Adding to promotion-pushing Town’s points total is the most important aspect of Sunday’s East Anglian derby against Norwich City at Carrow Road for manager Mick McCarthy (Sky Sports 3, from 2pm, KO 2.05pm).
"Three points, for me, whoever we’re playing,” McCarthy said. "There’s the added thing with the fans and I get that with supporters, and I never underestimate that or dismiss that.
"But for me it’s three points. Or a point. Get something out of the game, stay in the top six, still be competing for the top two.
"That doesn’t change. That won’t change when we go to Leeds either and it won’t change when we play Brentford here.
"All that’s still going to be the same except, of course, there’s local pride and bragging rights and we’d like to have them on this occasion.”
Going into the game, Town are fifth and Norwich are sixth only a point behind, which the Blues boss says makes Sunday’s derby even bigger than usual.
"If we were both in mid-table, couldn’t go up and couldn’t go down, there might only be a half-full stadium but we could both go up or we could both end up in the play-offs, we could play each other in the play-offs,” he added.
"The league is still there, we could both get promoted automatically. It’s a huge game for what’s at stake for the clubs and the bragging rights on this occasion are smaller than what’s at stake for everybody else.”
He says that while few of the players have been brought up as supporters of either club, there’ll be no lack of passion and spirit.
"They understand the passion in football,” he said. "I’d like to do a survey to see how many players are from Norwich and Ipswich in these two teams and find out whether they understand the passion of the East Anglian derby.
"It’s passion for playing football, I think. It’s never bothered me whether I was playing playing Barnsley-Sheffield Wednesday, Celtic-Rangers, Man City-Man United or any game.
"Of course, there’s always a little bit more because the fans insist on it and I think you’ve watched my team long enough to know that they give it every week.
"The principles of playing don’t change from game to game. But the passion and the fervour of the crowd lifts people, lifts players to give a little bit extra. It is important, of course it is and you don’t want to make a mistake in this game.”
He says it will be important to keep a cool head, just as it is in any game: "I think that’s essential any time.
"You don’t have to show the fans you’re passionate by going around and being stupid with tackles and throwing your arms around and complaining at the referee. You have to be passionate in the way you play.”
McCarthy says a derby victory would be a boost for everyone at the club as the Blues go into the final months of the season looking to return to the Premier League after an absence of 13 years.
"It’ll be a big lift for all of us,” the Town manager continued. "If we can win it it’s three points towards our goal, which is to be promoted. But I always revert back to it, what if we get beaten but then win the rest of them?
"It’s a really important game. I understand the feeling for derbies, I’ve played and managed in loads of them.
"But we’re trying to get three points against arguably one of the strongest squads in the league, and a team now that is playing well.”
McCarthy has been impressed with the job new Canaries manager Alex Neil has done since taking over in January.
"Excellent, they’ve had five wins on the bounce,” he said. "I think they are where everybody expected them to be, at least. Certainly when we played them early on.
"They’ve arguably got one of the strongest squads, if not the strongest squad and, as they should do with that squad, they’re looking like one of the best teams in the league now.
"I think Bournemouth have been holding that accolade, along with Derby and Middlesbrough. And I think Norwich are chasing them for that now.”
He believes both sides are capable of finishing in the top two: "We can and I’ve no doubt they can. One thing is chasing, it’s another holding on to it.
"Getting into the top two is one thing, everybody pecking away at you from behind is another altogether and maintaining it and staying there.
"And as we’ve seen, there are a few of us who have been in the top two and then dropped out. Interesting times.
"Norwich have come from a position which I think was a false one, one they shouldn’t have been in. Now they’re in the top six, can they keep going? We’ll see. It’ll be an interesting game on Sunday, certainly.”
McCarthy says more has changed at Carrow Road than at Town since the Canaries won the Portman Road match 1-0 in August: "They’ve had a change of manager. But nothing’s changed in the way I do it and the way my team plays.
"The last time we played we played a team that weren’t long out of the Premier League and the season had just started. Maybe we hadn’t got going as well as they had.
"And then our form after that, we lost one in 20. We were building towards that. We were getting better.
"They were better than us on the day, they deserved to win. But Sunday’s a different game.”
Norwich boss Neil has promised that his players will be "aggressive” and in the Town players’ faces, something which McCarthy says won't faze his team.
"Has he watched us play?” the Blues boss joked. "All my team of shrinking violets will not be happy with that at all!”
Earlier in the week Neil omitted to mention Ipswich when speaking about facing the division’s best sides.
"You have to respect sides like Derby and Middlesbrough and Brentford and Bournemouth. They are good teams and extremely difficult to beat,” the 33-year-old Scot said following their 2-1 win at Blackburn.
"If we’re in the top two at the end of the season we’re going to piss a few off, aren’t we?” retorted McCarthy
"I want to piss them off every week. That’s me every week. It does not bother me. It doesn’t bother me what people say.
"If it was a faux pas on his behalf or whether it was meant, I think he’s got a really good squad of players, he’s got one of the best teams in the league, and so he should have with the players that he’s got.
"If they want to treat us like that little also-ran on Sunday I’d be delighted. I don’t think they will somehow.”
However, McCarthy didn’t want to get drawn into a psychological battle with his opposite number: "I’m not Jose Mourinho or Arsene Wenger or Alex Ferguson doing the old mind games. I’m not into all that caper about adding pressure to somebody. There’s pressure on us to win the game.
"If you look at the league, you could be out of the top six, you could be level with the top two on goal difference. There’s pressure on us all.
"I don’t think there’s any more for them, not at all. There’s three points at stake. You only get the local bragging rights if you win. So, let’s concentrate on our performance and trying to win and not worry about who’s got more pressure on them."
He added: "I’m not scoring points. You’d love me to. It’s nonsense, I just don’t get it at all. When it comes down to it, everything I’ve said, everything’s he’s said, everything the players have said, it won’t matter a jot.
"When they walk onto that pitch at five past two when we kick-off on Sunday, everything that’s been said it doesn’t matter. The players have got to play then.”
"And that goes for any comments coming his way from the home crowd too: "Bothered! That’s really going to upset me! I’m 56, I’ve been doing this job for over 20 years and I’ve been in football for 40 years. If they can come up with a unique one I’d be interested to hear it!”
McCarthy seems likely to stick largely with the side which beat Birmingham 4-2 on Tuesday.
The newly-shaven Bartosz Bialkowski will be in goal with skipper Luke Chambers at right-back, Tyrone Mings on the left and Tommy Smith and Christophe Berra in the centre of the defence.
In midfield, Cole Skuse is over the back spasm which forced him off against Birmingham and will take up his usual holding role.
Kevin Bru is likely to continue in the other central role having scored his first goal for the club on Tuesday, while Paul Anderson will probably keep his place on the right.
Jay Tabb was amongst Town’s best performers having come off the bench against Birmingham and could come into the side for Jonny Parr at left midfield.
Up front, 21-goal Championship top scorer Daryl Murphy will partner Freddie Sears, who scored twice in midweek, with new loan signing Chris Wood on the bench but likely to make his debut as a sub.
Teddy Bishop is expected to be over a minor ankle problem and is also likely to play a part at some stage.
Darren Ambrose and Stephen Hunt (both hamstring) are ruled out along with Luke Hyam, who will watch the game from the away end, and Noel Hunt, who have knee injuries.
Canaries manager Neil says he wants his side to be positive: "We want to go and try to win the game, that’s always going to be the approach,” he told Norwich’s official site.
"We’re the home team and we’ll go and try to take the game to them. We’ll be aggressive, we’ll be up and in their faces and hopefully we’ll go and take the initiative and implement our style of play on the game.
"For the fans it’s about bragging rights and local pride, but for me it’s another opportunity for us to go above another team and hopefully close that gap [to the top two].”
He added: "It’s the biggest local derby in quite a while because of the significance of the game and the fact that if we win, we can go above them.
"I’m sure they’ll be approaching it in the same manner, so we’ve got to make sure we’re right up for it, and we’ll be fully prepared for the match.
"I was brought up in Glasgow, where derbies are, of course, a big thing. I’m fully aware of what a derby means and we’ll be ready to go, and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Striker Gary Hooper is expected to be OK having missed the 2-1 win at Blackburn on Tuesday through illness but Gary O’Neil (toe), Elliott Bennett and Ryan Bennett (both hamstring) are all out.
In August at Portman Road Lewis Grabban’s first-half goal saw Norwich City to a 1-0 victory over the Blues.
The Canaries striker flicked home a header in the 24th minute after Town keeper Dean Gerken and midfielder Cole Skuse appeared to leave the ball for one another, although replays subsequently showed Grabban was offside.
The last time the teams met at Carrow Road was in November 2010 when a Grant Holt hat-trick condemned 10-man Town to a 4-1 defeat.
Holt appeared to handle the ball in the run-up to the opening goal, but the Blues quickly struck back through Delaney.
The Canaries striker added his second before Delaney was harshly red-carded for hauling down the Norwich skipper virtually on halfway. After the break, Holt netted his third late on and sub Wes Hoolahan completed the scoring.
Town’s last derby victory was at Portman Road towards the end of Norwich’s 2008/09 relegation season with the Blues winning 3-2 in what proved to be Jim Magilton’s final game as boss.
David Mooney put the Canaries in front before Town struck three times via Alan Quinn, Giovani Dos Santos (penalty) and Jon Stead with Sammy Clingan adding a consolation for the visitors towards the end, also from the spot.
Current keeper Bartosz Bialkowski was on the bench for the Blues during his earlier loan spell at the club.
The last time Town won at Carrow Road was back in February 2006 when an 88th minute goal forced in by a combination of Danny Haynes's hand and Norwich defender Gary Doherty gave the Blues a deserved victory.
The home side had gone ahead in the first half through Jonatan Johansson but the ex-Addick deflected in a Jimmy Juan freekick soon afterwards.
Historically, Town have the better record in East Anglian derbies, winning 40 (38 in the league), losing 37 (31) and drawing 17 (14). The 5-1 at Portman Road in 2011 Norwich’s biggest derby victory, while Town have recorded 5-0 wins on three occasions, in 1946, 1977 and 1998.
First-year pro Ben Wyatt joined Town from the Canaries having been released at the end of his academy scholarship in the summer, while Norwich centre-half Ryan Bennett was an academy schoolboy with the Blues before being released at 16.
Academy coach Alan Lee had a brief spell on loan at Carrow Road - he played for the Canaries in the 2009 Portman Road derby - while his Playford Road colleague Steve Foley was first-team coach at Norwich before he joined the Blues and came close to returning to Norfolk last summer.
Town keeper-coach Malcolm Webster worked with Norwich’s glovesmen earlier in his career.
Sunday’s referee is Paul Tierney from Lancashire, who has shown 100 yellow cards and six red in 27 games so far this season.
Tierney’s most recent Town match was the 3-1 home defeat to Barnsley back in November 2010 when he booked two Blues and three Tykes.
Squad from: Bialkowski, Gerken, Chambers, Mings, Berra, Smith, Clarke, Skuse, Bru, Bishop, Chaplow, Tabb, Anderson, Parr, Connolly, Stewart, Murphy, Sears, Wood, Varney.