Jonny Parr believes Town could have a key advantage in the ongoing promotion race — manager Mick McCarthy and his previous success at this level.
McCarthy has won the division twice with previous clubs Sunderland and Wolves and Parr is refusing to rule out the possibility of him completing a hat-trick of second tier titles.
The Norwegian international said: "Mick has done a lot of good things since he took over and has almost rebuilt the club. To have someone like him in charge as we prepare for the last 10 games will be very important. We can only benefit from his experience.
"He’s pretty calm and just telling us to focus on our performances. He tells us to keep doing what we have been doing all season because that’s what has got us to this point and that’s what can get us to where we want to be.
He doesn’t get too high when things are going well or too low when they’re not and I think that’s a sure sign of a good manager.
"You are going to have good results and bad results, good performances and bad performances, and it’s all about staying focused on what you have to do to get better and improve.
"You can’t get too carried away with one or the other. With Mick’s experience at his other clubs he knows pretty much everything there is to know.”
Parr has also identified mental strength as another major factor, adding: "It’s very important and you have to stay focused on your own performance as the end is getting closer.
"It’s going to mean more pressure and there is going to be more talk, so you have to make sure you focus on what you can do and hope that you can pick up enough points from the games that are left.”
Despite playing in just 24 of Town’s Championship games this season Parr is adamant he has no regrets about moving to Portman Road on a free transfer last summer after his release by Crystal Palace.
He said: "When you join a new club you never know how it is going to work out, but I’m happy with the choice I made and I’ve had a great season so far.
"We’re in a great position, pushing for promotion going into the last 10 games, and I’m glad to be a part of that.”
Town face a crunch period with three of their next four games against promotion rivals Middlesbrough, Watford and Bournemouth, a series of games that will go a long way to deciding whether they can remain in pursuit of the Premier League right to the bitter end.
Parr said: "Yes, there are a lot of tough games coming up but we are heading in the right direction. We had a good performance last week and we want to build on it so hopefully we’ll be ready for those games.
"There is no getting away from how massive those games are but at the same time we have 10 games left to play and you never know what would happen if we won, say, six of the others.
"Those games won’t decide anything but of course they will affect our chances. It all depends on the results, not just ours but all the teams in the race.
"But, yes, we need to get good results in those games. It’s so tight and it would be good to take points off our closest challengers.”