Avoiding Humiliation. FA Cup, non-league opposition, TV cameras - all things that set up to conspire against Ipswich usually. The thought of embarrassment and humiliation lingered with me all day.

We know this Town is different. Kieran McKenna has a squad, style and relationship with the fans that we haven’t seen for some time. However, if we look past all of the highs of the season so far, we did fall short against a League Two side in the Carabao Cup once again. Was this to be another season of cup disappointment.

Thankfully, I am sat here this morning with a smile on my face. A small part of it is relief, but overall it is a nice feeling to overcome a challenging cup tie when history is stacked against us.

Let’s give some credit to Bracknell though. Whilst they didn’t ever get any control of the ball or create much in the way of attacking chances, they defended valiantly and kept Town out for over an hour before their energy died out.

Town started slowly and looked a little complacent for most of the first half. Whilst they were not threatened, their usual passing game was lacklustre. The pitch was not ideal for our usual game, however we failed to adapt and sent a lot of balls out of play. Both Dom Ball and Richard Keogh drove passes straight into the 2,000-strong crowd. Janoi Donacien couldn’t get into his usual rhythm and Freddie Ladapo missed multiple chances.

Where we were strong was defensively. Keogh, despite some bad spells in possession, was mighty in the box, getting his head on all of the few crosses that came into the box. The positive was that Vaclav Hladky, in for Christian Walton, had almost nothing to do.

You sensed that McKenna’s half time team-talk may have been a tough one. Town were a much better side in the second half. Whilst they were not under any pressure in the first half, 0-0 was a well deserved score line at the interval.

The passing, pace and energy went up a notch and ultimately the Bracknell players, many of whom are salesmen day to day, could not live with it.

It still took until the 68th minute to break the deadlock, but there was more control and patience after the break, so it was well deserved when it finally came.

Kane Vincent-Young, who was a deserved man of the match, was excellent at breaking into space behind the Bracknell right-back. His final ball didn’t come off in the first half, but this time he managed to drive a tricky cross into the box. You have to feel for the Bracknell defender who turned the ball into his own net. It was cruel on him, but Town were lining up to finish it anyway.

That knocked the wind out of their sales a bit. It wasn’t long before KVY again broke into space in a similar position and this time set the ball across to Ladapo for a tap in. Finally Freddie had his goal. He is starting to notch them more regularly which is much needed for Town, but there is a still a question mark over the number of chances missed prior to the goal.

At 2-0, McKenna started ringing the changes. Bracknell were beaten and there was no point risking injuries to players on a bumpy pitch when we have another big League One game against Cheltenham on Saturday.

Panutche Camara was one of those who joined the field for some much needed minutes. I was a little surprised to see Wes Burns and Conor Chaplin also came on, but it was the former who broke the offside trap and unselfishly rolled the ball to Camara to slide home his first goal for Town.

I think all fans are excited to see more of the midfielder as he recovers to full fitness. With Lee Evans set for a spell on the sidelines and Sam Morsy often one tackle away from a second yellow, he will be needed more as the seasons reaches the latter stages.

Another shout to Cameron Humphreys as well, who again looked composed and experienced on the ball. Let’s hope we can hang on to him for a few years as I have a feeling he will be a top player at this level and definitely capable of playing higher up.

At 3-0 Town probably could have pushed for more, but chose to see the game out instead. I think that was fair (although I am sure not the intention) to Bracknell, whose performance didn’t deserve a battering. A 3-0 scoreline and the timing of the goals was enough to show that they performed well and were ultimately seen out by the better side.

Just before the game, we learnt that Town’s second round opponents are Buxton, of the sixth tier. This time at Portman Road. Can Town oversee two potential upsets in one season? I would think at home we should be able to do so, but it’s the FA Cup so I won’t be counting my chickens just yet.

However it is the perfect opportunity to see us in the third round for what feels like the first time in ages. It would be great to get a Premier League side at Portman Road to test our capabilities and see what the future may hold for this squad.

Uppa Town

hyperbrit added 01:37 - Nov 9 very good appraisal ..top marks
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