The National League leaders head to Portman Road this weekend, along with a remarkable 5,000 away fans, hoping to cause a famous FA Cup Third Round upset.

The Imps are on a high, having beaten League One Oldham in the last round and boasting a record of eight wins from their previous nine in all competitions.

Ipswich, meanwhile, have endured an inconsistent season, albeit three divisions up, and have not won an FA Cup tie since January 2010.

Former Braintree Town boss Cowley (pictured), who along with his assistant, brother, Nicky, moved to Sincil Bank in the summer, said: “Ipswich’s players will run quicker, jump higher and be more efficient technically, we expect all of that, but that doesn’t mean to say they are better people than us and have more spirit and togetherness.

“We are respectful of Ipswich Town but we have got to be true to ourselves.

“We are bringing around 5,000 supporters which is unique in itself – I can’t remember a non-league side ever taking that amount of supporters to an away game – and we are aware of our responsibilities.

“Our fans are giving up their hard-earned money to make a tough trip to Ipswich and we want to make them proud.

“Their support from day one has been magnificent, the team really connect with the fans.

“They travel in their numbers, come from a hard-working, working-class city and I would like to think I have a team of pretty regular guys who are honest people.

“For us, it’s about having no regrets and we will have to be really well-organised to face the challenges that Ipswich will pose.”

Town have taken three points from their last two league games, beating Bristol City 2-1 at home, before losing 2-1 at QPR.

Cowley attended both matches and said: “Ipswich have some excellent players and Tom Lawrence has been their stand-out players in both games.

“They have an experienced front two in (David) McGoldrick and (Brett (Pitman) and are physically strong defensively.

“I don’t know how they ended up losing at QPR and we are under no illusions how tough the game will be.

“If we want the success we would like on the day we have got to go to Portman Road and take the game stage by stage.”