Town striker George Hirst says Wednesday’s victory over Bournemouth has not changed the mentality in the dressing room as the Blues enter the final eight Premier League matches of the season.
Hirst reaffirmed comments from his teammates and manager Kieran McKenna that the playing group fully believe they are able to achieve survival in the top flight, despite the gap to Wolverhampton Wanderers sitting at nine points plus a significant goal difference.
Town host Wolves at Portman Road this weekend fresh from the 2-1 midweek success against the Cherries at the Vitality Stadium, a result that ended the Blues’ long wait for a first league victory of the calendar year.
There have been numerous occasions this season where Town have been left to rue fine margins going against them, but the squad are looking firmly ahead to the run-in where they aim to swing the balance in their favour.
"We’ve always had the belief, to be honest,” Hirst admitted. "It’s nice when you get the result as it backs up what you’ve been doing and all the work you’ve been putting in.
"There’s been plenty of times this season where we’ve done really well with the work we’re putting in every day and we get to Saturday and we’ve come out on the wrong side of the margin.
"It’s been a case of not getting too down about that because we know and trust in what we’re doing and the work that we do with the boss.
"I don’t think there’s been a massive change in mentality or belief, it’s just about us keep doing what we’re doing and hopefully we can get on the right side of the results.
"It’s just about staying level-headed. If we go and lose against Bournemouth, it’s not like we’re not going to turn up on Saturday and throw our toys out of the pram. It’s another game and another chance to get three points.
"The result the other day was really nice and a good benchmark to go and build on for the rest of the season. We’re going into the Wolves game with full belief again and hopefully it’s another game we can go and show the best version of ourselves and get the three points.”
The Blues’ trip to Bournemouth was their first competitive fixture for 17 days after an extended break due to the international window and the FA Cup quarter-finals.
McKenna has found it difficult to maintain a consistent team selection, with another six changes being made to the starting lineup from the previous match against Nottingham Forest.
When put to him that the performance did not look like that of a half-changed side, Hirst said: "That’s a testament to the boys, how we train and how together the boss keeps the squad. You could have not played all season but you might be needed for the last eight games of the season and those will be the most important games you’ll ever play as of right now.
"For us, it’s always about staying ready whether it’s not playing the next seven and starting on the last game of the season. It’s no good sulking that you’ve not played the last seven, you need to be ready when that moment comes. It’s about everyone staying grounded, staying ready and taking that opportunity.
"It’s the work we put in day in, day out. We know the quality we’ve got in the squad from top to bottom. We’ve had injuries throughout the whole season and everybody has, we’ve got a squad of players that can come in and play at any given time.
"You look at Conor Townsend coming in on Wednesday night and I thought he was absolutely brilliant, that’s a testament to him and that’s the way we work with the whole squad. You never know when that opportunity is going to come, but when it does come you need to be ready to take it.
"It’s going to be the same going into the game tomorrow, whatever XI is picked is going to go out there and give it 110 per cent and everything they’ve got.
"We’re going to have a bench full of lads that are ready to come on and change the game, help chase the game if needed, help see the game out if needed or whatever is needed in the moment.
"For us, we’re going to go out and put the best versions of ourselves out there and we fully back ourselves that the best version of ourselves is enough to beat anyone.”
Another of Wednesday evening’s positives was the impact of Nathan Broadhead, who struck his first-ever Premier League goal having gone almost exactly a year since he last found the net for Town in the Championship last season.
After an excellent run from Julio Enciso, Broadhead sent Cherries defender Dean Huijsen sliding before coolly finding the net underneath the legs of goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.
"He’s come really close in the games that he’s been playing so I was absolutely delighted for him and I know everyone else was as well,” Hirst said of the Welshman. "That’s typical Broady, the kind of goal that he scored when he gets it in that position.
"The first thing he said after the game was that he took a heavy touch, I was thinking ‘what are you thinking about the touch for, you’ve just chopped up the centre-half and put it through the keeper’s legs so don’t worry about the touch’. Hopefully that’s the first of a few more before the end of the season.
"Everyone’s going to sit there and look at the bit they could have done slightly better. He’s probably thinking if he took a better touch he wouldn’t have had to do the rest of it and it would’ve been a little bit easier.
"Ultimately it ended up in the back of the net and he got himself in that position and took it incredibly well. That’s Broady down to a tee, we see that every day in training multiple times so I don’t think anyone was surprised.
"When he got into that position from the pass from Julio, we all knew where that ball was ending up.”