Town will reach the season’s halfway point after Saturday’s sell-out clash with Sunderland at Portman Road and even if they claim all three points they look to have their work cut out to climb the table and finish in the top six come the end of the season in May.
The current position does not look good — the Blues sit 12th in League One on 28 points, a huge 16 fewer than pacesetters Rotherham on 44 — and the Yorkshiremen have in hand.
Second-placed Wigan, who have 42 points, have two games in hand and Town are nine points adrift of sixth-placed Plymouth Argyle.
Yet despite the odds apparently stacked against them goalkeeper Christian Walton is adamant that a top-six finish remains a possibility. "All it takes is a run of games and being consistent in terms of picking up results and points,” he said.
"Personal performances and team performances have got to be spot-on but we can definitely do it.
"It has happened to teams before — look at Bolton in League Two last season. They were right down at Christmas time and they ended up getting promoted, same with Blackpool in League One. Everyone knows you can turn things round in this division.”
A lack of consistency, something highlighted by both the departed Paul Cook and interim manager John McGreal, has cost Town dearly this season and they have been playing catch-up since the start of the current campaign, drawing 2-2 at home to newly-promoted Morecambe on the opening day and failing to win any of their first six league fixtures that saw them collect a mere three points from a possible 18.
Walton said: "Managers take the brunt of it but at the end of the day it’s the players that have to take responsibility, in fact everyone throughout the club has to take responsibility for their roles and jobs within the team.
"Moving forward we need to put things right. We have another game on Saturday with a big attendance and we need to rise to the occasion.
"It will be brilliant. I think we need to rise to these occasions with a lot of fans in. The club have done their bit by giving tickets to people who are less fortunate and it’s really good that they are doing stuff like this within the community. It’s another big occasion for the club, a really big game and I’m naturally hoping that we can win it and get the three points.”
Referring to the corresponding fixture last month at the Stadium of Light, which the Black Cats won 2-0, Walton continued: "It was a strange game up at their place. Neither team did much in the first half, although we had shots and their keeper made a good double save, but we were the better side in the second and just couldn’t get the ball in the net.
"The manager [Cook] said the same sort of things and it was clear for everyone to see. But that’s gone now and we have to move on to Saturday and what is going to be another big test because not only are they on a good run of form, they also have some very good players.”
Walton was speaking after Wednesday's FA Cup replay defeat at Barrow and before Kieran McKenna's appointment as the club's new manager.
The keeper was asked if he felt for interim manager John McGreal, who will take charge of the Blues for the fourth and final time against the Black Cats with McKenna and his assistant Martyn Pert watching from the stands.
McGreal's games at the helm have ended in 2-0 defeats at Charlton and Barrow and a 1-1 draw at Wigan.
The Cornishman said: "I can’t speak highly enough of him. He’s been brilliant. He’s come in and it’s not been easy for him after only being at the club for about three days.
"He’s tried his best and he’s worked for hours on end, travelling up to watch Wigan for example, and he’s done everything he can. Obviously, we’ve let him down with the results and we need to be better on Saturday.”