Town’s Wes Burns has a special reason for looking forward to Saturday’s game at former club Fleetwood but appreciates there will be no room for sentiment in a clash both sides will be desperate to win.
The Blues need all three points in their efforts to narrow the gap between them and the play-off places, while the Cod Army, currently just two points outside the drop zone, would be boosted by a similar return following a run of eight games without a win that has included five draws.
Burns admitted: "On a personal note, for me it’s not just another game, but for the team, going up there after the two results we have just had, it is definitely a massive game. We can’t afford to drop any more points really.
"For me, personally, with my history at Fleetwood, it will be nice to see a lot of familiar faces, but the main thing is that it is a good weekend all round and that means a win for Ipswich.”
Burns initially joined Fleetwood on loan from Bristol City in February 2016 and scored five times in 14 league appearances, 11 of them as a member of the starting line-up. He had a further loan spell north of the border at Aberdeen before making the permanent switch to the Fylde Coast in January 2017.
He played a total of 176 games in all competitions, scoring 23 goals, before departing in June last year as one of 19 new signings by Town ahead of the current campaign and he has been one of the most successful new recruits, netting 10 times in a total of 30 outings in league and cup.
Burns added: "To be fair I owe Fleetwood quite a lot really. They took me in at a rough spell in my career when I wasn’t playing much.
"I was low on confidence and the faith they had in me to give me a three-year deal and stick with me during the bad times meant a lot to me. I feel indebted to them for that and I’ve been looking forward to going back.”
Former manager Joey Barton played an important part in Burns’s progress at Fleetwood and he added: "He was the one who turned everything around for me to be honest. The faith he showed in me from the day he walked in the door, I can’t ever repay him enough.
"He was absolutely brilliant for me in terms of my learning and my character building, plus giving me the experience to kick on with my career. I can’t thank him enough for what he did to help me.”
Burns has taken to life at Portman Road in the best possible way. "I’m really chuffed to have 10 goals so far and it is already my best-ever season in terms of goals scored,” he said. "I set myself a target at the start of the season and I didn’t say what it was, but I can say I’ve hit it now.
"Anything between now and the end of the season is a bonus. It’s very good for me and I’m glad to have hit my target already, although I will obviously be trying to score as many as possible now.
"My favourite goal? Probably my first one, which came in the 2-2 draw at home to Wimbledon back in August. It was the first of the hatful I have scored this season and my first for Ipswich Town, so that was the most satisfying and for that reason it’s my favourite.”
Burns trails leading marksman Macauley Bonne by just two goals, the QPR loanee having gone off the boil and scored just once in his last 20 appearances, a record in stark contract to his sizzling form earlier in the campaign that saw him net an impressive 11 in his first 16 outings of the season
Could the Welshman cap an excellent first season at the club by becoming leading goalscorer? He added: "I always set myself a little challenge and if I keep doing what I am doing there’s every chance it might happen.
"But we obviously have Conor Chaplin on nine, just one behind me, so he’s one to look out for as well in terms of the Golden Boot for the season. But it’s a team game and if Macca catches fire again — he could score another 11 or 12 like he did early in the season — that would be perfect for the team.”
Burns admits he has learned a lot under new manager Kieran McKenna and continued: "When the new boss came in, he told the lads that he wanted us to enjoy training and he has stuck to that because we look forward to coming in every day.
"We are learning so much every day and we are being repaid on match days. I think we are a very exciting team to watch these days, to be fair.”
The manager and his backroom team have made a huge impression on every member of the playing staff in a relatively short space of time and Burns was asked about the influence of Leeds United duo Jack Harrison and Brazilian ace Raphinha on his progress.
He laughed: "That was something I mentioned in another conversation. Me and Martyn Pert were looking at clips of those two, looking at their movement, they way they can get behind defences and how they get the ball to feet, stuff like that. But we also watch a lot of clips of other teams and other players, and it’s really all about learning.”
Burns was asked about his handshake goal celebration with team-mate Janoi Donacien, with whom he has built a strong relationship down the right flank, and he admitted: "To be honest I’m not really sure how that one started. I think we just did it one day in training and it has stuck ever since.
"It’s kind of like a match day routine or ritual kind of thing now, I guess, and when we score it’s just a way of saying ‘Well done’ to each other. There’s not really too much more behind it than that.”
Town have had good cause to be grateful to Donacien and his defensive colleagues recently, Town’s amazing record of only conceding two goals in their last eight games compensating greatly for a lack of goals at the other end of the pitch.
Burns said: "That tremendous record speaks for itself. When they’re that solid behind us, obviously when you know how capable Fridge [George Edmundson], Woolfy [Luke Woolfenden], Janoi and of course goalkeeper Christian Walton are of shutting up shop it does give us the confidence to push on and commit men forward.
"You know that if the ball is given away and the other team are on the attack those guys can mop things up and deal with the mistakes that can happen going forward.”
Finally, Burns joined the chorus of congratulations for the Ipswich Town Women following their penalty shootout victory over Southampton at the Goldstar Ground in Felixstowe on Sunday, which secured them a place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, at which stage they will be at home to their West Ham counterparts.
Burns said: "It’s brilliant and I know there was a lot of late drama in the game, with the Southampton goalie scoring late in extra time to take it to penalties. It’s a brilliant achievement and huge congratulations to them. We keep a close eye on their results because we’re all Ipswich players.
"Paige [Peake] is close to the men’s team because she does a lot of camera work and analysis for us. They’ve got West Ham now so I’m sending a lot of support their way and wishing them all the best for that one, as well as their promotion bid.
"If we get a chance to get along to the West Ham game, if we’re not training and we have the day off, some of the lads might be able to attend.”