Bristol Rovers first-team coach Andy Mangan was pleased with his side’s performance during last night’s Carabao Cup tie, despite falling to a 2-0 defeat to what he felt was a “fantastic” Town team.
Debutant Jack Taylor and substitute Sone Aluko were on target for the Blues, who will face League One Reading in round two.
"Obviously the result could've been better,” Mangan, who was standing in for boss Joey Barton, who is serving a stadium ban, told BBC Radio Bristol. "Being beaten 2-0, two crosses coming in.
"But I thought the performance for periods was really, really positive. We're into an eight-week cycle at the moment where we've decided to change the way we play a little bit.
"We've decided that we can be a little bit more efficient but there are so many positives, we've just got to be better in certain areas on the counter.
"Mentality-wise, when obviously Ipswich had the ball I believe our shape at times was really difficult to break down. Our lads have got to trust the process and be confident in those situations. All in all, apart from the goals, a positive performance.”
Mangan swapped Scott Sinclair for striker John Marquis at half-time, which gave the Gas more of a threat in the second half.
"If we do it first half then they're able to react and change their shape so it can affect ours, so sometimes you have to wait until half-time,” he explained. "They come out and it takes a period of time to react and I believe that worked.
"We had more chances in the first period of the second half. Like I said, we've just got to be better in those moments.
"But loads of positives. I thought we played ever so well. I thought we were brave on the ball. I think the lads have taken all the information on and there are positive signs. I think we'll be really good this season.”
Mangan was pleased with the way the Pirates counter-attacked, something he says they have been putting time into.
"It's work on the training ground,” Mangan added. "It's that belief when you're going in that you're going to score. We've got goalscorers in the team. We've got flyers in the team and we're going to be able to soak up pressure against teams like this and be able to hit them on the counter.
"It's up to us, it's up to the lads, to make sure that when they get in there, they're deadly on the Saturday. You just have to practice.
"We've got lads who can score. We've had a load of counter-attacks on Saturday against Portsmouth which we've shown them and we'll show them tomorrow when we get the lads in.
"The counter-attacks that we've had today, even at 2-0 down, [if] one of those chances goes in, teams get nervous. Goals change games as you've seen against us today.
"Congratulations to Ipswich by the way because I thought they were fantastic. They're doing something a little bit different themselves and I thought it worked really well.
"On another day, we maybe would've gotten a couple of goals but we haven't today and it's stuff that we need to work on.”