Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna is excited by the prospect of having a good run in the FA Cup, but admitted that he won’t be looking too far ahead as his side prepare for their third-round clash against Bristol Rovers at Portman Road.

Last year, the Blues beat AFC Wimbledon at this stage of the competition, but found themselves on the wrong end of a huge upset in the fourth round as they were beaten at home by National League South side Maidstone United.

As a result, McKenna is aware of how difficult the FA Cup can be, but hopes that Ipswich Town can go deep into the tournament this season.

“I think it’s a special competition,” he said in his pre-match press conference. “We can’t get too far ahead of ourselves, we’ve got to make sure that we deliver a performance that gives ourselves a chance to go through.

“If you do that - when you get the privilege of coming in at the third round, which the club didn’t have for a few years – you’re not 15 games away from a semi-final, you’re a handful.

“I think that the third round, the first game for us, comes around at a good time in the season. It’s a chance to have a break from the league fixtures, you’re able to utilise the squad and get minutes into players who need them. That’s a big priority in this fixture coming up.

“But, if you can win one or two rounds in the competition, everyone will start to dream a little bit. Supporters, staff and players alike will all start to think about what’s possible.

Town were knocked out of last year's competition by National League South outfit Maidstone United (Image: Ross Halls)

“That’s not for now. Now is about preparing a performance, preparing a group of players who are going to go out there on Sunday and do our best to get through to the next round.”

Of course, Ipswich have one eye on the Premier League, having beaten Chelsea and drawn Fulham in their last two games either side of New Year’s.

With home games against Brighton and Manchester City on the horizon, McKenna will use the FA Cup as a chance to rotate his side, giving opportunities to those who have had limited minutes in the league.

“From a game prep perspective, it’s all been focus on Bristol Rovers,” he explained.

“Because we haven’t had a lot of training time during a busier Christmas schedule, then with a quick turnaround after this game to some important league games, the early part of the week was also about training really well, focusing on ourselves and our principles on and off the ball. What’s important for us as a team anyway.

“In the last day, we’ve certainly honed in more specifically on Bristol Rovers, the threats they’ll carry and how we try to win the game.

“It comes at a good time in general, the third round of the FA Cup, because the Christmas period in England is so busy. Whatever you’re competing for in the league, it consumes the focus.

“We don’t have a winter break in England, but a change is as good as a rest. It’s a change in focus and a change in mindset towards doing well in the FA Cup. That’s been refreshing over the last few days.

Bristol Rovers sacked manager Matt Taylor last month (Image: PA) “It’s a new competition to look forward to and a different type of opposition to prepare for. I think that usually comes around at a good time, and with the schedule we’ve got, we think it’s a good time.

“There will be changes to the team. Players will come and have the opportunity to do well for themselves and for the team. Hopefully they’ll deliver a good performance and make sure we’re in the next round.”

Bristol Rovers have had a turbulent campaign so far. After a tough start, Matt Taylor was sacked and replaced by Inigo Calderon, a coach from Brighton.

The Spaniard, taking on his first senior management role, has tried to adapt things to ensure that the Gas avoid relegation to League Two, currently sitting one place and five points above the drop zone.

“There have been big changes,” McKenna said about Town’s upcoming opponents. “It’s really common now, when you’ve done quite a few games at a club like I have, that clubs change a lot, unfortunately.

“You face new managers a lot. There’s been quite a big change, to be honest. You can probably see it in the appointment, the direction that they wanted to go to.

“The new manager has come in, changed the style and changed the system. There’s a change of key things in their playing principles and they’ve played some really good football.

“You can see that they’re trying to go to a bit more of a possession-based style, more of a technical style, playing through the pitch a lot more.

“We know we’re going to have to defend well and press well. We know they’ve got some good players, but they also have Chris Martin up front, they’ve also got big centre-halves.

“They’ve also got what we’ve experienced of League One teams. They’re generally good at putting the ball into your box and putting you under pressure, and they’ve got a fantastic target man to do it.

“We know the players really well, they have some clear threats in the squad. It’s clear that they’re going through some changes in playing style and we have to be ready for a couple of different aspects on Sunday.”