Town defender Tommy Smith has thanked boss Mick McCarthy for refusing to bow to pressure from fans for the player to be axed from his starting line-up.
Some supporters have pointed to Smith as one of the main reasons for the team’s form slump in 2015 that appears to have cost them their chance of an automatic promotion place.
But McCarthy, as he did with Jay Tabb despite persistent calls for him to be dropped, decided to stick with Smith and was rewarded by Tuesday’s hard-earned 1-0 win over Bolton at Portman Road as Town ended a depressing run of four games that reaped merely one point.
Smith said: "It’s nice to see the gaffer back me and the other defenders. I know that in the past there was some chopping and changing to the back four but the gaffer has shown good loyalty and hopefully we can repay him.
"It’s a good confidence boost. I’d like to think that over the last couple of seasons since he’s been here I’ve been a fairly solid performer and it’s nice that he shows that loyalty.
"Mick is a very level-headed guy. When we’re on good runs he says never get too high and when we’re on bad runs he says never get too low. We don’t really change the way we play, we go about things the same way.”
Smith admitted he was aware of being in the firing line, adding: "I was aware of some fans calling for change but I try not to pay too much attention to it. The only person I’m interested in pleasing is the manager and I just try to get on with my job to the best of my ability.
"With regard to my own form, generally it’s been quite good but obviously I should have perhaps done better with a couple of goals. The gaffer speaks to me about it and advises me on what I could have done differently.”
Smith is naturally left-footed, as is defensive partner Christophe Berra, and was asked how much tougher it is for him playing on the right side of the double act?
He added: "It obviously poses its challenges but I’ve been working on my right foot with TC and that’s improving slowly. I know I have to keep working on it — it’s a weakness in my game — and as long as I continue to improve I’ll keep doing that.”
Smith would also like to contribute a goal or two in the remaining games as Town push for a top-six finish. He has scored four this season, and Berra five, although they may still argue about the fourth against Leeds at home which was eventually given to the Scot.
Academy graduate Smith was last on target in the 3-0 home win over Charlton in December and has drawn a blank in 16 outings in all competitions since then.
He said: "We’re probably due one between the two of us. We haven’t been getting on as many set-pieces as we had done previously so that’s something we've been looking at.
"We’ve been practicing set-pieces quite regularly. Hopefully there are a couple of goals coming from us soon.
"Sometimes it’s the delivery, sometimes it’s us not getting our runs right. I don’t think the lads who take the freekicks and corners should get too much blame.
"It is a difficult skill putting a ball on a sixpence for people, so I’m not going to have a go at the lads because they have the bottle to try and do it and it is not as easy as sometimes people think.”