Ipswich striker Michael Chopra’s new-found confidence, together with the side’s recent return to form, has rekindled his dream of winning promotion to the Premiership.
Town were in the thick of a relegation battle just a few weeks ago but Chopra said: "We’ve won three games out of three and there is always one team that makes a late push for the play-offs. Why can’t it be us? We’re really flying at the moment.”
With Paul Jewell and his players currently 17th in the league, with 37 points from 30 games, perhaps few supporters will share Chopra’s confidence that a top-six finish is still on the cards.
But a win on Saturday over Chopra’s former club, third-placed Cardiff, and the play-offs will become less of a distant dream for many.
Chopra added: "One or two of the Cardiff players might have their minds on the Carling Cup final against Liverpool the following weekend. They might be thinking they don’t want to get injured and risk missing out. It could work to our benefit.”
The former England U21 cap will be hoping to continue an impressive run that has seen him net four times in his last three games — but he is adamant that he won’t celebrate if he finds the net against the Bluebirds.
He said: "I scored in the game down there and didn’t celebrate — and it will be the same if I score this time. I have the utmost respect for the club and the fans. I’d like to see them go up even if I’ll be trying to put a dent in their bid on Saturday.
"I loved my time with Cardiff. When Ipswich came in for me I had a choice to make as to whether I moved or I stayed to see out my contract. I wanted to be playing and I jumped at the chance. "Cardiff were the first club to give me an opportunity to play week in and week out. When I left Newcastle I had a point to prove. At the start of last season, if we’d been offered a play-off final game against Blackpool, we’d have taken that straight away. "With the team we had — Bellamy, Ramsey, Koumas and Olofinjana, all Premiership players — we’d have thought about getting promoted no matter what but it wasn’t to be."What to read next:
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