Town’s youngsters begin this season’s Youth Cup campaign against Sunderland at Portman Road on Wednesday night, with U18 boss Gerard Nash saying his team are relishing the challenge. 

Kick-off against the Black Cats is 7pm, with Blues attempting to win the trophy for the fourth time. 

The likes of Kyle Hammond and Byron Lawrence look set to be involved for Town, with Gerard telling the Club website: “Some of the boys won’t have played at Portman Road before. For the second years, like Byron and Kyle, they have a lot more experience playing there. 

“They’ve played in schoolboy fixtures and for the U21s. We will be looking for them to be the leaders on the pitch. 

“The Youth Cup is seen by the players as a massive game. They put pressure on themselves to do well. That’s kids across the country, not just the ones at Ipswich. 

“They will be playing at a big stadium, playing in front of the manager and TC [Terry Connor]. They will be playing in front of a crowd, much bigger than what they get on a Saturday morning. They will be playing at night, under lights. All those factors will test them. It’s a close as they will get to replicate a first-team fixture.  

“It’s a great experience and the boys are looking forward to it. It’s the next challenge for them and hopefully we can progress.”