Saturday’s opening goalscorer Callum Connolly says the Blues are taking things game by game and are enjoying their football, the 2-0 victory over Reading having taken them up to eighth in the table only two points off the play-offs.
The 20-year-old, who is on loan from Everton for the season, netted his third goal in four games in the third minute - his previous strikes also having been early, coming in the fifth and seventh minutes - to set the Blues on their way to the win. He dedicated his strike to Town's academy kitman and training ground caretaker Dick Parker, who died last weekend.
"We are training as normal and just focusing on the next game, we can’t get ahead of ourselves,” Connolly reflected afterwards.
"That first five minutes summed up our performance. We frustrated them and showed we are hard to play against. "We are taking things game by game and enjoying our football. The wins are a bonus.”
Town’s top scorer Martyn Waghorn, who has netted 10 times since joining the Blues from Rangers for a bargain £250,000 in August, has played a part in all three of Connolly’s goals.
It was his corner that the England U20 international headed home at Derby and it was his strike from a freekick which Nottingham Forest keeper Jordan Smith spilled which Connolly gleefully smashed into the net a few days later.
âš½ï¸ | He started the move and finished it!
Watch as @Callum1connolly made it three goals in four games for Town yesterday afternoon #itfc pic.twitter.com/vpT6efCuvI– Ipswich Town FC (@Official_ITFC) December 17, 2017
Waghorn, who tops the Town assists table with five, also played a part in Saturday’s second goal, Adam Webster flicking on his right-sided corner for Joe Garner to head home.
"I have a good relationship with Waggy,” Connolly said. "I thought from start to finish we were very good.
"Martyn has helped me loads, as he has done other players and he has scored loads himself — he is a great player, and he is a good lad as well.”
Connolly came to Town regarded primarily as a right-back but he has cemented his place in the side in the centre of midfield alongside Cole Skuse, who he says has helped him a lot since he came to the club.
"I have developed a good relationship with Skusey on and off the pitch,” he added. "He has been in the game many years and has given me a lot of advice.”
Speaking on Thursday, Skuse was equally enthusiastic about his central midfield partner, although he had one criticism: "I’ve told him umpteen times to get his hair cut. That fringe is horrendous — but other than that he’s a joy.”
However, Connolly says he has no plans to pay heed to senior pro Skuse’s advice on that front.
"Let me tell you this — it works. I’m not changing it,” he laughed. "It works with the girls, so I’ll take that. It also works with the goals, so I’m keeping it.
"I’m making my own tradition, I don’t follow the crowd and get a big flick over.”
Following the game the squad travelled to London for their Christmas party, although with things not having gone entirely to plan post-match.
"We had to have cold showers and a cold bath,” he said. "But it’s all about ice baths anyway ready for the next game.”
Despite that, Connolly says he’s thoroughly enjoying life at Town: "I love it here and just feel I’m playing well and enjoying my football.
"I feel I’m improving under a great manager and great players and just developing as a player.
"I’m enjoying playing in midfield and hopefully we can help push up the league.”
Looking ahead to the Christmas period with games coming thick and fast, he says his family are going to travel down from his native Merseyside.
"I’m staying down here for Christmas,” he continued. "My family will come down, so this year I will just have to put it behind me. They will be having roast dinner, I will be on salmon and rice — happy days.”
The appointment of Sam Allardyce as Everton boss has seen an upturn in form at his parent club, who are unbeaten in five all competitions, winning four.
"It is for the best, with a new manager it is going well,” Connolly added. "I have not had any contact but hopefully if I keep getting games, keep scoring goals and perform well he will see me and things might change for me there when I get back.”
Reading midfielder Joey van den Berg felt his side gave the Blues two soft goals and was highly critical of referee Peter Bankes.
"If we continue to concede goals like this then we can play until Christmas next year and we won’t win a game,” the Dutchman, who once had a trial with Town, said.
"They only had two real attacks and scored, we can only blame ourselves for that.
"We created loads in the first half but were a bit sloppy. We made the mistake in the second half of playing their game.
"There was fighting and interruptions so they took their time and we never pressured them with the ball.
"The referee was probably the worst we have had this season but that is not what killed us. He is not a bad man but he made some terrible decisions. The two goals killed us and that is frustrating."
He added: "We have done well away and this was an opportunity to move up and the top six would not have even far away.
"We can only blame ourselves, our biggest opponent was ourselves. We know what we are doing wrong but we can’t control it. If I knew how to manage it, then it would be solved.
"It is an important period ahead and we can make big steps but we have to look at other teams. Luckily we have plenty of games in short time.”
Meanwhile, Town's U23s are in action against Coventry City at Playford Road this afternoon (KO 1pm).