Ipswich Town defender Luke Woolfenden believes the Blues ‘should have come away with three points’ from their 1-1 draw at home to Fulham.
Despite not clinching a victory, Town are off the mark in the Premier League after Liam Delap’s stunning first goal in Ipswich Town colours was cancelled out by Adama Traore’s equaliser later in the first half.
Following two tough encounters against Liverpool and champions Manchester City, Woolfenden felt his side displayed their qualities against the Cottagers.
"The boys stuck at it the whole way through the game, worked really hard and are probably feeling disappointed that we didn’t come away with three [points],” said the 25-year-old.
"At the same time, it was a good performance out there, a lot of new faces out there, a lot of encouraging signs and something to build on.
"To be fair, in the first half we probably weren’t at it 100 per cent, but we still had enough of the ball and [enough to] encourage ourselves that we can get three points on the board.
"Don’t get me wrong, we’re not down in the dumps about it but we felt like we should have come away with three points there. I think [in the] second half, we were massively on top.
"[We] didn’t really create many clear-cut chances with shots but had a lot of good opportunities. We got into the box and it was just that final ball that was lacking at times.
"I think throughout the game we defended very well and [that’s] something as a team we can take great pride in. The way we work for each other when one of us makes a mistake or one of us gives the ball away is unbelievable to see.
"We’re probably a bit disappointed with the way we started the second half against Liverpool after being on top in the first half, so that was something we spoke about a lot after half-time – coming out, raising it again and we did that throughout the whole second half.
"Especially in the last 10 minutes, I think we dominated. On another day, one of the shots falls in, or the final ball is just there, or we’re not quite just offside, and we come away with three points.
"The first two [games] were tough but even then it’s difficult for fans to see that, but we took positives away from those performances. Today, it felt like it really did come into place.”
As well as Town getting off the mark for the season, so did summer signing Delap, who opened his Blues - and Premier League - account with a rifle into the top-left corner from the edge of the penalty area – and Woolfenden was full of praise for the striker.
"He’s been unbelievable since he’s come in,” he said. "He's shown real quality with the ball and with his pace and power up there leading the line.
"When he hits it, it stays hit. I’ve never seen a kid hit the ball that hard, but he’s got a hell of a strike in him and I’m delighted he’s got his first goal.”
Boyhood Blue Woolfenden admitted he is living the dream representing Town in the Premier League and he is pleased with the accounts he has given against the Premier League’s deadliest attackers.
"It’s a bit surreal to be fair. We got promoted so quickly, back-to-back, it’s almost a pinch-yourself moment every time you go out there and you line up,” he said. "It’s what you dream of as a kid and it’s really unbelievable.
"I’m really enjoying it out there, to be fair. In ways it’s almost easier for me at the back because we’re spending a lot of the game defending and you have to be switched on all the time, and it’s easier to do that when you’re not dominating games, you don’t have the ball up in the attacking third for two, three minutes on end.
"In some ways it’s easier and obviously the quality is higher, so you have to be switched on. In some ways, I’m enjoying it a lot more.
"It’s been surreal and the fans in the ground today, we can see it’s so good. They’re with us the whole way, straight away they didn’t moan where in previous years they probably would have done and got on our backs.
"I think they’re recognising what we’re doing and how far we’ve come, and that the only way we’re going to succeed in this league is if everyone’s together, keeps going and keeps pushing forward.”
The Blues will have to wait two weeks until they can go in search for their first victory of the campaign, at currently-second-in-the-table Brighton, as the season takes an early pause for the first international break.
Asked whether it is a psychological benefit to have their first point on the board ahead of the two-week break, Woolfenden said: "In some ways I think so. I don’t think we’ve been looking at the table too much. I feel like it’s easy to get sucked into that but we know the challenges we’re facing up to.
"It’s a boost to get the first point on the board, but had we come away losing, I think we would have still been positive and encouraged by the performance, and that’s the main thing.
"Getting points on the board is great, but you get them by doing work on the training ground and putting that into practice on the pitch.
"We might not have the biggest names and all that stuff, but at the end of the day, if you stick to your principles and you’re brave on the ball, there’s no reason why you can’t dominate any team in this league.”
On the international break, he said: "It’s a good time to be on the training pitch, it’s a good time to recover, get some boys back fit. We’ve got a really strong squad, it’s going to be difficult to get into the XI and you’ve got to work hard to do that every week.”