Skipper Sam Morsy admitted it was a tough night for the Blues who he felt were under par as they were beaten 2-0 at home by new League One leaders Rotherham, but believes that Town's recent displays against other sides in the division's upper reaches have shown that they are now a good team.
Ben Wiles and Shane Ferguson scored in each half for the Millers, who were comfortable for the most part as they claimed the three points.
"I think it was a tough night for us, to be honest, from how well we played against Sunderland. We didn’t play as well tonight,” Morsy said afterwards.
"They’re a good team, they’re good at what they do. The first goal was always going to be important, it’s a good strike, and the second goal was poor from our point of view.
"Then we huffed and we puffed but they defended really well. You have to give credit to them. Obviously we know we have to do better.”
Could Town have done better against what would appear to currently be the best team in the division?
"Absolutely,” the 30-year-old insisted. "I think the performances of late have been really good. I think our last couple of league games, Sunderland, Oxford and Wycombe, have been really good performances, albeit not always getting quite the results we want. Today was below par against a good team.
"But there’s no magic pill, it’s just working hard and trying to come back better against Crewe.”
Morsy knows Town are unlikely to meet sides of the calibre of the Millers every week: "I think they’re probably a little bit similar to Wycombe, but I think against Wycombe we were excellent that night.
‘We weren’t excellent tonight at all and I think teams like that that are really consistent so you have to be at it. They don’t have many below-par days, you have to be at it to beat them and we weren’t quite at it tonight, if I’m honest.”
He says Rotherham’s level shows where Town have to get to, even if the teams’ approaches to the game are very different.
"Obviously they play a completely different style to us, but there’s no right or wrong way about it,” the Egyptian international continued. "They do their style very good, so we have to make our style very good as well.
"The first goal’s a good goal, it can happen, and then the second one is poor from our point of view, and then we didn’t show enough guile to break them down.”
While most of the Rotherham side have been together for a number of seasons, the Blues are still finding their feet to some extent following the summer of change at Portman Road.
Asked whether that was a mitigating factor, Morsy, who joined Town on deadline day from Middlesbrough, said: "Yes, it is but I think we’re fully clicking, to be honest. You could see against Sunderland the way we played, the chances we create. I think we’re a good team now, actually.
"You don’t want to use that one time too much but they are a good team, they’re good at what they do, they’ve been together a while, you can’t deny that you can see how they play.
"And we have to be better, all we can do is focus on ourselves, we’ve played against all the top teams now bar Wigan and I don’t think we’ve played many teams better than us. I think today they were better than us, that hurts me to say that, but that’s the reality.
"We just have to keep improving, keep getting better and hopefully by the time we play them next we’ll be a better team than them.”
Does he still believe Town can be up among the challengers for promotion? "Yes, definitely, it just takes a run, doesn’t it? It just takes a run of a couple of wins and then you’re up there, hopefully starting with Crewe because I do feel the team’s ready, you can see that in glimpses.
"Today was a below-par night, we haven’t had many in the league of late and we just have to bounce back against Crewe.”
He added: "We know at some point we need to [string together a run] and I think now is an opportunity to do it, it’s always an opportunity to do it.
"It’s just hard work really, keep fighting for each other, get that win and try and start some momentum, try and get a winning run together.”
One of the few positives on the night was Morsy avoiding a fifth league booking which would have led to a one-match ban. From now on five bookings no longer lead to a suspension.
"You can’t worry about that too much, to be honest,” he reflected. "If that happens, it happens. It’s not something that’s preying on your mind when you’re out there, whatever the situation is you just have to deal with it.”