Boss Mick McCarthy says he would have been happy with Town's current position if it had been offered to him at the start of the season, but is less pleased now as the Blues were second in the table as recently as mid-January.
Asked whether he would have taken Town’s present situation of seventh, one point from the play-offs and five off the top two back in August, McCarthy chose his words carefully.
"For me to answer that question just straight away suggests I’m looking for a silver lining in the position that we’re in,” he said. "It’s always easier to say ‘We’d have been really happy with that’.
"Yes, we would at the start of the season but bearing in mind we were second however many games ago, I’m not happy with it.
"But, in answer to the question, at the beginning of the season we’d have all taken it, you included and every Ipswich fan would have taken it.
"It frustrates me that we are where we are. But that’s part of the game and it’s up to us to [get back in the top two or top six].
"We had a really good performance against Brentford and if we play like that then we should get enough points to be in the promotion scrap whatever it is, whether that’s the top two or the top six.”
Meanwhile, Town’s U21s are in action against Colchester United at Playford Road this afternoon (KO 1pm).