Blues loanee James Bree believes Town will return to the Championship at the first attempt if they are relegated to League One, as now appears almost certain. The Blues remain 13 points plus goal difference from safety following Saturday's 1-1 home draw with Nottingham Forest with only eight matches left to play.
"We have shown in the past few games how we can hold our own against any team in the Championship,” the on-loan Aston Villa man said.
"We just need to turn those draws into wins and if they do go down they will come straight back up.”
Saturday’s 1-1 was the sixth of Town’s last seven matches to have ended in that scoreline with the Blues again deserving more than just the single point.
"We are disappointed in the changing rooms that we didn’t come away with all three points,” he continued.
"Even though we got a good draw against a good team it was disappointing with the performance we put in today that we didn’t get the points. We were unlucky at times and didn’t take our chances in and around the box.”
He added: "We have had quite a few 1-1 draws and we just can't seem to get over the hump and turn those draws into wins, but I’m sure that will come.”
Town haven’t kept a clean sheet since Bree, 21, joined on a half-season loan from Villa in January, which he admits needs to change.
"It is frustrating that we cannot kept clean sheets,” the right-back said. "The goals we have had scored against us have not exactly been quality either, especially like the one today which was just bundled into the net.”
Bree, who played a role in Collin Quaner’s fifth-minute opening goal for Town, didn’t put too much blame on referee Keith Stroud’s performance for the Blues not claiming all three points, despite having been denied what looked an obvious penalty and a Jon Nolan strike having been chalked off.
"No, it is easy to blame the ref, and he made a couple of decisions didn't go our way but we had chances to win and we didn't take them. We have to do this ourselves,” he said.
"I put a couple of decent balls in to the right areas and you hope someone will get on the end of them.
"As a youngster I loved getting forward and now I’m getting fitter I can get up and down the pitch more.”
Bree, yet to be on a winning Town side in his eight appearances for the Blues, says he’s learning a lot from his time at Portman Road.
"For me it is about getting games, gaining experience, especially here at this moment with the situation we are in when we must win every single week. There are eight games left and we have to win every one of them.
"I have not been in this sort of situation before so it is about learning for me. The biggest lesson is having that extra bit of resilience.
"At Villa, even though I wasn’t playing all the time, you take things for granted like the facilities there, the people there, like John Terry. Being here is more like being at Barnsley where you just get on with it.”
Bree admits he can see why he might be left out of the team once relegation is confirmed so players, particularly young players, who will be here next season can gain some experience.
"Obviously I would like to play every game but with the situation we are in you can understand why the gaffer will do that,” he said.
"It is about refreshing the team and while we need to go out and get results they do need to plan for next season.”
Forest’s Matty Cash was disappointed that ex-Blues striker Daryl Murphy’s goal just before half-time was wrongly ruled out.
"We played well in patches but we were unlucky and the ref cost us with a couple of decisions. Murphy’s goal for example was not offside,” he said.
"We have to regroup and move on to the next game against Swansea. It is a frustrating time for us because we are still just three points off the play-offs and so we want to get as many points as we can — that’s normal.”
He added: "We watched the incident played back and it was definitely onside. That could have been the break which would have given us the three points.
"Daryl is a goalscorer and is one off his 100 [in league football since leaving Ireland] so he is fuming, but it is one of those things and we all move on. Perhaps next game he will do another one like that and it will be a match-winner.”