Striker Luke Varney has revealed that being written off in terms of making the play-off places is one of the main topics of conversation in the Town dressing room right now.
Varney dismissed the notion that the team’s recent form — just three wins in their last 10 league games — could be attributed to nerves and pressure having a negative impact on some of the players.
He said: "It is a tough, tough season. You see the teams at the top that are losing games constantly, although Burnley are obviously on a good run and Hull are still picking up results.
"This time of the year it’s about your squad and sticking together — and if it comes down to that we’ll be well to the fore.
"We talk about it quite openly, people writing us off, and I think that was the case last year.
"But we’re experienced and we dealt with the same pressure last season, and we’ll probably be underdogs again this season.
"That’s the title we’ve taken in the last 18 months or so but we’ve still got a shot and we won’t be letting it go.”
But Varney agreed performance levels have to improve, adding: "If you look back to when we took seven points from three games recently, even if we didn’t play well we did what we do and dug out results.
"We need to get back to at least that level and hopefully a bit of good play and quality will come through.”
Town’s next challenge comes tonight in the shape of a visit from 16th-placed Blackburn, who have managed just three away league wins this season, the most recent of which was at Bristol City in early December. Since then they have collected only two points from a possible 21 on the road.
Meanwhile, Varney is feeling better with every appearance after only returning to action in December following the serious achilles injury sustained in May last year in the first leg of the play-off clash with Norwich at Portman Road.
He added: "It will probably be a year before I get full power back, so that’s two or three months yet.
"I must admit I feel great and I’ve started to jump a lot more off my left foot and push off. I’m not thinking about it at all and I’m putting extra sessions in as well.
"It’s a bit frustrating not to be getting as much game time as I would like but this year it’s been Murph, Searsy and Pits competing for the places up front, and I’ve got no problem with that.
"If things are not going as well as we’d like I would love to get on the pitch a bit more but we’ll see what happens.
"The gaffer knows I’ll give 100 per cent if he calls upon me, in whatever capacity, and I’d love to help.
"We trained hard on Sunday and whatever formation or personnel the gaffer puts out there will be no malice on my part. I won’t feel that I should be playing but I’d obviously love to get the nod. If I get off the bench I’ll be happy enough.”
While Varney is fit again, young colleague Teddy Bishop is still fighting to overcome the hamstring injury that has sidelined him this season and the pair were together a lot in the gym as they both put in the hours of rehab in order to regain full fitness.
Varney said: "Sometimes the young lads need a pep talk but Bish isn’t like that — he’s always quite positive. We’re all desperate to have him back because we’ve missed his creativity.
"We talk to him constantly. He’s finished with the oxygen chamber and the other bits and bobs, and he’s on to the gymnastics that I did.
"Fair play to him, he’s done a lot of rehab and people just have to understand that he’ll be ready when he’s ready.”