Flynn Downes is heading for Crewe tomorrow looking to do his bit to kick-start Town’s season and improve their record against teams above them in League One.
Tuesday’s home defeat to Sunderland — the Blues’ sixth in their last seven games at Portman Road — dropped them down to tenth in the table, but although they trail the Railwaymen by one point they also have three games in hand on them.
After three successive 90-minute shifts, Downes is rapidly getting back to his best form after returning to action following a three-month spell on the sidelines with a knee injury, and he is only too aware of the need for Town to claim a third away win on the trot at Gresty Road.
With two strikers — the suspended Kayden Jackson and the injured Oli Hawkins — certain non-starters and a question mark remaining over James Norwood’s fitness, Downes knows the onus to get goals is on him and his fellow midfielders.
Downes said: "I can get myself into the right positions to score and I’ve been saying for years that I need to add goals to my game. I was looking forward to working on that this season but the knee injury obviously halted that for a time.
"But I’m playing again and that’s something I need to work on. I’m aiming to be getting into the box a lot more and if I do that I like to think I can add goals to my game.”
Crewe had put together a 10-game unbeaten run prior to their 4-1 defeat at Gillingham in midweek and Town supporters will recall how well they played at Portman Road back in October last year when they went down to Hawkins’s first, and so far only, league goal for the club.
Downes said: "We know what to expect from them. They are a good team who like to pass the ball and they do that part of the game really well. But we have to implement our own style.
"We’re Ipswich Town and they should be worried about playing us. We’ll go up there and hopefully do a job on them.
"The next couple of games are massive for us. We need to get back to winning ways and gain some momentum. As far as I’m concerned that starts tomorrow. Once the boys get their confidence back I think we’ll be flying.
"We took some positives from the game against Sunderland the other day. We stuck at it after Kayden [Jackson] was sent off early on and that gave us some confidence.
"When you are down to 10 men, especially so early on in the game, you expect it could end up three or four-nil. But it wasn’t that at all. We were in that game the whole 90 minutes against a top-six side, as they say.
"That was very promising and it showed how we can play. We’ve got the talent here so nothing should stop us from going to Crewe tomorrow and winning the game with ease.”
Downes believes his midfield link-up with Andre Dozzell will benefit both players and the team in general, adding: "It’s good for both of us, plus the team, that we’re kicking on with our careers. Andre just needed a run of games and now that he’s playing regularly he’s flying. He’s just got to keep doing what he’s been doing.
"The gaffer has given us a bit of freedom in there, not to just do what we want but to play the game as we see it. That’s beneficial to both our games, although it was tough against Sunderland, but hopefully we’ll see more of that at Crewe tomorrow.
"I love the system and with very manager I’ve played under I just want to play football. It suits me and it suits the other boys. We know we have to play better at times and tomorrow we’ll be aiming to put a few wrongs right.”
Town’s dip in form — just three wins and a draw from their last 10 league games — has turned up the heat on Paul Lambert, but Downes believes it is unfair on the manager to be on the receiving end of the supporters’ ire.
He added: "I don’t think fans can point fingers at any one person. It’s all of us, everyone at the club. We’re one big team over here so I think it’s unfair that people just blame the manager. We’re the players who are out on the pitch and it’s up to us to go out and win the game.”
Downes fluffed his lines on Tuesday when he kicked off against Sunderland before the players and officials took the knee in the ongoing fight against racism, a moment captured by the Sky Sports cameras to add to the player’s embarrassment.
He laughed: "The referee told us he was going to do it so it was in the back of my mind. But then I went and kicked off and I just thought ‘Oh no!’. I had to do a little run around to retrieve the ball. What a time to do it, with the Sky cameras there!
"But I like to think it showed how keen I was to get the game started. I was out for three months with my knee injury and I’m glad to be back. I just want to be playing games — that’s it really.”
Downes says he and his team-mates are looking to bring some joy to supporters during the second half of the season, with a play-off place still possible. "I know the lockdown is tough for everyone, especially those who are just sitting at home trying to stay safe. I’ve experienced it myself and it’s probably the worst thing I’ve ever been through.
"As a footballer I take my responsibility seriously, big-time. We’re very fortunate to be doing what we’re doing, compared to a lot of others. We’re still basically doing our job and we don’t just take it for granted.
"We know how lucky we are and we’re very appreciative. We want to go to Crewe and get a win for our fans who are sitting at home. We need to bring a bit of positivity into their lives if we can.”