Town will return to the Championship in a much better place than they left it a year ago, according to forward Conor Chaplin.
The Blues’ stay in the Premier League came to a close on Sunday after just a single season but Kieran McKenna and his playing squad maintain the confidence that they are well-placed for a successful campaign next term.
Early bookmakers’ odds agree with that belief, with Town tipped as the favourites to claim the Championship title ahead of fellow relegated side Southampton and losing play-off finalist Sheffield United.
Chaplin believes the Blues faithful have deserved more than the four victories achieved in the top flight this season, particularly since only one of those came on home soil.
"It’s important from our side to show our appreciation for the fans,” he said following the defeat to West Ham United.
"The last two or three years speaks for itself. It’s easy to be a fan when you’re coming off the last two years, but to be how they’ve been all season when we’ve not won a lot of games, to keep coming in their numbers and keep making a lot of noise, they’ve been a credit to the football club.
"They’ve been an incredible part of making this journey as enjoyable as it can be even though we’ve not won as many games. That’s probably the biggest disappointment from my part because I feel like they’ve been incredible all season.
"We need them to stick with us, we need them to understand that next season’s going to be another challenge and to keep a positive spin on everything.
"This club is in an incredibly better position than it was 12 months ago. A relegation doesn’t change that, the club’s on an upward trajectory, for sure. To bridge the gap, the fans will help us massively as well.”
Chaplin also insists that Town can swing momentum back in their favour having suffered a difficult adjustment from their success in the Championship a year ago to their struggles in the Premier League this season.
The 28-year-old said: "At a club with a culture like ours with individuals at the football club like ours, it’s null and void. When we come back in, the mindset is completely different.
"For me, I’ll have a little bit of reflection of the season but it has to change straight away. You can’t have any hangover and that’s clear from us players and the staff.
"We won’t wait for people on that, as a senior player I won’t wait for people on that to come in no sulking. If you don’t want to be here, you’re not here. But if you want to be here, we’ve all got a common goal and that’s something I’ll be massive on.”
For the Blues, the ambition for next season is clear. An instant return to the top flight is undoubtedly the target, but Chaplin knows the challenges that the Championship will pose.
"I don’t think there’s too much to be said about that,” he continued. "We know it’s an incredibly tough league, especially with the teams that are coming down and the teams that have come up in terms of finances.
"It’s probably going to be one of the hardest Championships for a long time in terms of the stature of the clubs there, but the goal is the goal.
"If you’re not looking forward to that and you can’t get yourself up for that, there’s something seriously wrong.”
With the fixtures for the new EFL season set to be released on Thursday 26th June, it will not be long before attention turns to preparing for the new campaign with another intense pre-season programme.
For now, though, Chaplin and his teammates can enjoy a few weeks away once the season’s post-mortem has been complete to recharge and gear up for the big launch again in August.
He said: "A lot of downtime and a lot of chill time. We all spend an awful lot of time away from our families, so we’ll be with our families as much as possible. A lot of rest and then getting ready and preparing for pre-season.”