Academy director Bryan Klug heaped praise on his U18 side after they defeated Southampton 1-0 in the home leg of the FA Youth Cup final to take the trophy to Portman Road for the first time in 30 years. Klug was particularly impressed with his defenders and goalkeeper.
Klug told the club site: "The boys were fantastic and really dug in for the 120 minutes.
"Southampton are a terrific side and probably felt they were unfortunate still to be level at full-time, but our defenders and keeper were outstanding.
"James Krause did well on the left side, Michael Synnott played in pain and was terrific, and the two lads in the middle, Chris Casement and Aidan Collins, were great for us.
"Shane [Supple] was superb as well, the double save in the second half was top class and they never wilted under the pressure Southampton put us under.
"But it shows the character the boys have. The whole team gave their all and, while we didn't match the level of performance from the first leg, the spirit shone through again and got us that trophy."
Klug says putting 15-year-old goal hero Edward Upson on the bench was a gamble: "Yes, we took a chance on him, but he's a level-headed lad and we were quietly confident that he would handle the occasion.
"He's got a good strike on him and he proved that - and what a place to prove it."