The most encouraging aspect of our three game winning run is that we’re finding different ways to overcome difficulties and emerge with the three points.
Against Portsmouth we shrugged off the disappointment of twice surrendering the lead, against Cambridge we were patient for 70 minutes, and against Morecambe we pulled ourselves together after a really poor first half hour.
During the course of a long 46-game league season, successful teams have to find all kinds of ways to win games. Last season, our game lacked that ability, and it cost us big time.
Many fans have said we wouldn’t have won all those three games last season. They’re probably right. Back then, we seemed too fragile to come back from adversity.
Nowadays, we look much stronger mentally. It was interesting to read Kieran McKenna’s comments about the mood at half-time at Morecambe. No panic - just a realisation that things had to improve. And they did.
The manager admitted that he was taken by surprise by the way Morecambe played. It took us half an hour and a tactical reshuffle to grab the game by the scruff of the neck. But we did it, and should have won more comfortably. Don’t forget, we hit the woodwork three times and missed a penalty!
There really is a vast gulf in quality between the best and the weakest in this league. But it’s not all about quality and that gap can be bridged by determination and commitment.
There was a lot of chatter - especially when Morecambe went ahead - about McKenna making five changes to a winning team. There were comparisons with “tinkerman” Paul Lambert and his infuriating habit of changing half the team without any obvious reason.
With the greatest of respect, some people do tend to panic and overreact. Yes, it was surprising to see the changes, especially Richard Keogh replacing Luke Woolfenden.
Maybe it did contribute to our slow start.
But it worked out in the end, with the manager describing his veteran centre-half as a “colossus.”
In McKenna we trust. How many times has he got it wrong in the last ten months? Just look at his record. He selects his teams for individual games, having carefully assessed our opponents. For all we know, Woolfenden will be back next Saturday against Lincoln.
Different game, different challenge, different team.
So, here we are, a bit more than a quarter of the way through the season, and it’s all going rather well, isn’t it? There’s already a tiny gap to third, and we’re a massive 11 points ahead of seventh place.
Yes, I know we want automatic promotion, so there’s little point looking at play-off places, but - let’s be honest here - we would have taken top six before the season started, wouldn’t we?
Going back to the Morecambe game, the way we scored our goals really pleased me. We all know about our lack of goals from set-pieces last season. It was another big reason why we languished in mid-table.
This season we’re beginning to turn that round and it was great to see centre-back George Edmundson score from a corner. Those types of goals will be crucial in our promotion push.
Also, glory be, we scored from a penalty! After a ludicrous 36 games without being awarded a spot-kick, we were given two in the space of a few minutes. Did someone mention London buses?
For me, it looks like Lee Evans has got himself a job there. That was an emphatic finish. Let’s hope he gets plenty of time to perfect his penalty-taking skills during the rest of the season.
So we move on and welcome Lincoln - Teddy Bishop included - to Portman Road next Saturday. It certainly won’t be easy, but another three points, surely?
Finally, a word about former Town boss John Duncan, who has sadly passed away. Duncan came to Ipswich at a tough time, when the memories of the glorious Robson era were still vivid.
The most eye-catching moment of his tenure was the signing of USSR defender Sergei Baltacha, the first Soviet player to come to England. It made headlines - including one in Russian on the front of the Evening Star!
Duncan was a thoroughly decent man who knew how to treat people properly. My sympathies to his loved ones.
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