Jonny Parr has hailed team-mate Luke Chambers’s impact as skipper, while at the same time repeating his belief that the team spirit at Town is the best he has experienced in his career.
Full-back Parr said: "Luke is a very good captain, just like a captain should be. He keeps us together, making sure that everyone is included and joining in. He’s very good at the job, both on and off the pitch.
"As I said earlier in the season this is probably the best club I’ve played for in terms of team spirit and everyone being together. Even when we had a bit of a rough patch, drawing a few and then losing at Cardiff, it was still really good and we all stuck together.
"That is one of our main strengths, working hard for each other, and I don’t think it is coincidence. The manager has picked the right type of players to create that type of atmosphere within the group. He has done a really good job there.”
Asked to assess the season so far, Parr added: "With half the season still to go it is really difficult to say. We’ve seen teams, like Reading a few years ago, come with a great run where they win virtually every game, so you never know if that could happen this year with a team that is currently trailing a bit behind.
"It is still really tight and there are a lot of teams involved in the race for automatic promotion and to finish in the play-off places.
"There are going to be a lot of tough games for all the teams who are in and around the top of the table, challenging for the top six, but it’s nothing new. That’s how the Championship always is.
"We are second at the moment and we want to be in the top two at the end of the season. But with half of the season still to go we cannot get carried away.
"The focus has to be on making sure that we keep working hard and continue to pick up points as regularly, as we have been doing for quite a while now.”
Meanwhile, Parr has been joined at his Ipswich home over the festive period by three members of his family and they will be in the crowd for tonight’s home clash with Charlton as Town aim to extend a run that has seen them beaten just once in their last 19 Championship outings.
He said: "My mum and dad have been over with my younger brother. I really appreciate them coming over and enabling me to have some Norwegian Christmas traditions here in Ipswich.
"It’s been great — it’s always good to see them — and if we keep winning I might have to extend their stay over here!”