Skipper Sam Morsy says he and his team-mates have half a season in which to go out and do something special having picked up a confidence-boosting 1-1 draw away against second-placed Wigan Athletic yesterday.
Morsy, who won the League One title with the Latics under recently-sacked former Blues boss Paul Cook in 2017/18, felt the Blues played well against his old side and got better as the game progressed.
"I think it was good, a point may be a fair reflection,” he said. "I thought as the game was going on we were only going to win it.
"Offside for their goal, but in the second half, very good, much improved and if the game continued there was only going to be one winner.”
Given Town’s recent struggles, some teams might have wilted having gone behind to Callum Lang’s 22nd-minute goal.
"Yes, definitely. It actually reminded me of a game I had here a couple of seasons ago against Sheffield Wednesday away where were losing at half-time and we pulled it around and ended up winning,” he recalled. "It felt like that. A good point, a second half moving in the right direction.”
He added: "You can see the way they play, they mix it up, they try and just hit balls in the channels, are dangerous from set pieces. They’re a good team, they’re up there and rightfully so.
"It’s a good test and when you go 1-0 down against a side top-two in the league it can be difficult. But we showed character, we showed grit and got back into the game, and if the game had continued I’m sure we would have won.”
Had there been another 10 minutes the 30-year-old felt the Blues would have won the game.
"Absolutely, we had the momentum, the players were lively, were getting in good positions,” he insisted.
"The lad [Tom Pearce] made an unbelievable block at the end. I thought Kyle Edwards had won it for us.
"But they’re near the top of the table for a reason. Could we have won? Yes, but do you take the point in the current circumstances? Of course you do.”
Morsy says it was important to take something from the game: "Massively, massively and I think we deserved it, to be honest. As the game was going on, we were the only team which was going to win.”
Regarding James Norwood, who scored on his return to the team, having previously been out of favour and training with the U23s, he added: "That’s what James Norwood does, a great finish, I’m delighted for him and he could be a catalyst to turn our season around. That’s just how mad this game of football is.
"It’s a very funny game, it changes week to week, mentality is a huge, huge thing, energy’s a huge, huge thing.
"We now have an opportunity on Wednesday to get to the third round of the FA Cup, if we can do that things will start to look up a little bit.”
The Egyptian international knew Town had to put in an improved display after the hugely disappointing performance and result at Charlton on Tuesday in the wake of Cook’s sacking.
"One hundred per cent. I think the thing is, players aren’t robots in terms of managers who have just been sacked. He’s brought every single player to the club,” he reflected.
"It takes its toll on you emotionally, mentally, but we’ve had chats amongst ourselves, we knew it wasn’t right, I knew my performance wasn’t right, a lot of the lads held their hands up and said ‘We need to be better’ and that’s a good thing, when you acknowledge it that’s when you know you’re moving in the right direction.
"I’ve been here before, I’ve got a couple of promotions on my CV, I know what it takes and that sort of performance is what it takes.”
Ahead of the game the Town fans unfurled a banner bearing the legend ‘Fight for the badge’, something the skipper acknowledged.
"The fans deserve it, they’ve had a tough time over the last few years and I think with the new owners coming in, they’ve felt there was some light,” he said.
"But we haven’t given them what they want, but there are 24 games left of the season, 24 games left. A lot of points to play for and only we can put it right, absolutely.
"Whoever the new manager is, only us as a group can put it right. Nothing’s decided in December, our season is going to be up to us and the lads in the dressing room.
"It’s a great set of lads, it really is, we’ve all been put together, it is hard, it is difficult but we are going to grow, we are going to get better.”
Asked whether it was difficult seeing Cook, who Morsy also played for at Wigan and Chesterfield where he was also skipper, sacked last weekend, he said: "Initially, it was quite a shock and it’s tough because he brought everyone in.
"I’ve obviously got a history with the manager and it is tough, but everyone has dusted ourselves down, we’ve had those honest conversations.
"A lot of the time there’s only one place to look and that’s the mirror, you don’t blame anyone else other than yourself, that’s the only way to improve and get better. And we’ve all done that and you can see by the way we fought and got a point today.”
Does he feel an additional responsibility as the captain? "Absolutely, I’ve been here many a time, even in promotions, where you’re the first person people look at, you have to lead by example.
"Like I said when I came to the club, I’m determined to be a success at this club, that is my big drive and my big ambition and I’m going to do everything I can to do that.”
He says interim manager John McGreal has spoken to him this week: "Yes, John’s an Ipswich man, he’s an interim manager, he wants to do his best.
"He loves the club, along with Kieron Dyer, and they’ve worked as hard as they can, they’ve done their best and that’s what we all have to do. We all have to take responsibility and build and grow together.”
Quizzed on whether the last week has brought the players, most of whom came to the club in the summer, closer together, he said: "Definitely, you have to because if you want to be successful, in sport, in football, as a team, team cohesion is massive.
"You have to be with each other, you have to rely on each other and I think today you could see none of us feeling sorry for ourselves, we were all fighting for one another, all getting behind each other,
"There were a lot of big tackles going in there, which going forward we need to do because we have got the quality in the squad, that’s undoubted, but the other part of the game, what the fans want to see, the fight, the grit, the determination, we have to give it to them.”
McGreal said the dressing room was noisier after the game, does Morsy feel the result has reinvigorated the players after a tough week? "It has to because we represent Ipswich Town Football Club.
"The fans demand it, they travel a long way on Tuesday nights, a long way on Saturdays, they demand nothing but 100 per cent effort, which they should get.
"Like I said, it’s a whole new era for the club, there’s going to be a new manager coming in and we’ve got half a season to try and do something special, and that’s what we’re all going to try and do.”
He added: "We’ve 69 points left to play for, everything’s possible. But it starts with a will and a desire before anything else.”