Town defender Darnell Furlong says the Blues will head to Blackburn Rovers this evening looking to kickstart another unbeaten run.
Last Friday’s 2-1 defeat at Oxford United ended Town’s sequence of six matches without defeat, which has left them outside the Championship play-off places while holding a game in hand.
The fixture count will be levelled up after the Blues’ second visit to Ewood Park, a clash which would see Kieran McKenna’s side go fourth in the table should they be victorious.
Furlong agreed with suggestions that the Championship is as open as it has ever been, and that the squad remain in good spirits despite Friday’s disappointment at the Kassam Stadium.
"Very good, we’ve got over the defeat very quickly,” he said. "It’s one of those things that we put to bed, we know what we should have done to put things right and things we could have done better.
"We were on a great run before, we’re not getting too ahead of ourselves and not getting too down. We’re very level-headed and looking forward to the next run.
"It’s quite similar every year where there’s shock results everywhere and surprise results. Whilst you respect everyone and you’re ready to go to anywhere, our result would have shocked some people the other night against Oxford.
"But it happens, we’ve been on a great run before that and it’s simply about starting another good run.”
With the clash against the Yellows brought forward by a day for broadcast selection, Town were afforded an extra day of rest and preparation going into the trip to Lancashire.
For many of the Blues squad, a complete shutdown over the weekend was a welcome relief amid the chaotic schedule.
Furlong said: "Sometimes you almost forget that it’s a Saturday. It gets to half-four and you’re seeing results coming in and you’ll have a little look then. You’re probably still thinking about your own game before and then what’s to come.
"I’ve got two little ones, so it’s nice to spend some time with them and get out and do normal family stuff and take your mind away from it. That’s what I like to do.
"If you go Saturday to Saturday, you’ve got a little bit more time to debrief, think about it and dwell on it almost. With the games coming thick and fast like they have been, it’s gone already.
"We’ve stopped thinking about it, we know the things that we needed to put right and what we should have done better. But there were still positives in the game and we’ll take them into Blackburn.”
Of course, this rescheduled game will not be the Blues’ first visit to Ewood Park this season.
Back in the heavy September rain, the initial staging was abandoned after 79 minutes due to an unplayable surface with Rovers leading 1-0, Town having also been reduced to 10 men following a red card to Jacob Greaves.
"It’s obviously tough and you want to finish games, but the fact of the matter is it got too dangerous,” Furlong reflected. "It was a situation where anyone mistimes a tackle and they’re sliding for a good 10 metres, which can’t happen on a football pitch.
"The result was irrelevant, the performance was irrelevant, we go there again and try and win.
"This is going to be the third time that I’m playing them in a league game which is strange. It’s just another game and I’m sure they’re going to be bang up for it with what happened in the last game and we’ll be the same. Hopefully we’ll go there and get a result.
"Three away games in a row, very tough and as tough as the Championship gets with a Saturday-Tuesday-Friday. But it’s what we love doing, we love playing games and a bit less training on the pitch for more games, it happens.
"Looking forward to it, we’ve got a great squad here which is good and is always going to help and everyone in the big squad wants to push in the right direction.”
One of the biggest criticisms that has faced Town in recent weeks is their lack of ruthlessness in front of goal.
Despite scoring 29 league goals this season, which is bettered by only Hull City and runaway leaders Coventry City, the Blues have missed the most big chances in the division with 37 across their 17 league matches so far this season.
Furlong suggested that some statistics can give a false representation, and says the volley scored by Leif Davis against Oxford highlights that the whole squad is capable of scoring.
The 30-year-old said: "It was a great finish, composed, and we needed it at the time. All of us in the camp believed that we would probably have gone on and won the game after that but it wasn’t to be. We tried everything but it was just a couple of things that we could have changed.
"It happens. When you’re a good team in the league, sometimes teams can bank up and the shots that you’re getting off or the xG [expected goals] is maybe a little bit misleading because of the zones that you might be shooting from.
"We’re creating the chances and the quality is there, so there’s no worry on our side.”
With one of the most expensively assembled squads in the Championship comes a sense of expectancy from those outside of the club.
Asked how the Blues are dealing with the extra pressure, Furlong said: "They definitely expect us to be up there, that’s why I wanted to come here because I had that expectation before being here of Ipswich, and I still do.
"It’s a very long season and we’re looking forward to just the next game and taking it slowly. We’ve got a big chunk of games now and it’s just about trying to take every game as it comes, play as well as we can and that will leave us in good stead for the results.”
It is clear that McKenna sees Furlong as the first-choice right-back, having started 12 of the 13 matches since his debut in the home drubbing of Sheffield United.
The former West Bromwich Albion defender says he is enjoying how he is being instructed to play by the manager, and that he is hoping to net for the first time in Town colours soon.
"It would be nice to,” he said. "I’ve had a couple over the years so it’s always nice when I manage to contribute. Hopefully they’ll come as and when they’re needed, but there’s no pressure on it.
"There’s different roles in the team. There’s certain playing positions, whether it’s full-backs that are more attacking or more defensive in the way we’re set up.
"Whatever I’m asked to do is how I’ll try and play on the pitch, sometimes it can be a more attacking role and sometimes more defensive.”