Janoi Donacien knows only too well how desperate supporters are for Town to win promotion back to the Championship this season, admitting: “I know what the fans are saying — they tell me every time I pop into my local Co-op!”
Maybe the popular defender and his colleagues are reluctant to mention the P-word. After all, they have only reached the halfway stage of a 46-game league campaign, but with Town sitting second in the table within only a couple of points of leaders Plymouth, the players understand why their followers are so enthralled.
Donacien said: "The fans are excited when I bump into them when I’m out and about — and why not? Their team is doing well and they’re enjoying the fact.
"But we can only do it one way, by taking each game as it comes. It’s the professional way but we share the same aim as the fans and it’s important they know that.
"The facts are that we are sitting second in the table and we’re having a great season, playing some great football and we’re really at it from one game to the next.
"It hasn’t always been like that during my time at the club so I understand why the fans are buzzing right now. I hope they continue to be like that for as long as possible.”
With Town occupying one of the two automatic places for most of the current campaign, Donacien went on to underline the fact that not only is the players’ attitude is spot-on but manager Kieran McKenna won’t accept any complacency from anyone.
He added: "The gaffer won’t let us take anything for granted. Every day we are working towards the next game; that’s the way we do things here.
"We just keep going, heads down and working hard, and it’s been that way ever since the gaffer came in just over a year ago. So far, so good, but there’s still a long way to go and a lot to achieve.
"The gaffer has done so much for us and the club since he got the job. I can’t really put into words what he has done; just look at the results and where we are now compared to when he came in.
"For me, personally, he has done a great deal and made me a better player and I think all the lads in the squad would say the same. He has been at us, you know, when we have needed it. He’s been pushing us from day one and he has kept us grounded, but he has also been fully supportive of us.”
Asked if there is belief within the camp that they can stay the course and go up, Donacien added: "We’ll just have to see how it goes. We’re very confident but we’re just taking each game as it comes, no more than that.
"In fact, it’s every day as it comes. We come into training, work as hard as we can and take it into the games as we tick them off.”
An ankle injury sustained the previous week against Peterborough caused Donacien to be absent from the recent 1-0 defeat at Wycombe Wanderers and he added: "I was watching it, like a lot of people were, but it was great to be back against Oxford on Boxing Day.
"We’re players, we want to play and we all hate missing games through injury. It has been a tough couple of weeks, to be honest. I took a knock and I can only do my best when I get into training. I’ve been running until I can’t run anymore!”
Donacien was asked to sum up his role in the Blues’ team and he replied: "Mobile, that’s the word I would use. It’s very, very mobile and I can’t put it better than that.
"I’m always being encouraged loads by the gaffer to get forward. I can hear him, especially when I’m near the dug-out. "JD, JD! Go, JD,” he really does push us on.
"He has improved my game — well, not just mine, everybody’s game. He pulls me to one side and shows me what I need to work on and what he wants, using clips from games to illustrate the point.”
Town’s next test comes tomorrow evening at Fratton Park against a Portsmouth side without a win in their last seven league games, although they have drawn five of them, and Donacien continued: "I’m expecting a tough game down there. Their crowd pushes them on, like our fans push us on, and we’ll have to be ready for that and manage it.
"It’s important we match their intensity with ours and then look to put our stamp on the game. Then we keep going and keep going.
"It’s a great atmosphere there. But we know how it feels to be encouraged by a partisan crowd because we get it every time at Portman Road. We also know how the momentum can shift if we get our game going.
"It can help to silence their people and change the mood around the place. We’ll be looking to do that and, as always, we’ll be going there trying to win the game.
"Our fans who travel away have been terrific for us, absolutely terrific. Every game, they have been packing out the away section. I know it has all been said before but it really does give the boys an extra lift, an extra push, and we are very grateful for it.”