x

Jewell: Big Week for Town - Ipswich Town News

Manager Paul Jewell says the Blues face a big week with today’s game at Cardiff followed by back-to-back home matches against Portsmouth and Crystal Palace. While delighted with his side’s recent form, the Town boss isn’t getting too carried away with so much of the season still to be played.

Jewell adopts the traditional approach of taking each game as it comes: "We’ve got a game tomorrow, then another Tuesday and then another on Saturday. I don’t even look further than the next game.

"But the next week is a big week because we’ve got ourselves in a nice little position. Now we want to kick on consolidate and not rest on our laurels.

"Anything can happen. You can win three in a week but you can also lose three in that week. I don’t think anyone in this room would be surprised if either of those two scenarios happened.

"In this league it’s very, very difficult to call a result — in their last home game Cardiff beat Southampton, who have looked invincible so far this season.

"There are no games where you think you can just coast through it. Every game you have to be flat out.”

While delighted that there’s a bit of a buzz around the club, Jewell is keen that everyone concerned remains level-headed in their outlook: "I went to a supporters’ do a couple of weeks ago and everyone was on a high, which is great.

"I don’t want to be Scrooge but you just have to temper that with a bit of realism that we’re still a newish team.

"People are still getting to know one each other and getting to know me. I’ve got a two-and-a-half-year contract and I’m not even a year through that and I’m hoping that I’m here beyond that contract.

"We want to get to the Premier League as quickly as possible, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen overnight.”

The one-time Wigan and Bradford boss reflected on how quickly perceptions of his team have changed: "We’re 10 games in. A month ago we were hopeless, we were relegation fodder, weren’t fit to wear the shirt and all that jazz. Now all of a sudden we’re like Brazil.

"We’re somewhere in between and that’s just down to confidence. We’re on a confident run at the moment, the fans are confident, the players are, the staff are.

"We want to use that, but we also want to temper that with realism — there’s three-quarters of the season to go, 36 games, a huge amount of football to be played.”

Jewell, who spent a few days back home in Yorkshire last week taking in his former club Bradford’s victory over Torquay, says the recent form means nothing if his players can’t keep it going: "Over the last four games you’d be a liar to deny that we’ve made huge strides and progress.

"The key when you get into a situation like this is not to sit back on your laurels and tell everyone what a good team you are.

"It’s OK [West Ham boss] Sam Allardyce telling us we’re the best team they’ve played and [Coventry manager] Andy Thorn also saying the same. That’s very nice, but I hope Cardiff are saying that after we’ve beaten them.

"Those four games mean nothing now, they’ve gone. We’ve now got to take up the bit and kick on a bit more.”

What to read next:

Ipswich Town 2-0 Huddersfield Town - Gallery
Photos from yesterday's promotion clinching win against Huddersfield at Portman Road.
Woolfenden: We've Made the Impossible Happen
Ipswich Town’s homegrown star Luke Woolfenden says they have “made the impossible happen” with back-to-back promotions to the Premier League coming about as a result of sheer hard work from a special group and manager.
McKenna: I Love It Here!
Boss Kieran McKenna says his job at Town isn’t done yet and would be keen to re-sign this year’s loanees for the Blues’ Premier League campaign.
McKenna: Incredible Achievement Yet to Sink In
Town boss Kieran McKenna admitted his side’s “incredible achievement” hadn’t sunk in after the Blues’ 2-0 victory over Huddersfield sealed a place in the Premier League and a second successive promotion.
Ipswich Town 2-0 Huddersfield Town - Player Ratings and Reports
If you saw the match, please give us your player ratings and a mini match report.
Ipswich Town 2-0 Huddersfield Town - Match Report
Ipswich Town are back in the Premier League after a 22-year wait following a 2-0 home victory over Huddersfield Town, a result which sealed remarkable back-to-back promotions. Wes Burns gave the Blues the lead on 27 and Omari Hutchinson settled any nerves three minutes after the break, while Town would have secured promotion even if they’d lost with Leeds, their rivals for the second automatic promotion place, beaten 2-1 at home by Southampton.
Ipswich Town 1-0 Huddersfield Town - Half-Time
Wes Burns’s 27th-minute goal has given Town a 1-0 half-time lead over Huddersfield at Portman Road at half-time, while third-placed Leeds are 2-1 behind to Southampton.
Three Changes For Blues Against Huddersfield
Town boss Kieran McKenna has made three changes for this afternoon’s live-on-Sky game against Huddersfield which could see the Blues confirm promotion to the Premier League.
Ipswich Town v Huddersfield Town - Chatroom Open
Join us in the chatroom to discuss the game as it unfolds with hundreds of other Town fans.
Ipswich Town v Huddersfield Town - Predictions
Have you predicted the Huddersfield score yet? Ninety-two per cent of TWTD members are predicting a Town win this lunchtime, five per cent a draw and three per cent predicting an away win, but what do you think?