues midfielder Tommy Miller.
The Blues have a less than impressive record in the competition in recent years, last progressing more than two rounds back in 2006/07, while they have won only three of their last 24 ties, having been on a run of 15 matches without a win in the tournament between 2010 and 2019.
Keogh knows that the Blues go into Sunday’s match against the Derbyshire side as red-hot favourites.
"Of course, it’s natural, isn’t it? They’re coming as the underdog to a great place like Portman Road,” he said.
"It’s a bit like the Bracknell one a little bit, although we were away from home so it’s a different atmosphere.
"Here, they’re going to come and they’ve got nothing to lose. They’re going to try and enjoy the challenge.
"I think they know it’s going to be a tough game and we’ve got to make sure that we do what we’re good at, and that’s making them feel the intensity, that’s making them feel our quality.
"We’re respecting the opponent but come Sunday we’ll be ready for the challenge and we’ll be looking to win the game and try and go through.”
Following the Bracknell game, the 36-year-old was filmed chatting to the Robins’ players in their dressing room.
"It wasn’t just me, it was me the manager and Samy [Morsy], the skip,” he explained. "I think that’s important, I think that’s the beauty of football, isn’t it? I started off as a young kid and the FA Cup was a big competition and I just felt it was fair play to them, they gave us a good game, but obviously our quality showed through in the end. I thought we played well and won.
"But it was just about showing respect, going in there, they were picking my brain and it was about giving back. Football’s about giving back and for me it was about going in there and if I could help them in any way and say ‘good luck’, I think that’s the beauty of football.”
Keogh says the ties have epitomised the FA Cup: "Exactly that. That’s why we all love football. They’ve worked so hard, I think Bracknell had to win five or six games before they even got to play us. To do that, respect to them, it’s not easy to do that kind of stuff.
"I think for us, we know the challenge, we know they’re going to come and try and frustrate the game, try and slow the game down, but it’s up to us to show our quality through and we’ll recover now, we’ll respect the opponent and we’ll look forward to the game.”
Reflecting on his history in the competition with his previous clubs, he added: "I’ve had a decent run. In my last year at Derby under Lamps [Frank Lampard] we lost to Brighton in the last 16. Had some good ties, beat Southampton [after a replay], so we had a decent run, probably the best run I’ve had.
"It would be nice to get as far as we can, I think if we can through the next round hopefully we’ll get a good test and it will be a good test for us. If we can test ourselves at a higher level against a team from higher up to see how far we’ve come as a group, that would be good.
"But we’re not looking too far forward, we’ve got to make sure that we recover well, we’ve got to approach the game in the right way. We’re all looking forward to it as a group and we want to try and get through.”
Do you start to appreciate things like cup runs more the later you get into your career knowing there might not be too many more chances? "I agree, you definitely cherish every game you play because you know you’re in the twilight years of your career.
"I love football and I think it shows when I play how much I love the game and how much I love playing for the club and my teammates.
"I go into every game, I love playing football and I just want to try and do my best. When certain moments come about you want to try and enjoy the moment a little bit more because you don’t know how many more you’ve got left.
"Hopefully you can keep doing it, but I’m enjoying it so far, I’m enjoying playing for the club, I’m enjoying learning off the manager, the group, trying to help in any way I can. I feel like I’m doing that.
"So far, so good, it’s been good and hopefully we can keep pushing and see where it takes us.”