Blues midfielder Jack Taylor feels this promotion to the Premier League is perhaps even better than the one he was part of two years ago, Town having sealed their place back in the top flight with yesterday’s 3-0 home victory over QPR.
Taylor, 27, joined the Blues from Peterborough ahead of the 2023/24 promotion campaign, making seven Championship starts and 30 sub appearances. This time around the Republic of Ireland international has started 24 times and played 15 games from the bench.
Speaking on the pitch after the final whistle on Saturday, Taylor was asked how it felt compared to two years ago.
"It’s on a par, perhaps even better than last time, to be fair,” he said. "We’ve had tough spells in the season which we’ve had to overcome and a real test of the characters in the squad, but the way we’ve overcome tough afternoons and games, it’s a credit to ourselves and a credit to the management staff.”
Is it sweeter this time as he played a greater part over the course of the campaign? "Of course, I always want to play as many games as possible and I’m so grateful to the manager for putting his trust in me when I was needed at the start of the season.
"I pay every credit to him. I said to him that I would never let him down and I don’t think I have, so credit to him. But also to myself, I’ve turned myself mentally into a real professional and I’m just delighted with where I am.”
Reflecting on this season’s group of players being very much changed from the one which secured back-to-back promotions two years ago, Taylor continued: "Obviously, it’s a completely different squad, we’ve invested in players who are worth more money in the market, but the way we want to play here, you have fit into the identity of the club, what we’ve built over the last three or four years.
"They have done that and they’ve shown in spells that they’re proper Ipswich Town players with real quality.
"We’ve taken time to gel, which I don’t think a lot of people talk about. We’ve invested in this squad and it’s completely different players, so we’ve had to gel and it’s always going to take time.
"To get promoted out of the division is not easy, it’s not easy at all and the second time feels even better.”
Manager Kieran McKenna spoke about the squad’s resilience growing over the course of the season and that was certainly evident in the final few weeks in which the Blues played eight games in 27 days and, prior to the final match, three tough away games in seven days.
"We’ve got some serious football players in there with some big characters,” Taylor added. "So to lead that group, I’ve tried to lead it as best as I can, me, DOS [skipper Dara O’Shea], some big characters in the changing room with experience.
"Just driving the group, bringing young players in to tell them how to play and how to fit into this football club. I can’t tell you how happy I am.”
Was it tougher this time as the Blues were many people’s favourites from the start of the campaign?
"We came into this season differently,” he reflected. "Everyone came here and they’ve either sat off in a low block or they made it difficult for us to score goals, whereas two years ago teams were coming out against us and didn’t really expect [what they got from us].
"We’ve had to test ourselves with that and it’s easy for teams to come here and get up for it because of the stadium and the reputation that we’ve given ourselves.
"Again, that’s a credit to us and how we’ve dealt with some situations this year, but whatever you do to get into the top two is needed, so obviously over the moon.”
He added: "It’s easy for teams to come here and give an extra 10 per cent because of what we’ve built and our reputation.
"Coming to Portman Road as an away player, you’re thinking ‘I’m going to be up for it today, try and impress against the best team in the league’.
"I always thought that on our day we were probably the best team in the league, on consistency we’ve probably let ourselves down in a few games, but if it comes to the end of the season and you’re given a chance to win a game to get promoted, you’ve done your job.”
On the squad holding their nerve during the relentless last few weeks of the season, Hammersmith-born Taylor said: "We’ve always prided ourselves on keeping the noise within ourselves and not being distracted by what’s going on elsewhere.
"No one’s going to do us favours ever. As long as we do our job, then we’re going to get it over the line.”
Taylor is now one of five current players to have won two promotions to the top flight while at Town, alongside Wes Burns, Leif Davis, Christian Walton and George Hirst, club legends Ray Crawford and Mick Stockwell previously having achieved the same feat.
Burns, Davis, Walton and Hirst have all won three promotions in total, matching John Elsworthy and Ted Phillips in the fifties and early sixties.
"Me, Wes, Leify, Walts and Hirsty, we’ve done this twice now and I said to them that no one can ever take that away from us,” Taylor continued. "To get promoted twice to the Premier League is rare and we have that forever. I’m so happy.”
Manager McKenna has also now achieved three promotions and two to the Premier League.
"He’s obviously a winner, isn't he?” the midfielder said of his boss. "That’s all I can say. He knows how to win titles and win football matches and that’s all I can say.”
Saturday’s result was never in doubt after the Blues’ blistering start which saw them into a 2-0 lead by the nine-minute mark, George Hirst and Jaden Philogene the scorers. Any remaining nerves were settled when Kasey McAteer bagged his third goal in three home games five minutes from the end.
"We needed to come out fast,” Taylor said. "These games, you don’t know how they’re going to pan out, so it’s best to just attack it from the first whistle, which we did.
"I don’t know who scored the first one, was it Hirsty? Delighted for Hirsty, he’s been tested a lot this year, so it’s a credit to him.
"I’m just delighted for everyone in the squad. We’ve had some tough nights and tough afternoons that we’ve had to overcome, so to get promoted one more time, it’s just so special.”
The squad looked supremely confident from the off and Taylor says the welcome supporters laid on on their arrival at Portman Road played its part.
"You have to be,” he continued. "You get the welcome coming in and the fans coming out in their thousands, smoke, barriers and all that it’s tough not to get goose pimples a little bit.
"I was so ready for the game and we came out in the first 10 minutes with the crowd and they carried us through that first 10 minutes.”
Taylor was named the man of the match, but says that was of no consequence to him given the team’s achievement.
"I’m not arsed about the man of the match at all, as long as we got the win,” he insisted. "To experience this one more time, to get promoted to the Premier League is so special and I’m just delighted for the way this group’s come on this year and we got it over the line in the end.”
The one-time Barnet man had been subbed by the time the final whistle blew but made his way onto the pitch along with most in the stadium, even if not for too long.
"I’m not too great with claustrophobia,” he admitted. "I ran onto the pitch, got on someone’s shoulders and I wanted to get straight back off, then someone burned me with a flare and I thought, ‘this ain’t for me!’ so I got off.
"But to see their faces, this support is the best I’ve ever seen. Since I’ve signed, I’ve not seen an empty seat home or away yet, it’s just a credit to them and they deserve this. There’ll be people remembering this for the rest of their lives, so I’m just so happy for them.”
Asked if he had a quiet evening planned, he joked: "Yes, I might go home and just have a curry or something! It’s time to enjoy it now. As I say, we’ve had some tough fixtures this year and tough results and we’ve had to come out and proved to our fans that we’re at it and we’re going to get this club back into the Premier League, which we’ve done.”
Looking forward to next season back in the top flight, he added: "It’s back into the promised land, it’s what you want as a player and I’m looking forward to it again.”
Taylor, a boyhood Manchester United fan, is most looking forward to going to Old Trafford, where the Blues should have won on their last visit, but were defeated 3-2 despite having a man advantage, although says he’s relishing the prospect of every away visit next season.
"Hopefully we’ll get a result,” he said. "Hopefully they don’t go down to 10 men and we still lose, that would be bad!
"All of them, it’s the promised land for a reason, every stadium is top of the top, so I’m just so looking forward to it.”