'Imagine this club at Wembley... it's realistic' - Chaplin's Trophy passion

The Blues begin their Trophy campaign at home to Northampton this evening, with changes likely as boss Kieran McKenna bids to get minutes into the legs of players on the fringes of his league side.

Town have made it out of the group stage of the competition twice in their previous three attempts, winning only one knockout tie, but Chaplin sees real value in the competition.

Conor Chaplin celebrates giving Town a 1-0 lead. (Image: Steve Waller)

“I want to play at Wembley,” the attacker said. “It’s a big aspiration of mine.

“I played there as a kid in school football (and won) but never professionally.

“I really want to get to the final of this competition this season - it’s a big motivation of mine. I’ve said that to a lot of the boys.

“I want us to take pride in it and I don’t think it’s a distraction at all in terms of the league. As players in the lower leagues you don’t get many opportunities to win cup competitions.

“This is something that’s realistic and I really want to get to Wembley. I can’t stress that enough.”

Ipswich are now one of only six teams in the top four divisions to have never played at the new Wembley, with Chaplin dreaming of the scenes if the famous stadium was packed with those in blue and white later this season.

“Imagine this club at Wembley in a cup final... we’d have 40 or 45 thousand there. Whatever our allocation was we’d sell it out.

Conor Chaplin celebrates giving Town a 1-0 lead. (Image: Steve Waller)

“I went to the Portsmouth v Sunderland final as a fan of Portsmouth and each of the clubs brought 40,000. It was unbelievable and it’s made me want to play there even more.

“Ipswich is a massive club and would take that same amount. To play another big club in the final could be one of the best days of your career.”

Colchester, Hartlepool, Crawley, Accrington and Blackburn are the five other clubs without a Wembley appearance since the new stadium opened in 2007.