Boss Mick McCarthy says Town will keep scrapping away and will see where they end up after climbing to fifth in the table following a September which has seen them claim 13 points from a possible 15.
"We’re hard to beat and we’ve certainly improved,” McCarthy said after Tuesday's 1-1 draw at Sheffield Wednesday. "We’ll keep scrapping away and we'll see where we end up, if we beat last season’s position.”
He added: "I’m happy with the squad. We want to get promoted, we set off with desires and designs of the top six.
"I don’t think we’re one of the best teams in the league or one of the best squads, although we’re turning out to be a competent squad.”
McCarthy looks certain to be at least nominated for September’s Manager of the Month award and could become the first Town boss to carry off the gong since Joe Royle in November 2004.
The Town manager, who while with Sunderland was coincidentally amongst the nominees to lose out to Royle, has picked up the award three times with his previous clubs, once with Wearsiders and twice with Wolves, most recently in November 2008.
McCarthy’s biggest current problem, aside from the possibility of suffering the infamous Manager of the Month curse, is deciding which of his players to leave out.
However, he says he’d rather have too many players than too few: "It’s better than looking round at the bench, keeping looking, keeping looking and realising your best XI are on the pitch and you can’t change it. That is a real worry. Having options on the bench is lovely.”
He says Paul Anderson is amongst those who have been unfortunate to be left out of some recent games: "Ando’s been unlucky. I changed it at Wigan and we won handsomely there. I thought it was a really good performance and left it alone for Saturday and we won again.
"It’s difficult to have a chance to coach what you want to do on a Monday if you’re going to change it because all the lads are still recovering and knackered if you have them running around. And then when we have to drive up to Sheffield that doesn’t help.
"So, it was easier to leave it alone but change a couple of the personnel. Ando’s a wide player really, but I thought he did well on Saturday.
"Kevin Bru played Saturday, so I’d got Skusey, who had been a mainstay of the team, and Bish, who has been great, so I just put them back in and that gave us fresh legs.”
The Town boss was impressed with the Owls during Tuesday’s game: "I thought they were decent, Sheffield Wednesday. I think they’ve had a really good start to the season.
"I think they’ve got a good shape to them. Stevie May’s added something to them, Atdhe Nuhiu, the big fella up front, he’s a proper handful in this league.
"Jacques Maghoma, Chris Maguire, I think they’ve got a good shape. They didn’t change it to play against our 4-3-3 [from the start, although] they did at one stage during the game. I think they’re a decent side.
"Like the rest of us, they’re hardworking, they always put a shift in and if you do that you’ve got a chance.”