Jay Tabb has spoken of his flourishing partnership with man-of-the-moment Tyrone Mings, who has played a key role in Town’s recent progress.
The pair have combined well down the left flank, complementing each other as Mick McCarthy’s team have banked seven points from a possible nine to climb to 10th place in the Championship table.
Mings, who was playing part-time with Chippenham and working as a mortgage advisor when McCarthy signed him in December 2012, has turned in two eye-catching performances since Town rejected a £3 million deadline-day bid from Crystal Palace.
Tabb, at 30 nine years his team-mate’s senior, said: "It’s all about talking and communication on the pitch and Ty is really good at that for a young lad.
"He’s very vocal and tells me where he wants me. We always look at the opposition before we play them so the manager tells you where he wants you anyway.
"As soon as I see Ty’s long legs going past me I just fill in at left-back and let him get on with it. He’s one of those players who could play in any position.
"If you played him on the left wing he would do a good job as well. He’s very attack-minded but he’s been doing a really good job defensively as well.
"His final ball and end product has definitely improved as well. He set the first goal up against Brighton and he’s been putting some great deliveries into the box as well.
"As an opposing full-back you don’t want to see him running at you because apart from his pace he is also very strong and direct.
"Every time you see him in that final third he looks to get past someone and put a cross in. He plays as a full-back defensively but as soon as he gets forward he is like a left-winger.
"I’m sure the manager is delighted with him and he’s just got to keep that level of performance up, which I’m sure he is going to do.”
Palace’s interest appears to have given Mings, who signed a new contract until the summer of 2017 last week and was linked with Chelsea and Arsenal over the weekend, a significant boost.
Tabb added: "Ty’s pretty much got all the attributes you need to be a good player. He’s strong, quick and very confident as well.
"He gets forward well and does what the manager tells him. He’s not afraid to push on and get involved, which you have seen in his performances.
"He’s getting a lot of praise — rightly so because he’s done really well — and because he’s still so young he is learning all the time. He’s making progress and I think he’s going to go to the top level.
"His reaction to the Palace bid was excellent. It was probably very flattering that he had that much interest in him. It was more than talk, there was an actual offer that the club turned down, and it just goes to show how well he has done.
"Obviously, if he carries on like that, there will be even more interest in him. His head is fully focused on Ipswich and playing well, which has been obvious from his performances since all the transfer speculation.
"Ty is obviously very hungry to do well. He could be a centre-back as well and the manager probably knows he could put him there and he’d be great too. He has done really well, coming from lower level and taking his chance. It’s great to see.”
Tabb says he and Mings aren’t the only two players in the side currently dovetailing well.
"There are other partnerships also doing really well within the team," he continued. "The way we prepare and the way the manager gets us going we have good partnerships all over the pitch. Whoever steps into those positions can just pick up a partner straight away.
"Remember Jonny Parr played at left-back against Derby, which worked well as well, and we had both full-backs involved in the opening goal against Brighton.
"Jonny did what the manager has asked of him. In the modern game the full-backs get forward quite a lot and we’re lucky at our club that we have quite a few options in the full-back area.
"All of them will get forward and get back as well, which is more important, and Ty had a part to play in both goals. It was great from Jonny to anticipate the rebound off the keeper’s save from my shot and get in there.
"These are the things that make the difference because up until then, although we had been on top, it was quite an even game. It’s often small margins.”