IPSWICH Wanderers want to make a statement in Tuesday's Suffolk Premier Cup Quarter-Final.

Wanderers travel to the Ecological Stadium Bloomfields to face holders Needham Market in the last eight of this season’s competition, kick-off 7.45pm.

New Wanderers’ manager Michael Brothers wants his side, who play two levels below their hosts on the National League System, to embrace the occasion.

He said: “I want us to go there and enjoy the occasion of playing against a Step 2 side and show anyone watching what Ipswich Wanderers are going to be about for the rest of the season. Let’s go and make a statement.”

Brothers, who was a first-team coach at Braintree Town, left the club to take up the position at Humber Doucy Lane vacated by previous manager Glen Driver three weeks ago.

He is excited at the prospect of returning to one of his former clubs, where in the opposition dugout he will come up against brother Patrick, who ironically was on loan at Wanderers earlier in the season.

Brothers had two spells at Needham and helped the club win promotion to the Premier Division of the Isthmian League in the 2014-15 season.

He said: “I played a part in helping the club get to where they are now, so to go there as an opposition manager is going to be special.

“I have only been back there as part of a management team for friendlies, so to go back and play in a competitive match against a team who have been so successful is exciting.

“Needham are an amazing club who have really progressed both on the pitch and off it, and it is good to see them competing in National League North.

“Having been at Braintree Town I know the level of commitment required at that level is very different, so we can go there and enjoy the occasion of playing against a Step 2 side in what is almost a local derby.

“I don’t think it will be emotional, but it will be strange to see my brother, who is helping out after some time away following the birth of his first child, on the touchline as it will be the first time we have been in opposing dugouts.

“We speak to each other on the phone a lot but just recently it has been every day as he has been helping me with advice, which has been great.”

Wanderers are currently bottom of the Isthmian North table with just nine points from 17 matches (update) but Brothers has been encouraged by what he has seen so far.

Wanderers picked up their first point under Brothers in a 1-1 draw at home to Gorleston on Saturday, after losing their first two matches since he took over.

“Even though we lost both those games, and I take full responsibility for that irrespective of how many training sessions I had had with the team, I don’t feel we have played like a bottom-of-the-table team.”

Michael Brothers (left) is pictured above with assistant manager Jack Wignall (right) at Ipswich Wanderers home game with Gorleston on Saturday. Photograph: Paul Voller