Assistant boss Terry Connor admits that it’ll be a big ask for the Blues to finish higher than sixth in the table this season with fifth-placed Nottingham Forest now 10 points better off. Town sit in eighth in the Championship on 44 points, three behind Reading in the final play-off place, with 16 games remaining.
"I think we’re 10 points behind the fifth-placed team, so you’re realistic enough to know that that’s a big swing of points,” Connor said.
"But it doesn’t stop you picking up your points and seeing where you are come May 3rd. We’ll just keep working, keep trying to pick up our points, pick up our wins and as long as there’s a top six spot available we’ll be challenging as much as we can for it.”
Connor says he and manager Mick McCarthy have talked with the squad about the current position just outside the play-off zone: "We spoke about it this morning. We’ve said to the lads all along that we should try and embrace where we are.
"When we came in last season it was a difficult situation and I thought the lads embraced that situation and turned that around and had a good season in the end, from where we started.
"This year we challenged them to not be at the bottom and to try and get to mid-table and have a look at the top end if we possibly could.
"I think the players embrace it, I know the gaffer and myself embrace it and I think we are where we are on merit, so why not keep going for the next 16 games?”
The former striker says the division is as tight as ever with matches often hinging on single incidents: "I think you’ll find, particularly in the Championship, there’s very little difference between the teams — a bit of quality here, something happens in the game there and it turns it your way or their way.
"We inherited a group of players who were probably a little bit low on confidence and we’ve tried to instil that in them and those players have turned around and responded really well.
"It’s to their credit that they’ve been able to do that and put themselves in the position where they are now.
"Obviously last season’s agenda was different to where we find ourselves now. We have improved, I think the signings in the summer and the work that we’ve done with the team have shown a steady progression. And I think we are where we are on merit.”