Injuries began to bite into an already rather thin squad at the start of the New Year but we have battled through regardless and seemingly against all the odds.
When David McGoldrick limped off against Southampton in the FA Cup at the beginning of January, few of us expected him to be out for so long. Now there is a real possibility that his season is over – unless we get to Wembley at the back end of next month!
Then Luke Hyam took a knock in the same game that did not seem so serious at the time but he is still out of the equation too.
Add to that the continuing Jonny Williams injury saga and it is easy to see why some of the cynics among us felt our promotion campaign was already over almost before it had begun.
What however none of us had bargained for was the continued success of Daryl Murphy and with 25 goals to his credit already, he is the clubs top scorer since Ray Crawford way back in 1963!
All the notable success stories have come from unlikely sources. Cole Skuse has excelled over the last few months and apart from scoring the goal of the season recently he has also been nominated for the Sky Bet Championship player of the month!
Then there is of course Freddy Sears, who fitted into the Town set-up so comfortably that it looked as if he has played there his whole career.
He has already scored 9 goals in Town colours and has become a vital part of our goal scoring machine in the absence of David McGoldrick who it has to be said has hardly been missed!
Today we discovered that both Noel Hunt and Jay Tabb are fit again and could play some part in our game at Ewood Park on Saturday.
In the case of Noel in particular, this is quite a remarkable achievement and speaks volumes for his dedication to the cause.
It was thought after his devastating ligament injury that he would not kick a ball in earnest again this season so this really is a tribute to his determination to defy the odds.
Having someone like him on the bench is ample compensation for the absence of Luke Varney who is unable to play in this one sadly.
One point will do for Town and surely the key to the exercise is to NOT go looking for one! The blues must play as if their life depended upon it and regard this as a must win game.
We have proven time and time again this term that we are useless at trying to defend a lead so we must keep the pressure on – even if we do get our noses in front!
I predict a 2-2 draw with both Sears and Rhodes getting on the score sheet if the Blackburn striker is of course fit?
A point will do and would send the Tractor Boys to the Championship play-off’s for the first time in more than a decade!
After that it is anyone’s guess what might develop?
F.W. Vital Ipswich
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