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Ipswich Town boss Gary O’Neil says he was encouraged by his side’s display despite a 2-1 defeat to La Liga outfit Osasuna at the JobServe Community Stadium, stressing that results are not the priority at this stage of pre‑season. Chuba Akpom levelled for Town shortly after half-time, cancelling out the visitors’ opener, before Osasuna secured the win with a late strike 10 minutes from the end. The match marked O’Neil’s first game in front of Blues supporters since taking charge. O’Neil: Performance More Important Than Result “I thought we were good, really,” O’Neil said. “I thought we were the better side. Obviously, a bit of a mistake for the goal, the first goal, but apart from that, 60 minutes, not much our end at all. Controlled most of it, created some good chances. Lots that we need to work on still, some stuff that we need to improve, but I’m pretty pleased.” He emphasised that fitness and rhythm remain the main focus at this stage of pre‑season. “It’s still a fitness exercise, really. It looked a bit like a team for 60 minutes and then it got really disjointed towards the end. But even in the first 60, it was more about trying to get the lads into a good spot. We’ve got two games at the weekend that they need to be ready for. A Valuable Test Against La Liga Opposition O’Neil welcomed the challenge posed by Osasuna, noting the importance of facing higher‑level opposition as Town prepare for their Premier League return. “Osasuna are a good side in La Liga and we got to test ourselves and I thought we came out OK. Obviously, we lost the game, but that’s by the by at the moment. Needing to be ready for the Sunderland game is a bigger picture.” Signs of an Emerging O’Neil Team Asked whether he can already see his style taking shape, He was cautiously optimistic. “I think so, I think it looked as close as we can probably ask it to look at this stage. There’s some bits that we missed and some bits we didn’t do quite right, but I’m sure I’ll be saying that the whole time I’m here, it’s never going to be perfect.” He highlighted several individual performances, including new signings. “Abdul on the side, exciting. Emersonn showed he’s going to be a real physical presence running in behind. Chuba has been very, very good in pre‑season, looks a threat. Jacob Greaves was good again tonight.Loads of positives.” More Business Expected O’Neil reiterated that Town remain active in the market. “We’re still going to be really busy hopefully between now and Sunderland, but definitely between now and the end of the window to make sure we still strengthen.” Town now turn their attention to Saturday’s double‑header against Oxford United and Wycombe Wanderers as preparations continue.