Only a friendly but West Ham win lifts morale for Ipswich Town

Ipswich v West Ham: It might have been only a quarter full.

But Chris Hutchings believes the 3-1 win over West Ham has lifted morale for fans in and out of Portman Road on Saturday.

A section of supporters were growing concerned by poor friendly results and the fact Paul Jewell is still looking to add a few more new faces just two weeks before the new season.

And while one result and performance doesn’t change everything, Hutchings hopes it will lift the optimism before Blackburn Rovers face a significantly higher Portman Road crowd on August 18.

Town’s assistant manager said: “I would think our performance would lift the spirits of everyone.

“The way we passed the ball, the way he harassed, we worked on closing down and defended from the front with Chops (Michael Chopra) and Lee Martin – they set the tone for us.

“We were much more compact as a team and when we got it, we actually played some very, very good football.

“It wasn’t too slow or keep ball, there was a purpose in our play and that is what we have to look for.

“It is only one result in pre-season so we won’t be getting carried away. People will go away and look at the result and beating West Ham but we will look deeper than that.”

Hutchings, who revealed that Andy Drury (calf) is a doubt for next Tuesday’s Capital One Cup match at home to Bristol Rovers, praised the performance of the returning Lee Martin and Spurs loanee Massimo Luongo.

And Paul Jewell’s number two wants the current staff to rise to the challenge as the Blues boss continues to look for new signings.

Hutchings said: “There is not any news at this moment. We are always looking, we want to strengthen and we are doing our best to do that.

“The players know that as well, that should be a tonic to them to try and kick on. If they start in the side, they need to keep the shirt.”