Boss Mick McCarthy says the Blues are where he hoped they’d be at this stage of the season back at the beginning of the campaign in August. Town go into Saturday’s live Sky game away against his old club Wolves in sixth, three points ahead of their opponents, who are eighth, and Brentford in seventh.
"I thought if we were challenging for the play-offs at this stage we would have had a great season,” McCarthy said. "And we still are challenging, in fact we’re in the play-off spots at the moment.
"I would have thought if we’d got 74 points we’d probably be in them, a certainty. We’ve overachieved from that point of view. And yet we haven’t achieved anything yet.”
He says he enjoys this time of the season: "I love it, I thrive on it, I revel in it. It might not always seem like it when I sit in front of the cameras answering daft questions with a grumpy voice and a sad face, but that’s the way it is.
"That part of it doesn’t always thrill me, but the football does. And, do you know what, even the banter here [with the media] does as well, at times!”
He was pleased with the performance as the Blues beat Cardiff 3-1 at home on Tuesday: "We certainly played well, scored three terrific goals. It was a great three points and it was lovely to come off and see that the others had lost.
"It’s a sad game we’re in we always reflect and look on happy at somebody else’s downfall. It’s dreadful, but that’s the way it is.
"But there’s still a lot of football to be played. It may seem not. I know there are three games to determine who is going to be in the play-offs or gets first and second, but there’ll be a lot of twists and turns in them.”
He doubts any of the other sides competing for top six places would want to play Town in the play-offs: "None of them would be rubbing their hands and saying ‘Happy days, Ipswich are coming’.
"They know they’re going to get a tough game and they know we’re a hard-working team, a disciplined team, but we’ve got good players as well. Whatever happens, they’re never going to give up.”
Looking ahead to Saturday’s crucial game away against his old club Wolves, he says he’ll not treat the match differently despite its greater significance with the Blues in the final play-off place and the home side three points behind in eighth.
"I don’t think there’s a special way of approaching a game,” he added. "When you have a way of playing I don’t think you can suddenly think you can change and have a special way of approaching it because there’s a certain scenario that might happen.
"If we’re going to win games we’re going to have to play like we did on Tuesday night where we’re solid at the back and progressive and, I would say, creating chances up front, because we did.
"And have an all-round solid, tough, resolute performance that was good enough to beat a really good Cardiff side.
"That’s what we’ll have to do again. There’s no magic formula for just going into one game. But I think going up to Wolves and sitting back and inviting them to come and attack you can get the crowd up and get the momentum, that’s not the way forward.”
Quizzed on the possibility of playing Norwich in the play-offs, he responded: "We’re not in them yet! If my auntie had a beard she’d be my uncle.
"I tell you what, if that ends up, we’ll talk about it then. You can get all excited, lick your lips and all that.
"It’s a million miles off and I don’t think it’ll happen because I think Norwich will get promoted, they’ll be in the top two. If it does happen, like always, I’ll deal with it when it’s put in front of me. I can’t eat my dinner before somebody gives it to me, can I?”