Defender Luke Woolfenden has welcomed the Carabao Cup fourth round draw that will see another Premier League side, Fulham, visit Portman Road following this week’s much-celebrated elimination of Wolves saw Town clinch a last-16 slot in the competition for the first time in 13 years.
"I’d say it’s a good draw,” said academy graduate Woolfenden. "There are obviously bigger teams still in the competition that everyone wanted but its another big test for us, although it will also be a game that we will go into with confidence.
"You saw how the boys played against Wolves, so whatever team the manager decides to put out I’m sure they will see it as another chance to go through by beating another Premier League team.”
The Blues return to league duty on Saturday at Huddersfield, who will have new manager Darren Moore in charge for his first home game after he succeeded Neil Warnock last week.
The former Sheffield Wednesday boss made an encouraging start in the job when a late, late equaliser earned the Terriers a 1-1 draw at Coventry on Monday night.
Asked how he felt the managerial change might affect things, Woolfenden said: "I don’t really know what difference that will make. It’s down to the gaffer and what he decides. I think they may be similar to how they were playing before under Warnock, a bit direct and keen to get the ball into the box, which is how Darren Moore wanted his Wednesday team to play.
"But the gaffer and all the coaches are unbelievable in the way they prepare for games, so I’m sure that whatever they want, we’ll execute it.
"Darren Moore is a manager we know, one that we have come across before, but he now has a different set of players to work with. But whether he wants to play the same way or differently, I don’t think it matters because we will go out and play our brand of football regardless.”
Woolfenden, rested alongside Cameron Burgess in midweek, had praise for both George Edmundson and Elkan Baggott, their replacements in the win over Wolves.
He said: "George and Elks were terrific the other night and there are players throughout the squad who have come in for the Carabao Cup-ties and done a great job.
"Any other team and they’d probably be starting, based on their performances, but everyone that comes in does his job so it’s a headache for the gaffer, isn’t it? But the competition is needed throughout the squad and I’m all for it.
"You can see the benefits from results like the other night or when players come off the bench in other games. If we didn’t have that some players might get complacent but there’s no danger of that at this club.
"The squad has been built by the gaffer for a reason. It’s for things like Sam Morsy picking up his fifth yellow card, which means he is suspended for the game at Huddersfield this weekend, so the manager needs to make a change and he will know who to pick.”
Speaking about McKenna, whose profile is far higher now than when he was appointed in December 2021, Woolfenden added: "The manager has done an unbelievable job for us. We were probably a club sitting 11th in League One when he came in and he joined us from Manchester United, the biggest club in England, so obviously the media are going to follow that.”
Baggott is another player who has impressed when given an opportunity and when asked about how far he thinks his fellow academy product can progress in the game, Woolfenden replied: "As far as he wants to go, I guess. He’s 6ft 5ins tall, quick, good in the air and good on the ball. He also plays for Indonesia so he can do what he wants, know what I mean?”
Defensive partner Cameron Burgess also came in for praise, Woolfenden adding: "Burg has been unbelievable since coming into the team. When the gaffer first arrived he didn’t get into the team for a while because of the number of clean sheets we had kept. But since getting in he has made the most of his chance and he has become a mainstay of the side.
"To be fair to him he has been unbelievable for a few months now and has also earned his international call-up by Australia. He is now showing a side of his game that a few people disrespected when he first arrived at the club.
"He has shown how good he is at not just one side of the game, which people tend to take for granted, but also when he’s on the ball too and a great example of that was last week with the brilliant pass that released George [Hirst] for our third goal.”
Turning his attention to the absence of Morsy from Saturday’s game, Woolfenden said: "He’s having a great season and he’s obviously disappointed with himself that he’s picked up so many yellow cards this early in the season.
"But there are players who will see that as an opportunity for themselves. We showed against Wolves that no matter who plays, we are a good team, because those players who come in can do other players’ jobs and everyone knows their roles, which is testament to the squad really.
"Everyone buys into it and you can see it in the training groups the day after a game. The standard’s unbelievable, there’s no sulking and definitely no bad eggs in the group. Everybody is fully on the one page and we’re all pushing forward to get the club back higher up in the league and who knows where that is going to take us.”