Tomas Holy has admitted his form needs to be much better - if he is selected by manager Paul Lambert - when Rotherham are the visitors to Portman Road tomorrow evening and Town will be looking to put the disappointment of Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at Accrington Stanley, which saw them surrender their 11-game unbeaten League One record, firmly behind them.
The goalkeeper, ever-present in League One so far this season, said: "I wasn’t happy with the way I played at Accrington, especially in the first half when I conceded two goals.
"I don’t want to talk for other guys but I didn’t think I was good enough. I have to make it better — if I am playing — and I don’t know that yet. It is the gaffer’s decision and if I play I need to do much, much better than I did on Sunday.”
On-loan Wolves keeper Will Norris has had to play a waiting game in the current campaign, his only first team starts coming in the Carabao Cup defeat at Luton and the two Leasing.com Trophy ties against Tottenham’s Under-21 side and Gillingham.
Asked if he understood how frustrated Norris must be in the wings, Holy added: "That’s a goalkeeper’s life because we always need to have two, or even three, goalkeepers ready to play and there is only the one spot.
"Of course it is frustrating if you are not playing — I would feel exactly the same in that situation.
"We all know what it’s about. He will get his chance in the FA Cup or other cup competitions but he is also waiting for his chance to be the number one. I don’t know what more to say about that.”
Regardless of whether he is dropped or not, Holy accepts Town must do their utmost to bank all three points at the Millers’ expense and make amends for the display and unexpected defeat in Lancashire.
He continued: "We must win to put Sunday’s result behind us. Yes, of course we are disappointed with the result at Accrington but there is no reason to have our heads down.
"It’s one result — it happens all the time in football — and we must be 100 per cent focused on tomorrow’s game right from the start. That’s what we have to do.”
Did the outcome at Accrington, as well as the absence of defender James Wilson through suspension, as well as the injured trio of Kane Vincent-Young, Flynn Downes and James Norwood, put a question mark against the overall strength of Town’s squad?
Holy added: "Is our squad strong enough? Yes, of course it is. I believe we have a squad with players good enough to replace those who are missing, no problem. I believe in all the guys in the squad, 100 per cent. Basically, I don’t think it matters who replaces them, because I don’t think we lose any power as a team.”
The giant keeper was quick to express his sympathy for colleague Toto Nsiala after the fit-again defender had 45 minutes to forget before being replaced at the interval after he had been booked for a clumsy challenge and then conceded a penalty from which Stanley doubled their advantage.
"Before the game Toto was telling me that when he came back from injury last season his first game was at Accrington in the FA Cup and he lost that day,” said Holy.
"I felt a bit sorry for him because Sunday was his first game after a long time out with a hamstring injury and it didn’t go well for him.
"It wasn’t easy for him but I wouldn’t blame him at all. He’s done really well in the past, he’s a great footballer and he has a great mentality as well. I am sure he will get over it and be important for us again.”
Meanwhile, Holy admitted the draw for the first round of this season’s FA Cup did little to excite him after Town were paired with League One rivals Lincoln, who were a non-league side when they eliminated Town, then of the Championship, at the third round stage two seasons ago.
He said: "I think some of the other guys are more excited than I am because they used to play for Lincoln.
"I would have been excited if we had drawn Gillingham, my former club, and I was thinking ‘Maybe in the next round’ but they have drawn Sunderland and that will be difficult for them.”