Goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski believes Town are well positioned to kick on from Saturday’s win at Burton and claim a play-off place in the weeks ahead.
Bialkowski agreed the team were under pressure to beat the Brewers after claiming just two wins from their previous eight league games, a run that saw them lose three games on the trot prior to visiting the Pirelli Stadium.
Substitute Bersant Celina, on loan from Manchester City, was sent on to replace David McGoldrick in the 84th minute and just five minutes later sent a freekick past Connor Ripley to secure victory for Mick McCarthy’s men.
Bialkowski, 30, said: "There is always pressure to win games in what is a really competitive league. You have to be fully focused, 100 per cent, in every game and be ready for it because it’s true what people say about there being no easy games in this league.
"Burton was tough for us and not just because the wind caused problems. They have some good Championship players as well and created a few chances.
"Getting three points was massive for us and it gives us confidence to take with us to Cardiff tomorrow. They are flying at the moment so that’s going to be tough, but so are all Championship games.
"We were desperate for all three points and we managed to get them. It was a good feeling — unbelievable in fact — to score the winner in the last minute. A great piece of skill from Bersant and we truly deserved it, I believe.
"The conditions were horrendous. I was doing my best to kick the ball as far as I could but it just kept coming back towards me and it was very difficult to deal with it. The best thing was that we finished the first half at 0-0 and that gave us the platform to build on for the second half.”
But despite recovering from the setback of Ben Turner’s header — Martyn Waghorn equalised before Celina’s last-gasp clincher — a section of the Town support seemed more interested in taking out their frustration with chants aimed at boss McCarthy.
Bialkowski added: "I didn’t hear what the supporters were chanting. When I’m playing I am fully focused on the game, not what fans are shouting. I didn’t hear it, so no comment on that.
"The conditions were the worst I have ever played in. I tried to kick it lower than usual but it didn’t work. I could only kick it 35 yards maybe.”
It was suggested that Bialkowski might have fancied his chances of scoring after the break, with the wind advantage, but he laughed: "The wind actually dropped quite a bit in the second half. I was devastated and thinking ‘How’s my luck?’
"Overall this season my form has been alright but obviously there was that one mistake at Leeds. That’s football and these things happen.
"I’m not the first goalkeeper to do that and I probably won’t be the last. I had to move on and I just tried to be positive and to do my best.”
Bialkowski has been the one constant in a defence devastated by injury to several players, so much so that Town have had to field four full-backs on occasions, while McCarthy has also been forced to reshuffle depending on which players were available to him.
The ex-Southampton and Notts County keeper added: "I’m fully behind the manager and the guys in front of me so it doesn’t matter to me who is playing. We have a good squad of players, including good defenders, so whoever is playing I’m confident in them.”