Town manager Kieran McKenna admitted a home draw was his only concern when he watched last night’s FA Cup third round ties come out of the hat, the Blues having been paired with League One Blackpool at Portman Road.
Third-round ties will be played around the weekend of Saturday 10th January 2026 and with plenty of games still to play before then, McKenna’s focus has been elsewhere and will continue to be for a while yet.
"At home [is the main thing], to be honest,” he said. "We’re not thinking about it at the moment because we’re trying to get through one really big block of games, but you look at our Christmas week and we go Millwall away, Coventry away, Portsmouth away in the space of whatever it is, nine days or something like that, with a home game in between.
"That’s going to be a really challenging spell, so a big priority with that tie was to get a home game, and a home game that we can win as well.
"I’m sure Blackpool will see it as a chance to come and get an upset and win the game as well, so we’ll deal with that when it gets here, but we’re glad to get the home tie.
"We’ll know quite a few of their players and their manager, so that will help with the prep as well.”
The Tangerines, who are third-bottom of League One, are managed by Ian Evatt, who McKenna locked horns with previously during his spell as Bolton boss and who was one of two Blackpool players sent off the last time the teams met in the FA Cup in 2010 when the Blues won 2-1 at Bloomfield Road.
Former Town midfielder Lee Evans is in the squad Evatt took over in October, as is one-time loanee Hayden Coulson.