Manager Kieran McKenna takes charge of his 10th game as Blues boss when Burton visit on Saturday and says he’s enjoyed all aspects of the job so far and is settling into living in the area.
McKenna, 35, has made a positive start to his time in management with the Blues having won six, drawn one and lost two of his first nine matches to move to within five points of the play-offs.
Asked how he believes things have gone so far, he reflected: "I’ve enjoyed all the aspects of the job in general over the two months or whatever it is now.
"I’ve enjoyed the job, I’ve certainly enjoyed the feeling of being at such a big club and very proud to be part of it all. I’ve enjoyed the journey and the direction that we’re trying to take the team and are trying to take the club, and it’s an exciting thing to be part of.
"In terms of the nine games, we’ve had some very good performances and some not-so-good performances but I think in general we feel like we’re moving in a good direction.
"But we certainly can’t rest on that. There are lots of things to improve in terms of our performances, individually and as a team and we’re still a long, long way off in terms of points and position from where the club would have wanted to be at the start of the season.
"It’s not time to look back or think about the games that have gone, the 10 games which have passed, it’s about the next game and the next batch of games and making sure that we continue to improve and hopefully we continue to pick up positive results.”
Has anything surprised him? "I don’t think so, there certainly haven’t been any nasty surprises. I’ve said before, I was pleasantly surprised by the openness and the real humility and growth-mindset of the group of players that I’ve inherited, not having known too many of the before.
"I’ve been really pleasantly surprised by how willing and how hungry they are to work and to improve and to be coached and to be part of the team and part of the squad. That’s probably been the most pleasant surprise.
"I think the other bits of the job have been things that I’ve been exposed to before. The league is obviously a little bit different, so that’s been one of the positive challenges really, learning a lot about different teams and different players that I wasn’t as familiar with.
"I’ve enjoyed that process as well, I feel that I’m getting a better understanding of the division and of the challenges that different teams can bring.
"I’ve enjoyed that challenge. I think that will be beneficial in the next period of time, the more familiar myself and my staff become with the league and the division that we’re in.
"But in general, no nasty surprises, only positive surprises and I’ve certainly enjoyed it so far.”
Regarding settling into life in Suffolk, the Northern Irishman added: "Really good. It’s a lovely area of the world. I’ve enjoyed getting into town at times to get around the centre and do bits in there, but also to get out into the countryside as well and there is some beautiful countryside around Suffolk to see.
"It feels to me like there’s a nice laidback nature around the county, certainly coming from my previous experiences of London and even in Manchester as well.
"I’m really enjoying the atmosphere around the town and around the county and really settling in well here on an individual level and looking forward to settling in fully with my family towards the end of the season and the summer. Hopefully, we will be in this area for a long period of time to come.”