Ipswich goalkeeper Scott Loach has hailed the contribution of the settled back four in front of him.
While Loach is determined to hold down the number one spot, Elliott Hewitt, Luke Chambers, Tommy Smith and Aaron Cresswell are becoming established as the Blues backline.
Loach, 25, said: "Obviously, confidence helps but it’s also about the gaffer, his mentality, his experience and what he has brought to the club. They have played games together and that’s how relationships grow.
"Cressy is the best left-back in the league, Chambo has experience and had success at Forest, Tommy is probably one of the best centre-backs in the league and Elliott is a Welsh [U21] international, so you can’t really ask for much more.
"Playing behind that back four is great for me. They are all gelling and not just on the pitch either.”
Loach had special words of praise for teenager Hewitt as well as the defenders on the fringe of Mick McCarthy’s first team.
He added: "For me Elliott is making the right-back position his own. He’s only 19 and he’s not looked out of place one bit, while you’ve got to remember this is his first full season.
"He was at Macclesfield, he had a few injuries last season and while he’s not going to click overnight for me he has done perfectly fine.
"Look at Christophe [Berra] as well with his experience in the Premier League and with Scotland, Freddie [Veseli] is from [Manchester] United and as for Tyrone [Mings] he’s just a big success story, coming in from Chippenham.
"He has grown and grown as a person, in stature and as a player, and I’m predicting big things for him as well.
"Dean [Gerken] has come in as well to put pressure on me so there’s definitely competition for places across the whole back five now.
"That’s what you need so that if someone gets injured there is somebody ready to step straight in and the mould’s not broken.”