Town Continue To Chase The Leaders!

Eight wins out of a possible twelve has seen Ipswich Town rise up the table with ever increasing rapidity and there are mutterings that even an automatic promotion spot is not entirely beyond us!

After last night’s exceedingly late winner from Brett Pitman to secure all three points points against Leeds United, the blues have risen to fifth in the table and just one point behind fourth placed Burnley so where will our season finally end?

Manager Mick McCarthy has told us all to calm down because talk of getting anywhere near those automatic promotion places is ‘ pie in the sky’ but he said that it won’t stop the Tractor Boys fighting ever inch of the way in their quest to get there!

Three months ago any talk of one of those top two places would have been unthinkable.

We had a disappointing September and in October we failed to win a single league game and we were all feeling a bit under the weather as a deep depression descended on the club and the supporters aspirations had been dashed once more.

November saw us find some form with three wins and a draw and two of these were away from home but we remained in mid-table.

In December we lost narrowly at home to both Middlesbrough and Derby but they continue to be the favourites for automatic promotion – whilst we managed to win away at MK Dons, Fulham, and Brighton and secured an important home win against QPR.

January has seen our good form continue with a creditable draw away to Burnley at Turf Moor and a famous victory last night at Portman Road against Leeds.

These days the Sky bet Championship makes for much better reading with Town up there in fifth and just five points adrift of Derby County, who occupy that last automatic promotion place!

Hull could go above them if they win tonight because the Rams spilled points again at home last night, when they could only draw lowly Reading.

Now there is always one team that comes from out of the chasing pack in the last third of the season to claim one of those top two positions and the way we are performing right now who is to say it cannot be us?

We are not just playing well but picking up lots of points in the process, as the teams above us seem to be dropping them.

I fully understand Mick McCarthy’s caution when this topic is raised but with twenty games still to play and sixty points still to play for, I don’t think we should write off our chances.

Ryan Fraser was inspirational last night and Brett Pitman made a significant impact when he came on but the whole team played well.

Having gone a goal down before most of us had had time to find our seats, Town showed remarkable fighting spirit and we totally dominated the match and deserved our victory that looked like it might never come.

That is the fifteenth time in succession we have played under the Portman Road lights and been victorious and remember Leeds United had gone eight game unbeaten in all competitions before this so they were certainly no pushovers.

Next up is Preston at home on Saturday and if we can get another win under our belts, then we may find that we are even closer towards the summit than we could ever have imagined just a few short months ago.

Frank Weston – editor of Vital Ipswich