It’s that time of the year so here is a quick quiz question. What do Town goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski and defender Jonny Parr have in common since joining the Blues last summer?
The answer, of course, is that both have featured just once on the losing side — an impressive run that the pair will be seeking to extend at home to Charlton tonight.
Bialkowski’s only defeat came on his debut in the Capital One Cup first round tie back in August and since becoming first choice in manager Mick McCarthy’s side he has played his part in a nine-game unbeaten run that has included five clean sheets.
In Parr’s case the statistics reveal he has suffered just one defeat in 14 appearances, Town launching their current run of one loss in 19 league games with a 1-1 draw at Derby that marked the Norwegian international’s debut after his free transfer move last summer. His only taste of defeat came at Cardiff in October.
Asked if the 1-1 draw at Derby back in August marked a significant turning point in the club’s season, 26-year-old Parr laughed: "It was my first game so you could say that. But seriously, it probably was because Derby made a good start to the season and it was a tough game for us to go there at that stage.
"We played really well, especially in the second half, and maybe we were closer to winning the game than losing it. I think it was a bit of a confidence boost for us and we have really pushed on from there with a lot of good results.
"It is one defeat in 14 for me and hopefully I can keep that going. We all want to continue playing well, winning games and picking up the points.
"We have reached the halfway point in the season and we want to keep the momentum going throughout the second half, starting with the game against Charlton.”
Town are locking horns with the Addicks little more than four weeks after their last-gasp success at the Valley when on-loan Leeds striker Noel Hunt came off the bench to mark his debut with the only goal of the game deep into stoppage time.
Parr added: "That was a tough game and we know it is not going to be easy at Portman Road. But we’re playing well, it’s at home and we really want the three points to make sure we stay close to Bournemouth at the top of the table.”