Frustration was the overriding feeling for forward Conor Chaplin following the Blues’ 2-2 home draw with leaders Wigan Athletic at Portman Road last night.
Chaplin netted Town’s equaliser to take his tally for the season to 10 goals with skipper Sam Morsy subsequently giving the Blues the lead against his old club before former Ipswich striker Will Keane grabbed a leveller for the Latics with his second of the game with four minutes left on the clock.
The 25-year-old felt his side would have been good for the win on their overall performance having been well in control against the League One leaders for most of the evening.
"We should have been, we definitely should have been,” he reflected. "Frustration is probably the overriding emotion after the game just because I felt we were so dominant.
"I think we’ve played very, very good football and in terms of performances and intensity in spells this season, I think today was probably one of the only times, if not the only time, that for 90 minutes we were bang at it.
"It’s not easy, the best teams in the world can’t be at it for 90 minutes, but I honestly felt we were today.
"Every single section of the game, every bit of the game we controlled. We were intense in our pressure off the ball and then on the ball we were intense in terms of getting the ball in behind, getting the ball wide, runs. We were very frustrated but we know where we need to improve, we’re not stupid.”
The summer signing from Barnsley says he and his team-mates know they’re capable of taking on any team in this division.
"I think everyone within our dressing room knows that we will compete with anyone in this league if we’re on it, if we iron out mistakes, if we’re bang on it for 90 minutes, which we were today,” he continued.
"That shows how superior we were in terms of the game. We know that we can mix it with the best in this league, I think we’ve shown that. Our results haven’t been where they need to be in terms of the best in this league and playing against them, which we’re fully aware of.
"We’ve got no qualms about that because that’s the facts, but we were really pleased with the performance.
"We’ve got a big summer in terms of, first and foremost, finishing the season strongly. We want to get six points for the rest of the season and finish as strongly as we can, then we know where we need to improve. I think as a group we’re all dialled into that.”
He added: "Of course [we want to be where Wigan are now in a year’s time], no one at the club is hiding away from that.”
Manager Kieran McKenna said he felt last night’s display was Chaplin’s best since he took charge in mid-December, but the player himself was less certain.
"Probably not!” he laughed. "I don’t know. I think I’ve been fairly consistent when I’ve played, probably the most consistent I’ve been in terms of performances throughout the majority of a season.
"Me and Sone [Aluko] have shared the workload quite well, competing against someone like Sone it only gets you going even more because he’s some player.
"I know what I bring to the team that maybe other people don’t in terms of a goal threat, running forward and as long as I know that then I’m comfortable in terms of who’s on the pitch.
"In terms of my best game, I don’t really know to be fair. If he’s said it, then he must be right!”
Reflecting on his strike, a typically predatory finish inside the penalty area, he added: "To be fair, it was probably my kind of goal. I’ve not been in those areas as much this season because I’ve not played as a number nine which I’ve done probably for most of my career.
"I think fans at Ipswich probably think that I’ve been an attacking midfielder but I’ve not really been that until I came here really, but I’m really enjoying the role. You get a lot more of the ball, which is something that obviously every footballer loves.
"It’s something that I’m learning from as well. I work with the gaffer and the coaches every day, every week in terms of getting better. Getting better at receiving, those are the things that I can take from Santi [Bersant Celina] and Sone in terms of the way they play in those pockets where they’ve probably played their whole careers.
"It’s definitely learning from each other. If he thinks that that was my best game, then happy days.
"The boss obviously likes me in that position, but obviously I’ll play left wing-back, right wing-back, centre-half, I not bothered as long as I’m contributing to this club on the pitch and off the pitch, that’s obviously what I’ll be looking to do.”
Reflecting further on his switch of role, he added: "I probably played [up front] on my own at Portsmouth under Cooky [Paul Cook]. At Barnsley I played in a two. I’ve never really played in an attacking midfielder.
"I played probably as a nine and a half at Coventry as well, so this is probably the first time that I’m in midfielders’ meetings rather than strikers’ meetings.
"It pains me, I’ll be honest, watching strikers doing finishing drills and I’m doing passing drills, I don’t enjoy that!
"But I’m learning from it and it’s something that I’ll be looking to build on next season in terms of numbers because I’m a big advocate of that, you need to affect games with numbers, goals and assists.
"I probably wouldn’t like to be pigeon-holed as a player anyway just because there’s less chance of playing - if you can play in more positions you’ve got more chance of playing, and playing is obviously the be all and end all.
"I like playing and scoring as well, so I definitely don’t want to get away from my scoring instincts because that’s what gives me the biggest buzz is that feeling, so the more of that the better.”
Having moved into double figures for the season, the one-time Portsmouth attacker says he’s already aiming for more in 2022/23.
"I set my targets usually a bit higher as a number nine but as an attacking midfielder, which I’ve been playing, then I can’t have any qualms about those numbers,” he said.
"Next year I definitely want more. I’ve had a couple of dry patches this year, which every player’s going to have, especially if you’re not a number nine, which I definitely want to improve on.
"I want to be in the box more, I want to have more shots in games, more crosses, more assists, definitely. That’s something that I’ll be looking to build on.”