Ipswich Town began their Championship season this afternoon with a home 1-1 home draw with Blackburn Rovers.

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Tony Mowbray is in charge of today’s visitors, with the former Ipswich defender returning to face his former club.

But all eyes will be on Hurst.

“I’m excited and I will be very proud when I walk out,” the new Ipswich boss said. “I want the team to give a good account of themselves, play with energy, play with a bit of freedom and get the fans onside.

“It’s a new start. Everyone is talking about optimism and a new era. That’s great, but we’ve got to try and keep that going. We’ve got to produce and give the fans something to shout about.

“The opening day is always exciting for everyone. I’m sure there will be chats about ‘can we get promoted, can we do this and can we do that?’ Rightly so. That’s why we love football, because you’re never quite sure what’s going to happen.

“You might have the biggest budget that gives you a great chance of getting promoted, but that doesn’t always go hand-in-hand.

“We’d love to get off to a winning start and get those first three points on the board, but we know we are going up against a team that is used to winning and will want to put their mark on being back in the Championship.”