Leiston boss Glenn Driver is looking forward to his side pitting their skills up against a youthful Ipswich Town team tonight in the Suffolk Premier Cup, 7.45pm kick-off.
The Portman Road team travel to Leiston’s Victory Road ground in the last eight of the competition having already knocked out two Thurlow Nunn Premier division sides, Hadleigh United and Long Melford.
It will be a stiffer test for Ipswich at Leiston however – a Step 3, Bostik Premier side packed with experience.
“We are looking forward to Ipswich coming to our place again,” Driver said – Leiston beat the Blues 6-2 in the same competition last season.
“It will be mostly youngsters, we know that. But it will still be a test for us, although I think it will be just as big a test for them to be honest.
“It’s good for their young players to come up against a side like us. We have lots of experience and our physicality will be something they are probably not used to.”
MORE: Leiston fluff their lines against Worthing on Saturday
Driver added: “I’ve got a lot of time for the academy coaches at Ipswich. I play Vets football with Kieron Dyer and Titus Bramble, who are both at the academy to.
“We played Worthing on Saturday, they had three young Brighton academy lads in their team. This level of football is a good test for them.”
The Suffolk Premier Cup, is just that, the county’s premier cup competition.
Needham Market are the current champions having beaten Lowestoft Town in last season’s final. Leiston have never won the competition, but have been runners-up on four occasions, something Driver is desperate to change.
“We want to win the Cup,” he said. “And you will see that by the strength of my team I put out on Tuesday. It’s a great competition and I’m always glad to see Ipswich Town supporting it.”
Ipswich’s side will be a young one, but Leiston chairman Andy Crisp said tonight is much more than just what happens on the pitch.
“I think it’s important Ipswich Town always look to enter the competition,” Crisp said.
“In recent years there have been one or two seasons where they haven’t. But they are back in it now and that’s great. It’s showing respect to the non-league game in this area that the local professional club supports the competition.”
Ipswich Town have won the Suffolk Premier Cup on five occasions, the last time in 2010, the first in 1968.
The other ties at this quarter-final stage are being played next week. They are Haverhill Rovers v Kirkley, Brantham v Bury and Needham Market v Felixstowe & Walton.
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