It was a historic weekend for AFC Sudbury in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup and they are said to be ‘absolutely buzzing’ to continue their journey into the second round along with Ipswich Town as Suffolk’s remaining two teams still on the road to Wembley.

Following Sudbury’s 3-0 victory over lower-level Bowers & Pitsea yesterday – which our photographer Mark Westley was there to capture at The MEL Group Stadium (visit here to purchase pictures later in the week)– the Yellows have got past the first round proper stage for the first time in the club’s history.

And they will join Joe Sheehan’s Ipswich Town side with an away tie in round two after the Tractor Girls steam-rolled MK Dons once again at Felixstowe & Walton United’s Martello Ground, putting 12 unanswered goals past their divisional rivals – including five for Nathasha Thomas, the club’s first ever international after recently representing Jamaica. It followed their 14-0 victory over them in the league at the same venue the previous weekend.

While third-tier Ipswich will travel to fellow FA Women’s National League Premier Division side Hashtag United, Luke Mallett’s fourth-tier AFC Sudbury side will make the trip south to face east Sussex outfit Lewes, both on Sunday, November 24 (1pm).

Hastag are the current leaders with seven wins and two draws from their opening 10 matches, comapred to Ipswich’s six wins from eight and two draws in an unbeaten start to leave them third in the table. Town lost out 1-0 to them two weekends ago in Felixstowe to bow out of the FANWL League Cup at the second round stage.

Sudbury’s next FA Cup opponents, Lewes, are currently seventh in Ipswich’s league with 12 points from their opening 10 matches.

AFC are sitting in seventh spot themselves in FAWNL Division One South East with 12 points again but from seven opening fixtures.

The ties involving the two remaining Suffolk teams are among 29 ties scheduled for the next stage of the competition, with winning clubs in the second round proper set to pick up £8,000 from the competition’s prize fund with the losing teams guaranteed £2,000 each.

‘Aboslutely buzzing’ – AFC coaches delighted as Yellows make history

AFC Sudbury assistant manager Stefan Mallett revealed the management team and their players were ‘absolutely buzzing’ still today after making club history in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup yesterday.

The Yellows saw off the threat of an in-form lower-league Bowers & Pitsea side with two unanswered goals in the first half before adding a third from the penalty spot late on.

Their Bermuda international, Eva Frazzoni, headed them into the lead just before the half-hour mark from Sophie Jefferies’ cross before Jess Allen pounced on the latter’s throughball to double the hosts’ advantage in the first minute of first-half stoppage time.

The outcome of the tie never looked in real danger thereafter and the cherry on the cake duly arrived six minutes from time when Yasmin Drake was upended in the box and, after dusting herself down, duly fired home from 12 yards to properly kick-start the celebrations in front of a crowd of 103.

“Overall reaction was really positive,” Stefan Mallett told SuffolkNews ahead of the lunchtime draw.

“Ultimately it was a game in which we planned for, having had those two weeks off (since beating Watford Ladies Development 4-1 in the previous round).

“We had planned for people sitting in a low block, not really coming to press us and how we break teams down and we did that and we controlled the ball.

“There was a few iffy moments from our side where maybe we weren’t as good on the ball as we maybe should have been and that’s where they got their one or two chances, one in each half, that I can think of. But apart from that we never looked in any way than keeping the ball.

“We kept them off the ball and they didn’t really have much going forward and I think we restricted that.

“Overall I think we did really well against a team that have not lost in eight games and are going well in the league. They are a good side and I can see why they’re in and amongst it in the league above; they played well.

“From our stand point it’s a cut-and-dry getting into the next round and it was good.

“Being coaches we have to be critical in certain areas but there wasn’t really too much to concede. We liked the way we built play up. A few finer tweaks and I think we could have had more and we definitely should’ve I think. But overall, absolutely happy with the end result.

“We are now into the second round which, like we said, we’ve never got to before and we’re eagerly awaiting the next opposition. Hopefully it’ll be another home tie; we like playing at our place and let’s see who we get and go from there.

“But look, we don’t fear anyone, we’re looking forward to it; it’s a chance to express yourself in a cup and it’s the FA Cup as well so we’re really happy.”

A five-star performance from Tash who picks up the @ubereats_uk Player of the Match award! ???? pic.twitter.com/LCFXec58fG

— Ipswich Town FC Women (@ITFCWomen) November 3, 2024

Tash was quite a handful yesterday ????️???? pic.twitter.com/3rwges61ka

— Ipswich Town FC Women (@ITFCWomen) November 4, 2024

Ahead of that historic tie at Lewes, having not got their wish for a third straight home tie, Sudbury return to Division One South East action for the first time in more than a month at Dulwich Hamlet this Sunday (2pm). Their upcoming opponents currnetly lie two places higher than themselves in the table, in fifth spot.

Joe Sheehan's post-match reflections. ????️ pic.twitter.com/3oGleMZfg3

— Ipswich Town FC Women (@ITFCWomen) November 3, 2024

It comes as part of two matches within five days for the Mallett brothers’ side, with Leiston St Margarets visiting in the MH Goals Ltd Suffolk Women’s Cup as the Yellows begin their defence of the trophy won at Portman Road in May.

Ipswich Town defender Cameron Burgess is embracing the competition for places at the club following his three starts in a row in the Premier League for Kieran McKenna’s side.

Jacob Greaves had been one of the Blues’ standout players in the opening weeks of the season, but a hamstring injury picked up prior to the Everton fixture has opened the door for Burgess to feature in the top flight for the first time in his career.

That is an opportunity Burgess has taken, with the draw against Leicester City also marking his 100th start for the club since joining while the Blues were in League One during the summer of 2021.

The Australia international was away on international duty in Japan when Greaves picked up his injury and arrived back late in the week before making his Premier League debut against Everton two weeks ago.

Burgess says he was delighted to come straight into the side and credits the work in training to maintain the level required to step in when needed at short notice.

He also added that, when both are fit, he is embracing the challenge of competing alongside Greaves for a place in the starting XI.

“That’s what you prepare for and what you train hard for so you’re ready at a moment’s call,” Burgess said.

“I was ready to take it when the chance came. That’s what we’re part of a squad for, we’ve got a big squad and a good squad so everyone’s ready to step in when they get the chance.

“It’s great, we challenge each other. It’s a tough position to get into. Greavesy’s settled really well at the club and done really well when he’s played, so it’s a tough battle but it’s an exciting one.”

Marking his Town century in style! ????#IPSLEI pic.twitter.com/JwXavomkN2

— IPSWICH TOWN (@IpswichTown) November 2, 2024

Dara O’Shea has been Burgess’s defensive partner for the last two matches, but the former Accrington Stanley man says the training regime means it is comfortable to play alongside anybody within Town’s defensive unit.

The 29-year-old said: “We work together so hard in training all week. It doesn’t matter who plays, we all muck in together.

“We stick to our principles and it doesn’t change when someone different is playing alongside you. We build up strong relationships through the week and that goes into Saturday.”

While admitting the jump from the third tier to the Premier League has taken place in such a rapid timeframe, Burgess says he believed he could make the step up and that the same mentality goes for all of the Town squad who have been looking for more minutes this season.

Full-time at Portman Road.#IPSLEI pic.twitter.com/qbVlicWkEq

— IPSWICH TOWN (@IpswichTown) November 2, 2024

He said: “It came really quickly, probably quicker than all of us imagined, but you have to back yourself at this level. It’s a tough level to play at, but it’s the pinnacle and that’s where we want to play.

“It’s a proud moment but it’s the same for all the boys in the dressing room, we have to show we can mix it at this level. It’s been exciting, probably the main thing. It’s the level you want to test yourself at.

“I’ve enjoyed it so far and it would be nice to get a win, that’s the next step that we’re looking for.”

On the Portman Road atmosphere, Burgess said: “It’s special. You don’t get to do it too many times. It’s a special place to come and play as soon as you step out on that pitch and the fans are right behind us. It’s brilliant to see.”

Read more: Burgess on taking positives from 1-1 draw with Leicester City

Town are still without a win after 10 matches of the season and have three difficult looking fixtures to come either side of the November international break.

First, the Blues travel to Tottenham Hotspur before hosting Manchester United and facing a trip to Nottingham Forest, who have started the season in terrific form.

“Let’s go and take it on,” Burgess said. “In the same way we’ve done beforehand. We’ve had some interesting games so far and we’ve got some interesting games to go.

“We need our foot to the floor, keep working hard and take them on.”

Ipswich Town defender Cameron Burgess says the Blues have to focus on the things they can control after they conceded a stoppage time equaliser in the 1-1 draw with Leicester City at Portman Road this afternoon.

Jordan Ayew slotted home in the third minute of added time to deny the Blues their first Premier League victory of the season, coming just a week after another late goal went against Kieran McKenna’s side at Brentford.

Leif Davis had volleyed Town into the lead early in the second half which looked as though would be the winner, but the Blues were denied a penalty kick in the same passage of play as a match-turning sending off for Kalvin Phillips.

Many Town players felt aggrieved with the decision not to award a penalty, but Burgess says he has not seen the incident back and is focusing on the performance on the field.

“It was harsh, but that’s football I suppose,” he said. “The positive side is that we put in a good performance and it does feel like a loss when you’ve picked up a draw. We’ll take the positives and move on, it’s one to build on.

“I get too caught up in playing the game to see what happens, but sometimes that’s how it goes.

“I’ll have to watch it back, I’ll get the chance to do that and see what went on. I guess it’s a disappointing one when things don’t go your way.

“That’s football and not for me to make decisions, but I think you can probably feel that way a little bit. It’s tough but that’s something we have to look at and go again from.

“I guess my take is that it’s nothing to do with me and I’ve just got to do my job. I’ve got too much to focus on to worry about that sort of stuff. I don’t see everything exactly as it plays out as I’m trying to focus on what I have to do, so it’s something I can look at when I get home.

“We were in good control [until the red card], we had built on what we had been doing for the last few weeks and it felt good.”

Burgess says the players have received no explanation from the referee on the penalty decision and that the Blues have had enough time to get used to the use of VAR in the Premier League this season.

He said: “Not so much on the officials side of things. The boys who were around it seemed to think it was a penalty and Conor himself thought it was a penalty.

“We definitely have had them given and given against us before. I was probably not best placed to see it fully and I don’t really have too much to comment on it, but I guess sometimes they go for you and sometimes they don’t.

“It will be a frustrating one if it was a penalty and it didn’t get given, but that’s football I suppose.

“I’ve had a few games with the national team that’s got VAR so I’m well used to it. We’re used to it as a group now, it’s part of football. We just have to deal with it like every team does and keep doing the things we can control right.”

Town are now 10 matches into the season without a victory following late drama against the Foxes, but the squad morale is still positive and the belief is that performances have generally been to a good level.

“Not for the want of doing the right things,” Burgess said when asked about the winless run. “For the most part we’ve been in a lot of games. It’s a difficult league, we knew that coming in.

“We’ve put in a good number of performances now where there’s positives to take and we have to build on that, it’s as simple as that.

“We know the job at hand is to put points on the board, so when we can hopefully get that first win it will be the start of something we have to go on.

“We’ve improved a lot and we’ve changed certain things tactically, but in terms of our work ethic and things we can control, nothing has changed since the day I came in.

“We stick to the process, we know what we can control and keep doing and we’ll go with that same process.

“We’re in a lot of games. We’ve played some tough teams with a lot of different tests on different parts, we’ve faced a hell of a lot of it. We’ll just stick to that and that’s what’s going to help us throughout the season.”

Burgess says there is no urgency to get the first victory but acknowledged it was something that the Blues are keen to put to bed as soon as they can, dismissing suggestions that recent fixtures against lower-calibre opposition have meant Town have missed an opportunity.

“My view is that in football it’s tough to get results, especially at this level,” the Australia international said. “It’s a case of controlling what we can control and building on what we’ve built on so far.

“Urgency is probably the wrong word. We’re desperate for the first win, but not for the wrong reasons, I don’t think we’re in a desperate state.

“We’re still learning the league, we’re still in a process of developing and improving. That’s what we have to look at and keep up with at this moment in time and that will stem us in good stead.

“There’ll all tough, every single game has it’s different challenges. You can only have 20 teams in the Premier League and that’s where everyone wants to get to, so every challenge is just as hard as each other for different reasons.

“Every game is exciting, every game is a challenge and every game has something you have to overcome.”

Moments before the late heartbreak, Burgess had produced a sensational piece of defending to deny eventual goalscorer Ayew when the Leicester forward dinked the ball over Aro Muric for the Town defender to clear off the line.

The 29-year-old added: “I was just putting in the work we do in training into practice, getting round each other and helping each other out. I thought Aro did really well to make him have to lift it and that gave me the chance to get back in.”

A veteran and founder of an Ipswich social enterprise has told of his excitement as an annual remembrance fixture returns for its third year.

Ipswich Town Football Club will give 30 free tickets to veterans for its fixture against Leicester City tomorrow, while a further five tickets were donated by fans.

They will meet at Bar Twenty One, in St Nicholas Street, before the match and will march to Portman Road to the tune of bagpipes, after a rendition of The Last Post by 86-year-old veteran Phil Hubert.

The scheme, known as Medals2Matches, where those in the armed forces are urged to wear their medals to the match with pride, comes from a partnership between Combat2Coffee and The Blues.

Combat2Coffee’s founder, Nigel Seaman, first launched the scheme in 2022 as a way to honour veterans and highlight the number of former armed forces personnel in the stands.

Mr Seaman said: “It is great to bring back Medals2Matches for the third year running.

“Medals2Matches isn’t just about giving veterans a great day out – it’s about encouraging conversation and shining a light on the heroes in the stands.

“Every year we hear stories about how the event has helped people speak out about their wellbeing – and that’s what it’s all about.”

Combat2Coffee offers employment and training to veterans and former prisoners.

In addition to its work with Town, the firm has also teamed up with clothing supplier Hoax, which has provided special hoodies for the occasion.

These will be handed out to both the veterans and the hosts of TownTV.

Combat2Coffee supporters and former Town players Terry Butcher and Russell Osman will be hosting a mental health talk in the FanZone before the match.

Mark Ashton, Ipswich Town’s chairman, said: “Remembrance is one of the most significant days in the club’s calendar.

“With Suffolk's strong military heritage and the presence of several key military facilities, it’s essential for the club to create a tribute and a matchday that honours and raises awareness for this important occasion.”

Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna has said a winger is ‘unlikely’ to play football again this season while an attacker is poised to return ahead of tomorrow’s Leicester City clash at Portman Road.

Summer signing Chiedozie Ogbene may miss the rest of the season after tearing his Achilles on Saturday in the 4-3 defeat to Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Harry Clarke is suspended following his sending off against the Bees but Omari Hutchinson will be welcomed back after missing out on the trip to London due to illness.

At today’s pre-match press conference, Blues boss Kieran McKenna said: “Chieo had a surgery yesterday, it was an Achilles tear.

“The surgery went well, he’s a really positive guy. He’s in good spirits but of course, with that type of injury, it means that it’ll be unlikely he’ll play any or much football this season.

“A lot of it now will be preparing for next season and anything beyond that would be a bonus.”

Right-back Johnson has returned to training after a thigh problem, which is welcome news for McKenna as Axel Tuanzebe (hand injury) and Clarke are unavailable.

“Ben trained a little bit today as well and did some set plays yesterday, so again we’ve got a judgement call to make with that one,” he said.

“He’s been out for quite a while, limited training. It’s going to be an intense game, but also he’s in a position where we need support at the moment.

Focused on the Foxes. ✊#IPSLEI pic.twitter.com/LDk491hJOm

— IPSWICH TOWN (@IpswichTown) November 1, 2024

“So, we’re going to make that call later on chatting to those players, who have had the session.”

Captain Sam Morsy was back on the grass this morning after the Egyptian picked up a hamstring injury in the Everton match which kept him out of the Brentford trip.

McKenna said: “He’s trained today, so we have to make a judgement. He’s missed since the Everton game really.

“He’s done one session, so he should be available for the squad, but in terms of minutes, we’ll have to make the judgement call with him and that conversation will be later on today.”

Working hard at PR ahead of #IPSLEI. ???? pic.twitter.com/ETPHELtTy1

— IPSWICH TOWN (@IpswichTown) October 31, 2024

McKenna praised Swedish midfielder Cajuste who replaced Morsy against the Bees having not long returned to training following a knee problem.

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He said: “Jens has come through okay. A fantastic effort from him, I have to say, great pride in how he performed but more so how he pushed his body more than that in the circumstances would have been ideal.

“Big, big credit to him, shows his commitment to the cause, showed his quality as well and hopefully he can stay fit now and if he can we think he’ll be a really important player for us.”

Dara O'Shea is also set to play despite recently playing with a back issue.

Jack Taylor and Jacob Greaves (both hamstring) are expected back after the international break.

In other news in the Premier League, Manchester United have appointed Ruben Amorim as their new manager, following the sacking of Erik ten Hag earlier this week, with the Portuguese’s first game set to come away at Ipswich Town on Sunday, November 24.

“It’s certainly going to add more external intrigue to that game,” McKenna said.

“For us it was a massive game anyway. Manchester United coming to Portman Road was always going to be a huge game and one to look forward to.

“Now they’re going to be led by a new manager so that’s going to add more interest to it and I wish him all the best.

“It’s a club I have an affinity with and I always want to see them do well but hopefully not on the game coming up and I’m sure he will be a good addition to the league.”

In the league this season, Town have failed to win their opening nine league games which is a club record from the start of a top-flight campaign.

It is five short of their longest such streak in any division, set in the Championship under Red Devils legend Roy Keane in 2009/10.

Meanwhile, Leicester and Manchester City are the only sides to have scored in all nine of their Premier League matches this season.

However, the Foxes sit 15th in the league table with two wins from nine matches, leaving them five points ahead of McKenna’s men.

Manager Steve Cooper is set to serve a one-match touchline ban after accumulating three yellow cards.

A Town legend and a passionate ‘superfan’ are to be recognised in the club’s remembrance fixture tomorrow following the death of Trevor Whymark and Tom Tomalin respectively.

There will be a one-minute silence and Trevor will be mentioned as part of it.