Boss Mick McCarthy believes fans have no reason to be pessimistic as the Blues go into the season’s final 13 games still having a chance of making the play-offs. The Town manager says the next two fixtures at Middlesbrough today and Yeovil on Tuesday could set up a “huge” home match against sixth-placed Wigan next weekend.
"I don’t think there’s any reason to be pessimistic because we’ve been on the back of the play-offs most of the season and we’ve still got a chance of getting in them,” he said.
"The next two games are big games. It depends what points we get, and then we’ve got Wigan here. The next couple of weeks are interesting.
"There’s no point us getting beaten in the next two games and Wigan winning and then expecting to catch them because we’re playing them at home because it won’t happen. And Brighton likewise.
"We need some points from the next two. We’ve got Wigan then, which will be a huge game if we’re on their coat tails going into it.
"If we’ve lost and they’ve won two, then it won’t be, they’ll have the big cigar on coming here, won’t they?”
He says Town will go into both away games looking for victories but says draws can't be considered poor results: "We went up to Leicester and we could have been eight points out of it because we lost. But we’ve lost and won and we’re four points out of it.
"I’d love to get some away points but if you’re asking me whether a point at Middlesbrough is a bad point, I’d say ‘no’.
"Yeovil are no mugs. We’re going to go and try and win both games. I’ve not got my crystal ball, we’ll try and win them and then I’ll take what we get.”
He believes most fans he has spoken to have been realistic regarding this season’s progress: "I think people do [appreciate the change that’s been achieved on a small budget]. I think it’s very much acknowledged and respected and appreciated.
"I haven’t ever met anybody who has said ‘By the way, you’re having a crap season because you ought to be doing loads better because you’ve had loads of players’. I think it’s just accepted that it’s been a fairly solid job that I’ve done.”
While he says challenging for the play-offs was his aim at the start of the season, his focus was very much on survival throughout the last campaign.
"When I took over, I’ll be brutally honest, I wasn’t dreaming of that. Every single week I came in here I was thinking about getting some more points to stay in the league.
"At the start of this season, I was. I thought, we’ll just see. I put together a squad of players and they have a good way about them and a good work ethic and team spirit. I think you’ve always got a chance.”