Town captain Luke Chambers has given the clearest indication yet that automatic promotion, rather than a top-six finish, is now the team’s number one target.

They may have launched into the new season aiming for the play-offs but Chambers insisted: “If you offered me that now I wouldn’t take it — not a chance, no way. We have no one to fear and we’ve got to make the top two places our goal.

“I think we have a great chance and now that the boys have tasted it they want to finish the job. Everybody has a smile on their face and everyone in the town is buzzing.

“It’s a great place to come to work and everyone I speak to is happy and buying into it. We just want to continue to do what we’re doing and if there’s a setback along the way we have to make sure we bounce straight back from it.

“We went behind to Leeds and came back to win 4-1. If that had been last season I think there’s a good chance we might have lost the game or only taken one point. There’s a big difference between now and then. The boys don’t seem to be panicking at all if we go behind.

“We always feel we are going to score goals — Bolton is the only game we haven’t scored in during this run we are on — and with the boys up front really firing we know we are going to score or at least give ourselves chances.

“So if we can keep it tight at the back, which we seem to be doing at the moment because we have one of the best defensive records in the league, we are always going to have a chance, whether home or away.

“If we keep coming out and playing like we are at home we are always going to be a team to be feared and no one is going to want to come down here and play against us at the minute.

“A lot was made of Middlesbrough coming down here at the weekend on the back of a great run — but we’re on a great run. They had the best away record — but we had the best home record.”

Come the final whistle to confirm Town’s 2-0 win Chambers indulged in his most passionate and prolonged version yet of his famous fist-pump celebration, repeating it no fewer than six times to demonstrate what the result meant to him.

He added: “It’s not even enjoyment, it’s a little bit of relief really. I expected us to win — I really thought we would — but when there were two or three minutes left and they had a shot that Bart just picked up I said to myself ‘We’ve done it again.’

“After the build-up through the week it’s a release. It’s the fans who initiate it and I enjoy it, I really do. And so do the rest of the lads — even if they try to give me some stick.”

Photo: Action Images

Kropotkin123 added 08:08 - Dec 23 That's the spirit!!
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jabberjackson added 08:34 - Dec 23 The fist pump is epic I used to love Matt Holland clapping all corners of the pitch when he came off This is another level again It brings a tear to the eye ofmy 52 year old sister who used to stand on the north stand in the 70s One of a number of reasons to not leave a game before the end Connection between players and fans is alive and kicking at Portman road , LMIC...

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blueblood66 added 09:12 - Dec 23 long may it continue, great stuff
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SouperJim added 09:44 - Dec 23 Well said jabber, got to say also that I really enjoy the Section 6 lads and lasses making a right racket on the way out of the stand after each home win. It was really leaping on the way out of the ground on Saturday and they deserve a lot of praise for the way they get behind the team, in spite of the ridiculous negativity they've had directed at them at times, including from our own supporters club chairman and our former chief exec. What an utter disgrace that episode was.

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itfc94 added 10:11 - Dec 23 On the point of Matty Holland, this was my favourite childhood memory of going to watch the Town and similarly I compared it to the Chambo fist pump with my Dad, having been at the game this weekend. I LOVE IT! Can't wait for Brentford, a fist pump would be a perfect Boxing Day present!
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TrueBlueFerret added 06:36 - Dec 24 #boxingdayfistpump
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