Boss Mick McCarthy believes his Town side are well worth their second place in the Championship at the halfway point in their season.
The Blues briefly went top of the table following their 4-2 Boxing Day win at Brentford, their 23rd game of the season, before dropping back into second after Bournemouth beat Fulham 2-0 later that day.
Town, who face Charlton at Portman Road on Tuesday evening, remain second following yesterday’s games with third-placed Middlesbrough drawing 0-0 at Blackburn to move a point behind the Blues. The Cherries won 2-0 at Millwall and are now four points ahead of McCarthy's men.
"Results don’t tell lies at the end of it,” the Town manager said. "That’s where we are whatever we’ve been doing. We’ve got the points, nobody can take them off us and we’ll go again on the 30th.”
He outlined which teams he believes will be battling the Blues for an automatic promotion place during the second half of the campaign: "Bournemouth are the best team in the league, in my view. And I think Derby and Middlesbrough were also amongst the best teams we’ve played.
"We had a really tough game against Watford, I think they’re one of the best teams in the league. And the league table shows that, doesn’t it really?
"I still think Norwich are a real threat, Fulham are, they’re still creeping up. And the play-offs aren’t beyond anybody who are anywhere near halfway.”
Town are now undefeated in their last 10 games - winning seven - and McCarthy says dealing with a loss when it finally comes will be a test of his team and warns that the Addicks can't be taken lightly despite their current run of six games without a victory.
"I said last week, it’s when we don’t win a game and we’re at home on the 30th against Charlton, who we beat in the 95th minute and everybody will think we should win.
"But that’s nonsense because the league is so tough and we’ve got to be as ruthless and relentless as the league is.”