Town midfielder Azor Matusiwa has admitted he will need to adjust his game in order to avoid a potential two-game ban for accumulating 10 yellow cards.
Matusiwa has picked up nine yellow cards so far this campaign, with one more booking automatically triggering a two-match suspension.
It seems highly unlikely that the Dutchman will successfully walk the tightrope until the cut-off date, which comes after the 37th match of the season, still 15 games away.
"Of course you think about it, but now it’s up to me to adjust where I can,” Matusiwa said on the prospect of future punishment.
"It’s also my game, so if I have to take the card for the team I will take it. If not, I won’t. I have to use my experience as well now.
"I know the league better now and getting to know the referees, I know what the limit is and whatnot. I’m aware of it now, if it happens it happens. For now, I'm still on nine.
"I will say to adjust a bit, I won’t say to change because it’s my game. It’s also the position that I'm playing, you take a lot of cards in this position.
"Hopefully I can stay on nine, it’s going to be hard but I will do my best. If I have to take a yellow card for the team, I have no choice.”
Asked whether he felt some of his nine bookings have been a little harsh, Matusiwa said: "I think so, yes, but I won’t talk about it. For example, the last one against Stoke was really harsh.
"Another example against Swansea, I was already in the movement of playing the ball, he whistled and I played the ball. I didn’t shoot it away, I just played it to the goalie to hold the ball and he gave me a yellow card. I’ve seen other players doing it and they haven’t got anything.
"Some yellow cards were harsh, some yellow cards were right. I won’t talk about it too much.”
Matusiwa has served a suspension once already this season, missing his only league game of the campaign to date in Town’s 3-0 home defeat to Charlton Athletic in October.
The summer signing from Rennes admitted he found it difficult to watch on from the Portman Road sidelines as the Blues capitulated in the second half to fall to their first home loss of the season.
"It was frustrating, yes,” he said. "More frustrating because you are on the side and you can’t do anything about it. On the pitch, you can do something about it.
"Those kinds of games happen, I think we reacted good after. It’s not only because I was not there we didn’t win, so I won’t say this. It was frustrating.”
Amid Matusiwa’s disciplinary record since joining Town, he was perhaps fortunate to avoid a straight red card at Blackburn Rovers earlier this month for tripping Ryoya Morishita.
The 27-year-old agreed that he felt he got away with one from referee Oliver Langford.
He said: "To be honest, yes, the ref saved me. I have to say that he touched me, he went in front of me and touched me which is why he fell.
"Normally nine times out of 10, it’s a red card. I was really happy and he saved me, I think.”
In November’s home draw with Watford, Matusiwa was involved in a flashpoint on the field when he had a very visible disagreement with Blues teammate Jaden Philogene.
"Everyone wants to win,” he explained on the incident. "In the game, things happened what shouldn’t happen. It happens often in training, this time it happened in the game and it shouldn’t happen there. We talked about it and everything is good now.
"To be honest, I’m really good with Jaden. It was just a moment, it wasn’t a personal moment. We solved it and there’s not any problem. We are really good with each other, it’s not an issue.”
On the wait for a first goal in Town colours, Matusiwa added: "It’s not my first job to make goals, but of course if I can make a goal it would be great.
"To be honest, I’m not thinking too much about it because this is for the other players. But if I can make a goal, I would be more than happy. Hopefully it comes soon.”