Emphasis is on winning

By Derek Davis

TONY Humes will put the emphasis on winning tonight as Ipswich Town start their FA Youth Cup campaign at Yeovil.

Emphasis is usually on development, not results, for the Academy stars in their league but winning will be everything at Huish Park.

The current crop of youngsters have a lot to live up to as Ipswich won the FA Youth Cup two years ago and went out to eventual winners Liverpool at Anfield last season.

Academy boss Humes said: “This competition is a bit special for the boys and the club. Usually we are about development over results but this is a football game where we will be saying go out and win.

“Self belief is everything in football and a good run in the cup can give the players that.

“The players will have seen from the success of two years ago how special that can be. Many of that squad have gone on to the first team and these boys can see that.”

A couple of the stars from that cup-winning side are still involved, with goal hero Ed Upson a likely starter, along with Jack Ainsley who tasted success as part of the squad that balmy night against Southampton.

Ollie Fenn should skipper the side that will include free-scoring Jordan Rhodes and the highly-rated Jai Reason, who has been shining in reserve games of late.

Humes has no doubts that Yeovil will offer stiff resistance, especially at home, but believes Town have the quality to win through.

He said: “We saw Yeovil beat Brentford to go through and they are exactly what you expect from a young side. They work very hard and they have some athletic players.

“We know they will come at us and give us a real game but if our boys play to their capability then I have every confidence we will get the right result.”

Ipswich Town squad: Plummer, Clemo, Webster, Robinson, Fenn, Short, Smith, Williams, Tooms, Nimmo, Reason, Upson, Leabon, Boto, Rhodes and Ainsley.