Town will be looking to play the role of party poopers at Middlesbrough tomorrow and put the brakes on their opponents’ seemingly relentless march towards automatic promotion to the Premier League.
Beaten play-off finalists last year, Boro are the current Championship leaders and boast a formidable home record, having conceded just seven goals in 21 league fixtures at the Riverside.
Town striker Brett Pitman, who netted for previous club Bournemouth against them at the Goldsands Stadium last season, warned: "They’re good. They don’t concede many goals and they’ve got real threat so it will be a tough game.
"They’re obviously at home but when we played them down here we were well in the game and played well until they got their first goal. They are at the top of the league for a reason — you’re not there at this stage of the season by luck.
"Midfielders Adam Clayton and Grant Leadbitter protect their back four and they don’t really go anywhere.
"Their full-backs attack and the two central midfielders are a bit of a shield. That’s why they don’t concede many goals. They’re organised and I think they base their attempts to win on keeping clean sheets.
"We’re going up there aiming to win the game and hopefully try to spoil their party. I’d prefer us going there needing to win to get into the play-offs to be honest but we’ll do all we can to spoil their party.”
Pitman is Town’s joint-leading scorer alongside Daryl Murphy on 10 goals, scored in 45 appearances — 28 starts and a further 17 as substitute — in all competitions, and was asked if he was disappointed not to have started more regularly in his first season at Portman Road or that when he has it has often been in a wide role rather than through the middle.
He said: "Not really, no. I’m happy to play wherever the manager asks me to play. Obviously, every player wants to start every game, but we’ve got four or five really good strikers here so it’s not going to happen all the time.
"When you are on the bench and then come on you have to try to make an impact and the majority of times I’ve done that.”
Meanwhile, Pitman believes loanee Liam Feeney, recruited from Bolton until the end of the season when he will be a free agent, has probably made enough of an impression for manager Mick McCarthy to consider signing him on a permanent deal.
He added: "I think he’s done well. He’s come into a new club and a new environment, and I think he has fitted in well. I’m sure he has made a good impression on the manager.
"I think he’s played most games since he’s been here so he’s obviously doing something right. It’s hard for me to say whether he’s going to be offered a deal here or elsewhere — all I can say is that I think he’s done well.”