Jon Brady reflected on the Papa John’s Trophy defeat at Ipswich Town.
“It was a real tough examination for us tonight but it was a great experience for the young players,” he said.
“The result is certainly disappointing and you don’t want to ever lose to an opponent like that. We’ve made changes tonight and I knew this was going to be a real hard test for a squad with an average age of 21.
“We did try and press Ipswich and be brave but our timing was out and they played through us. I’d rather have a go than sit back but Ipswich sliced us open on too many occasions.
“We have rested some players tonight who are really important to us and I didn’t want to take any risks with anyone.
“Saturday is the most important competition for us and the league is where we will be judged.”