Bromley boss Andy Woodman hailed his side’s on-penalties victory over the Blues in round one of the Carabao Cup at Hayes Lane as “an amazing result” and one the League Two club shouldn’t underestimate.
The tie ended 1-1 after 90 minutes with the Ravens winning the shootout 5-4, the Blues’ third penalties defeat in a year, following the Carabao Cup exit at AFC Wimbledon last year and the FA Cup loss at Nottingham Forest in March.
"It’s an amazing result, we shouldn’t underestimate it,” Woodman told This Is Local London after his club’s first ever win in the competition.
"That’s an Ipswich side that played in the Premiership last year, with an abundance of quality throughout.
"I thought they put out a strong team as well, I thought we were unlucky not to get it in the 90 minutes. That said my goalkeeper [Sam Long] made a couple of big saves as well.
"So, I’m not that sort of biased but I was disappointed we didn’t just nick another goal, but fantastic to go through.”
Woodman outlined what he had told his players prior to the match, the first ever meeting between the clubs.
"Pretty much the same all the time,” he added. "Show them a level of respect, but don’t roll over and just say, come in here and nick all our crown jewels and go home with the win. Let’s go out and give it a count of ourselves.
"And that is pretty much me, to be honest. I mean I’m probably not a household name as a manager in everyone’s eyes, but I’ll tell you one thing, my team and I, we work our socks off to make sure we cover everything.”
Regarding his squad, which finished 11th in League Two in the club’s first season in EFL last season, the former keeper continued: "Just a group of players, they’re proper on it, they’re non-stop these boys, they’re relentless, I’ve got to give credit to them, they work their socks off everyday and we’re fit, my staff are on it.
"It’s a credit to them, they’re professional footballers that are grafting and wanting to achieve something.”
He added: "I’ve had a lot of special moments at this football club, every time there seems to be another bit of history written, we seem to re-write it and long may it continue.
"I’m proud as punch to be manager at this football club, I’m proud as punch to be giving this town this journey we’re on and we’re on another journey and it's great.”
Woodman, who came through the ranks alongside his close friend Gareth Southgate at Crystal Palace in the 1990s, he was the former England manager’s best man at his wedding, before going on to play for Northampton, Colchester, Brentford and Oxford and many others, is hoping for a Premier League club in round two.
"Let’s get a big Prem one away, if there’s a big one in there,” he said. "I wouldn’t even know who’s in it, but of course we’d love to get a big draw away from home, that would be nice.”