Ipswich Town Football Club, perhaps the surprise package of the season in the Championship.

Consigned to the murky depths of mid-table by football fans nationwide before a ball had even been kicked; now sitting second in the league, only losing once in the previous 19 matches, and we find ourselves a well-deserved seven points and five places above our underachieving local rivals.

To a 16-year-old who is a fairly recent addition to the Blue Army - beginning to regularly go to games when Joe Royle was at the helm - these are exciting times. The mystery of promotion to the promised land is slowly becoming a genuine possibility.

However, there are still a good five months of hard work to go before our dream has the chance to become a reality. So, what can we hope to see from the Blues over the final part of the season?

[b]Consistency[/b]

The Championship is arguably the most unpredictable league in English football. I’m sure Forest supporters will agree with me. The last few seasons they have been in a similar position to where we are now, seemingly home and dry in the race to the play-offs, only to be chewed up and spat out by the unrelenting nature of second-tier football - purely because they were struggling to maintain winning form. We cannot let this happen to us.

Consistency is key in achieving big things in any league, especially the Championship. The typical Ipswich mentality of seasons gone by - dropping vital points and conceding sloppy late goals - has to be well and truly a thing of the past. Although we have been treated to top-class performances as of late, with our players giving 110% week in, week out, it is important that we don’t let our impressive form deteriorate, by soaking up as many points as possible over the remaining games, and not allowing other sides to snatch results from right under our noses (the 2-2 draw with Huddersfield Town being an example of this).

[b]Improving our Strength in Depth[/b]

Mick McCarthy has worked wonders for Ipswich over the past two years. He has done exceptionally well to turn a desperate bunch of underachieving has-beens into an elite squad of players, fighting hard to achieve the success they deserve.

However, to accomplish this by only acquiring players on free transfers and loans, the only exception being Tyrone Mings’ transfer from Chippenham for a measly £10,000, is nothing short of a miracle. This type of excellence will need to continue this coming January when the transfer window re-opens.

For the Tractor Boys to keep the momentum in their favour for the remainder of the season, the amount of depth in the team needs to be improved.

We are cursed with having one of the smallest squads in the league, which means an injury to a player such as Daryl Murphy or Christophe Berra could cripple us and send us spiralling down the table. Personally I believe that signing at least two, maybe three more first-team quality players as cover for the key members of our squad would do us the world of good should we be hit with an injury crisis.

[b]Keeping Hold of Key Players[/b]

We all know what happens when greed prevails over ambition in the minds of a football club's hierarchy. Take Liverpool as an example. This time last season, they were top of the Premier League, and had scored nearly twice the amount of goals that they have so far this time round.

Now, they find themselves eighth, some way from where they feel they should be, and the pressure is really starting to pile upon Brendan Rodgers. Is this a mere coincidence? Or is it the price they have to pay after selling Luis Suarez in the summer?

It goes almost without saying that it is essential Marcus Evans doesn’t decide to cash in on players such as David McGoldrick, Daryl Murphy and Tyrone Mings next month. David is undoubtedly one of our stronger players, and while he hasn’t quite hit the goalscoring heights of last season, he still has much to offer to the immediate future of this club.

Murph looks a totally different player to the exceptionally average left-forward that turned up on loan from Celtic a few seasons ago, and has really stepped up to the mark, proving he is able to use his cultured left foot to score plenty of goals, as well as create them.

And Tyrone has grasped the opportunity to become a regular starter with both hands, by putting in performances full of unreserved confidence and quality worthy of a Championship Player of the Month award in September.

The January transfer window will be a real test of character and resolve for Marcus Evans, and the outcome will give the fans a true insight into the level of ambition he has for the club.

[b]Conclusion[/b]

It is very important for everyone connected with Ipswich Town Football Club to keep their feet firmly planted on the ground at this stage of the season. It is a wonderful feeling to be one of the most feared outfits in the league, dismantling our opposition on a weekly basis.

But, as I have previously mentioned, there is still a large part of the season to be played out, which means that there is plenty of time for the top teams to lose their grip on the league, and time for others to rise from the chasing pack to take their place in the battle for a spot in the Premier League. Who knows what lies ahead for the Tractor Boys? Only time will tell.

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