Conor Chaplin hailed Ipswich Town’s 2-0 win over Derby County as a “perfect away performance” as the Blues made it seven straight wins — leaving promotion to the Championship currently in their hands.
Town’s top scorer made it 20 for the season as Ipswich maintained their own impressive form — and took further advantage of a slip from stuttering Sheffield Wednesday.
Another professional performance, including an eighth consecutive clean sheet, saw Chaplin finish off a devastating counter-attack to open the scoring before George Hirst smashed home a second to continue his own fine recent form.
Chaplin said: "Derby are a good side with brilliant players. We didn’t expect anything less than a tough game. But I thought, in some ways, it was probably the perfect away performance.
"Two counter-attack goals and counter-attack chances where we probably should have done better and put the game to bed. I thought we should have had a penalty as well.
"They’ve scored a goal which they probably will be a bit disappointed that it’s been chalked off. But I think, on reflection, it was a great away day.”
In front of Town’s ecstatic travelling fans, Chaplin grabbed number 20 with a cool finish. But it was the nature of the goal — the fact just 11 seconds had elapsed between Christian Walton’s throw, Nathan Broadhead’s ranging crossfield pass, Wes Burns’s cushioned header and the final decisive strike — which made the opening goal one of the best of the season.
When told of the 11 seconds, Chaplin simply said "wow!”. He added: "We’ve said in previous weeks and months that [counter-attack goals] were something we wanted to add to our game.
"We feel like we’ve got pace and the quality to do so and I think at Bolton and then twice today, we’ve shown that we can do it. Long may that continue.
"Broady’s pass to Wes was unbelievable and Wes’s header was a rock of a header to miss the man and find me.”
Chaplin said he was "over the moon” to reach the magic 20 mark, admitting: "It was something I was eager to hit but I’m not done yet. I want to keep going and keep pushing. But it’s a proud moment for sure. My teammates have played a main part in that. I’m not just saying that to be a team player.
"Like Wes’s one today, he’s put me in on a one-on-one and it is an easy chance really. I score that nine times out of 10, it’s not exactly a tough chance.
"The amount of assists Wes, Leif [Davis] and other boys have got for me, it’s been easy in terms of finishing. Some of the quality that I’ve been provided with has been nothing short of really good for this level.
"It’s the best feeling [celebrating with the fans when you score] — if you could bottle that and give it to someone, it’s worth an awful lot of money. It makes you smile just thinking about it. It’s honestly the best feeling in the world.
"It’s important for everyone to feel together and be together. You feel such support from them and they give us so much energy on the pitch. To spend that moment afterwards and share it together is a beautiful thing.”
Ever the professional, Chaplin was actually left disappointed he — and Town — didn’t leave Derby with even more goals, the forward having a headed rebound chance to keeper Joe Wildsmith shortly after putting the Blues in front, before later being denied a penalty when he was clearly tripped in the area by veteran Rams defender Craig Forsyth.
He said: "I think I should have had another goal, to be honest. The defender [Eiran Cashin] has done well. I think I was there first but it’s just hit him. I was a little disappointed with that. I feel like I am good in the air and I can finish — I enjoy it.
"And we 100 per cent should have had a penalty. Forsyth said to me afterwards ‘how has he [the ref] not given that?’, so I think that says it all.
"Obviously, he hasn’t meant to. I’ve gone to cross the ball with my right foot and he has clipped me as I put my foot back. I don’t know what the ref’s thinking there, it looked an easy one to give. I haven’t seen it but he clipped me and it’s a penalty and he knows it. That would have been nice.
"But we are very proud of this record and we want to continue it. I know we have been keeping clean sheets but we are so, so, so good going forward at the moment — we are in a real groove.
"Both ends of the pitch are clicking and, I guess you can say, we are getting the rub of the green when we weren’t at other times in the season. Though to be honest, we’ve been doing nothing different to what we have done the whole season.
"A little bit of learning, a little bit of experience from some types of games, but I think we have been having the same consistent messages throughout the whole season.”
Chaplin also paid tribute to those unfortunate not to make the matchday squad, saying: "I couldn’t be happier right now. I’m proud of all the boys — that’s the overriding feeling. Even the boys that aren’t in the matchday squad, I think we work so hard at times.
"It’s just worth it on away days like that. I just feel like everyone has contributed to that victory, whether they are here or not. They are such a good group and such good players, even the ones that aren’t in the matchday squad. It’s a win for the whole squad.”
The away day win rounded off a great couple of weeks for Town who, despite not playing during the international break, saw promotion rivals Sheffield Wednesday and Barnsley lost points.
For Chaplin personally, he also scored a hat-trick, his first for the Blues, during a behind-closed-doors training game against Tottenham Hotspur.
But he said: "The training ground doesn’t count. Unless it is in front of these people, it doesn’t count.”
Chaplin laughed when he was reminded manager Kieran McKenna has subbed him on a hat-trick in competitive matches six times this season.
"You could say that, I won’t speak too loudly, he’s only over there! It was a good practice for everyone. Everyone had good minutes and it was good to see.
"The performance Greg [Leigh] has put in was absolutely outstanding. Leif has been massive for us this season, such a big part of the squad and a big part of the way we play, and Greg was unbelievable.
"It’s not actually been that nice to be fair, I’ve missed the games. We’ve had a while to wait for a game. But I think we were full of energy today and I think maybe that’s given us a bit of a boost to go again.”
When suggested that 20 goals was a real landmark for a striker, Chaplin quipped: "I’m not a striker — them days are gone.
"We have eight big games left. Seven games left this month, which we all focus on to the next one on Friday. I want to score more and help the team more, I’m keen to do that. I can’t wait to get back to Portman Road on Friday and go again.
"We are only looking at Friday — it’s so naïve to look any further than that. No one is going to get caught up in that in this squad. They will come down with a crash from the rest of the lads if they do. Friday is the only objective.
"I think any goal is a big goal at this stage of the season. There are eight games left, it’s crunch time as such. I know it sounds like a broken record or a cliché, but genuinely every single staff member and player is just focused on Friday.
"Rest and recovery this week, we’ve got a shorter training week because the game is a day early, we’ll be back in on Monday and go again.”
After one reporter reminded Chaplin about Ipswich’s spectacular form that has heralded seven straight wins and eight consecutive clean sheets, he simply said, "Friday, Friday, Friday” to underline that the Blues are taking it just one game at a time — even if excitement is reaching fever point all around IP1 and beyond.