Town boss Kieran McKenna was proud of his side’s performance, character and quality as they came from 2-0 down to beat Premier League Wolves 3-2 at Portman Road to reach the last 16 of the Carabao Cup for the first time in 13 years.
Jack Taylor walloped home a brilliant 25-yard winner after Omari Hutchinson and Freddie Ladapo had levelled two early Wolves goals.
"A great game,” McKenna said. "So much to be proud of in the performance and in the character and the quality that we showed in the game really.
"A difficult start to the game. I don’t think we started particularly badly, but the first mistake we made, the first time they had an attack, we made a little mistake and we got punished, and that’s the quality of the opponent. It can happen.
"And then a really good set piece from them and one area that you can suffer a little bit from when you make a lot of changes is your set pieces and we got punished on a set play and we found ourselves in a difficult position - 2-0 down to Premier League opposition with a really high level of player.
"It really tested us again as a group, tested our bravery to keep playing, to stay brave with the ball, to keep trying to play through the opposition.
"Tested our bravery off the ball having conceded two goals to keep jumping and trying to press high up the pitch, defend big spaces, defend one-v-ones.
"A great show of character from the group because we’ve been through similar situations with the players who have been playing more in the league, but tonight for other players to come in the team not having that match rhythm and that confidence of having been through all those experiences on the pitch, for them to show those same attributes, that’s a great reflection on their group.”
Town showed that they are capable of going toe-to-toe with top level opposition when they took Premier League-bound Burnley to a replay in the FA Cup last season.
"It’s a reflection of the work that goes on day-to-day by a lot of people,” McKenna said. "The intensity that the players put into training every day enables you to play at the intensity that we played at tonight.
"But from a tactical point of view, we try and work in a really consistent manner and all the players in the squad get the same level of care and attention and coaching and it allows them all to stay on the same journey and make the same improvements, showing that the players can stay ready and also improve from the work that they’re doing.
"That’s a great sign and I think it’s really important for us. We spoke about the Burnley game today because nights like tonight, we wanted to win, you might lose, but they can be really important signposts in the development of the team.
"And the Burnley game last year, probably externally people don’t remember it that much, but for us it was a big, big confidence boost for the squad and how we were working.
"And that was the goal going into tonight, that whatever happened, whatever the scoreline would be, we would stay really brave to our identity and test that against really high level opposition.
"When you do that that and you show that you’ve got that running through your whole squad, that’s a really good marker for the development of a group and of the club.”
Regarding Taylor’s superb winner, he added: "What a goal. He’s got some strike, he really has, you just want him to be the one that that ball falls to.
"But it was a well-worked goal, we worked it through the pitch well and once you get Jack anywhere within 25-30 yards of the game on his right foot, you know he’s got a great chance to test the keeper.
"I thought his all-round game was excellent, I thought he and Lee [Evans] were excellent in the middle of the pitch, probably the best they’ve been this season.
"They’ve done well in the other games but that was a really top performance from the two of them and for Jack to top off with a game, for Lee to captain the side against the team he was telling me released him, means it’s a really proud night for him as well, and a great night for the two of them in there.”
Forward Marcus Harness picked up a hat-trick of assists having previously played a part in the fourth goal on Saturday.
"I didn’t 100 per cent clock that until somebody told me afterwards,” McKenna said regarding the former Pompey man’s three assists.
"I thought he was typical of the team’s performance really. I thought he really showed bravery and character to grow into it.
"It wasn’t an easy start and there were a few little bits tactically going on off the ball that he was getting to grips with, but he really kept at it and stuck at it and grew into the game.
"A wonderful assist for Omari’s goal for the first one and his performance really grew from there and he was really strong until the minute he came off.
"A good night for him, another player, like everyone tonight, who has been working hard behind the scenes and waiting for opportunities to impress and, like so many tonight, he did that.”
Town will be in tomorrow’s draw when they could be drawn against one of nine other top flight sides who could be among the 16 clubs in the hat.
Asked what his side could achieve in the competition, McKenna said: "Let’s see. It’s game-by-game, let’s see what the draw brings. There are some massive teams and clubs in there, so we certainly can’t get carried away with ourselves.
"There are things to improve from tonight’s performance, but as much as realistically possible, we’re going to try and stay aggressive and brave with our identity whoever we face.
"Don’t hold me to that if we pull the blue side of Manchester out of the draw, but we want to have these big challenges and these big tests and challenge ourselves, so let’s see what the draw brings.”
Reflecting further on another memorable Portman Road night, McKenna said: "We need to enjoy the moments as they come. We need to enjoy tonight just for tonight.
"It’s the first time there’s been a Premier League team here in quite a few years, the first time we’ve beaten a Premier League team since when? 2011? Arsenal? That’s much better than this, so we’ve got a bit to go!
"So, 12 years since we beat a Premier League team. A good night, progress and regrowth for this football club again.
"But it’s a cup game, in the big picture of our season, the result tonight doesn’t win us anything and it doesn’t mean huge, huge amounts for the outcome of the season, but it is a really significant marker point for the development of the squad.
"We’ll take it as that, we’ll enjoy it as a sign of progression, we’ll certainly enjoy it, and the players are enjoying it down in the dressing room for the experience and the memories of that result.
"But I think the bigger picture is that we just need to keep working day-by-day, there’s lots to improve, lots to improve from tonight. I think we can still improve this group of players and this team a lot, so from tomorrow it will be focus on Huddersfield, on the next really tough game and trying to keep pushing the players forward.”