Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna says his side's performance in today's 4-3 home defeat to Leeds United should give everybody confidence for the season ahead.
The Blues took an early lead when Kayden Jackson's shot was deflected in by Joe Rodon, but a poor spell of defending saw them trail 3-1 come the 20th minute mark as Georginio Rutter, Wilfried Gnonto and Joel Piroe all found the net.
Nathan Broadhead deservedly pulled a goal back for Town right on half-time and the hosts pushed for an equaliser in the second period before Luis Sinisterra restored Leeds' two-goal advantage to render Conor Chaplin's late finish a consolation.
"I thought there was a lot more good than bad," said McKenna.
"There are so many positives to take from the game. I thought we were the better and more dominant team in so many aspects of the game to be honest, on and off the ball.
"There is lots to be pleased about. On another day the game could have gone differently.
"On the other side of that there was, of course, things for us to improve. There are big lessons to learn. Of course there is disappointment with the goals conceded in the first half, but that's part of the adjustment of playing against a much better team with much higher level players.
"We have to defend those moments individually better - and we will, we'll improve., we'll learn from those mistakes and we'll continue working to get better.
"I think overall there is so many things in the game that should give us confidence and belief in how we're working and the improvements we're making as a team, as players, as a squad and as a club.
"Rather than deflation, I think today should give us confidence to continue on that journey ahead of us."
Asked if there was a sense of 'what could have been' had it not been for that 10 minute spell of poor defending in the first half, McKenna replied: "Yeah. We had the game in a really good place. It was a really intense start, but we were competing, got the goal and from there we were in a great position to go on and take control.
"I think if we had have been able to do that for a little while we would have been able to build up a lot more momentum, but we conceded a goal straight away. It's an individual bit of brilliance from a player (Rutter) who is at a much higher level than what we've faced before as a team. But we can do better on that."
McKenna continued: "I know we're usually very good defensively, but I had a feeling today would be a high-scoring game.
"I think it could have gone either way. We could have had many more goals - I think we had 13 shots in the first half. It was nice to get the goal at the end because I think that was more of a reflection of what our attacking play deserved.
"From a defensive point of view we still did a lot of good things, but in terms of the goals conceded we know that individually and as a unit we can do better. I'm sure the players will go through that work."
Leeds handed new £10m signing Piroe his debut and reintegrated Gnonto and Sinsiterra into their side. It meant their front four cost more than £70m in combined transfer fees.
"They have got so many good players," said McKenna. "That's why it's remarkable, to be honest, if you look at it from an outside perspective, that we should - or we will - compete with Leeds this season. I'm not saying that's not our goal internally, but from an external point of view that puts a remarkable perspective on it. It's a good reflection on the work that the players are doing and the work going on at the club.
"On an individual level their talent pool right across the pitch is really, really high - especially in those forward positions. That's an adjustment for us to make. Again, the players will learn from these experiences. They will learn so much from that game and the opponents that they faced.
"It's an exciting place to be."
With striker George Hirst dropping out the team after failing a late fitness test on his ankle, McKenna said: "He wasn't far away. We hope it will be a matter of days. Let's see how he is for next week (home to Cardiff)."
In the absence of Hirst, Jackson led the line. He had a major hand in Town's first two goals and came off to a standing ovation in the second half.
"I thought he was excellent," said McKenna. "I've said it so many times since I arrived that I thought Kayden could be an asset to the football club because the qualities that he has could translate to a higher level better. He showed his work off the ball, he showed his ability to threaten space whenever we have the ball. I thought he was a real handful, a constant outlet and of course contributed to the goals and other chances we had."
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On the way his team responded to going 3-1 down, McKenna said: "The goals came so quickly after a good start and it would have been easy to go in our shells at that point, but we stuck to our plan and continued to be brave on and off the ball. That work got us back in the game and got us the goal before half-time which had been a long time coming with the 20 minutes that preceded that. It was great to see us going to the last whistle."
The Blues boss added: "I have to say the fourth goal was a clear foul, for me, against Samy Morsy. I think if it's anyone else other than Samy Morsy he gets the free-kick. It was a clear foul as he wins the header, he gets emptied out which means there's a big hole in the middle fo the pitch where Samy would have been.
"I think that was a key moment because it 3-2 we've just brought our subs on, we've brought on fresh legs, and I think we were prepared to really push for an equaliser for the last 20 minutes. The fourth goal certainly took the sting out that comeback.
"But, again, credit to the lads, we didn't give up, we kept going and it was a nice way to finish the game with a goal at the end."
With new Manchester United loanee Brandon Williams coming on for his debut, McKenna said: "He's not played much competitive action lately, so it was important to get him on the pitch so soon. He's going to be an important asset for us, so it was good to get him the 20 minutes or so."
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