Jack Taylor may have only tasted a few minutes of league action since his £1.5 million summer move to Portman Road but he is quick to point out that he is ready when required by boss Kieran McKenna.
The former Peterborough midfielder’s Championship contribution so far comprises three appearances from the bench – less than half an hour plus injury time – and starts in each of the club’s Carabao Cup ties against Bristol Rovers and Reading, scoring his first Town goal just 12 minutes into his full debut in the 2-0 home win over the Gas.
But the feeling is that Taylor’s full league debut probably isn't far away and he certainly timed his entry into the recent 3-2 home win over Cardiff City to perfection, sent on by McKenna to replace Massimo Luongo just three minutes before Freddie Ladapo netted what proved to be the much-acclaimed winner.
Hammersmith-born Taylor, 25, said: "That was a game that showed the resilience inside the squad and I was happy to make an impact in the game as I came on when it was 2-2 and we went on to get the winner. We went 2-0 down quite early in the game, when there was still 30 to 40 minutes left, and the way we came back shows where we are at the minute.
"The good work we are putting in during the week on the training ground is really making a difference. When I went on the momentum was with us after we had got two goals back. After Freddie equalised, it was one-way traffic and I felt that if anyone was going to score it was going to be us.”
Town’s impressive start to life back in the second tier – they are sitting second in the table before Saturday’s trip to face Sheffield Wednesday – has earned them four wins from five league fixtures. Asked if the squad felt they had surpassed expectations, Taylor replied: "Yes, I think so, but we’re not going to get carried away.
"It’s only been five league games and two cup wins but being a newly-promoted side, you’d definitely take it, wouldn’t you? We’re through the first international break, we’ve got a lot of games coming up and the squad feels ready to tackle Wednesday on Saturday.”
Has the confidence within the group, already high in the wake of last season’s memorable promotion campaign, increased as a result of the second-half recovery against Cardiff?
He went on: "You can probably imagine what it was like in the dressing room afterwards.
"But we have some strong characters in the group who reflected on the performance and said we needed to do a lot of things better.
"It could happen again later in the season, going behind and having to fight for the points, which we’ll always do, but the place is buzzing right now and we don’t want to lose that feeling.”
Taylor won’t be 100 per cent happy, however, until he earns a place in the first team starting line-up. "I’m obviously itching to get it, to be fair,” he said. "I’m still working really hard on the training pitch and I think I’ll be ready when called upon.”
How has it been in his short spell at the club so far? "If I’m honest it has been tough,” he admitted. "I’ve been used to pretty relaxed weeks, making sure we are refreshed for the weekend, but here we train as we play on the Saturday. I think I’ve adjusted quite well but I’m definitely looking forward to that first start and getting myself into the starting XI.
"There is so much quality in the squad and when you look at the midfield group there is some great experience alongside the quality.
"The skipper, Sam Morsy, and Massimo Luongo, are playing so well and doing a lot for the team. It’s tough for me but I just have to keep training hard and try to push myself into the side.
"Morsy, who picked up two more Egyptian caps during the international break, and Luongo have been consistently good since teaming up in midfield last season, but Taylor is watching the pair closely as he awaits his big chance.
He added: "I’m learning a lot from these guys, especially about the style of play expected of us. They have been used to playing under the gaffer, so I’m watching how they play in the games and making notes, although I will be looking to implement my style when the opportunity comes along.
"All the midfield players are different, with their own ways of doing things, and everybody is eager to play. The gaffer has always said to me that I should try to implement my own traits to the team while also playing within the system.
"I still see myself in the left-side pocket where Mass [Luongo] is playing at the minute, but also with the licence to get forward and do what I like to do, which is getting on the end of things”
Asked if he found it tough to be an onlooker and to also patient, Taylor said: "It is, to be fair, and I’ve not really had it in my career before, especially not being in the side at the start of a new season, which is definitely new for me.
"But like I said, I’m still training hard and the lads are getting good results, so I can’t really complain too much at the minute. But when the chance does come, I know I’ll be ready for it.”