Town captain Luke Chambers hates losing as much as any sports professional but in defeat at Leeds last weekend he saw enough to predict better times ahead for him, his colleagues and the club’s supporters.
Chambers said: "We were even more disappointed than usual that we didn’t get anything out of the game because we felt we had played pretty well.
"They started the game very well and showed why they are up at the top of the league but after that I thought we handled the game very well, played some good football and created some chances.
"That’s the standard we have set now and, if it hadn’t already convinced some of the lads, it showed that we can give it a really good go this year.
"You get confidence from winning games and if you didn’t have it from winning the first four it’s never going to happen.
"You are always going to lose games in this league and no game is ever going to be easy. Every team, from 24th to first, it’s a tough game.
"You don’t see many five-nils like you see in the Premier League. We’re never going to beat a team 5-0 — okay, maybe a one-off — but the strength in depth throughout the whole league means you have to be so consistent.
"If you have 10 or 11 players giving seven or eight out of 10 displays you will win the majority of your games. Once everyone is fit I believe we will have one of the best squads in the league, definitely.”
Town are currently seventh in the table with 15 points but they have a game in hand on the six clubs above them and with home games against Sunderland tomorrow and Bristol City on Saturday they have a great opportunity to climb higher still.
But Chambers pointed out: "While we’re pleased that we’ve won five games, we are also unhappy that we’ve lost three.
"We haven’t been brilliant because we’ve lost three but we’ve been pretty good because we’ve won five. We played well at the weekend and were beaten, didn’t play that well in the first half against Bolton but we won the game. That’s the league, it’s just crazy.
"As much as I want us to be the best footballing team and the best team in the league, we’re not going to be that overnight. We have to try to forget everything that happened last year. We’ve got new players in the building and there’s a new buzz about the place.”
Referring to the fact that Town’s last home game against Bolton attracted the smallest league crowd since 1998, he went on: "People are enjoying their football now and we can’t do anything about who’s going to come and watch, although don’t get me wrong, we know we have to be better and more entertaining, and that will follow.
"But, first and foremost, winning games breeds confidence and the lads are feeling very, very confident. It showed in our reaction when we lost at Leeds. Everyone was absolutely devastated because we felt we should definitely have taken something from that game.
"We’ve won four in a row this season and how long did it take us to win two in a row last season? You just have to take every game as it comes.
"Sunderland will be coming down here — it’s a long way to come — and they find themselves in the bottom three after being relegated from the Premier League last season.
"Things can snowball the other way for a team and we need to capitalise on their misfortune so far this season and turn the screw when it needs to be turned.”
He added: "It wasn’t too long ago that Elland Road was virtually empty. That’s the world we live in now. It’s expensive to go and watch football and, as much as people want to support their team, it may be a luxury that some people can no longer afford.
"If we’re top of the league and we’re playing good football, obviously people are going to come and watch. All we can do is try to put on the best spectacle we can and perform.
"At the end of the day it’s an entertainment business. If we were playing good football but we were bottom of the league I don’t think anyone would want to watch us either.”
Looking back on the team’s Elland Road display, Chambers added: "I think we have to demand that sort of performance from the remaining 38 games, regardless of what anyone else thinks. We all want to be successful and we have to demand it off each other.
"If you don’t produce it week in, week out, then you’ll find yourself in and out of the team. The standard’s been set now. There are positions up for grabs, players trying to keep their shirts and competition for places.
"We still have some injured players to come back as well so it’s all positive moving forwards.”