Stevenage defender says Boro are a team in transition and side is showing promise

Dean Wells expects Stevenage to come up against a ‘quality’ Ipswich Town side in the Capital One Cup whatever team Mick McCarthy puts out.

Boro travel to Portman Road on Tuesday for their first round tie having lost 2-0 to Notts County in their League Two opener on Saturday.

McCarthy’s Ipswich drew 2-2 in their opening league match against Brentford on the same day. They were two goals up after 90 minutes, only to then concede twice in injury time.

The Tractor Boys reached the Championship play-offs last season and will provide a tough test for Teddy Sheringham’s new-look side. However the last time the two clubs met, in the first round of the same competition in 2013, Stevenage got one over their higher-league opponents with a 2-0 win.

“It was disappointing to lose but we can take positives from the game, we had a lot of chances,” Wells said after Saturday’s defeat.

“They caught us on the break for the first one, and for the second it was a good shot which Chris Day did well to keep out and unfortunately it just fell to their man.

“We are still a team in transition and we’ve had a few injuries in pre-season – there is a lot more to come from this team. I think we showed promise [against County]; it was just unfortunate it wasn’t our day.

“We will go again on Tuesday night against Ipswich.

“It will be tough going to Portman Road, they’ve signed a few good players over the summer and they are very much a quality Championship side whatever team they put out.”

Two of Stevenage’s back four on Saturday, Mark Hughes and Fraser Franks, are new at the club this season, and Wells believes that despite the loss to the Magpies there is good work being done in the new-look defence.

Wells said: “Last season we had a few good centre-backs, and hopefully we’re continuing it this year.

“I think on the whole we worked well together as a defensive unit. Hughesy is a good organiser and Fraser played well at right-back.

““There seems to be a lot more talking this season between ourselves as a defensive unit which is a good thing.

“We are working well together, and although we let in two goals we were never opened up or cut open and we kept a good line.”