Don’t ask Town defender Luke Chambers how many points are needed to ensure Championship survival this season.

Like the rest of the country, he is amazed that so many teams are still in danger of the drop into League One — and he has made it clear he still counts Ipswich as one of them.

Town take on second-placed Hull at Portman Road on Saturday then on Tuesday the visitors are a Crystal Palace side desperate for the points to cement their play-off position.

Chambers said: “No one knows what is going to happen between now and the end of the season and we’ve been saying that for a while now.

“There are five games left and 15 points to play for, although a couple of teams have a game in hand, so we’ve just got to concentrate on what we’ve been doing since the gaffer took over in November.

“That’s been good enough for us so far and we need to keep our foot on the pedal and no one go on their holidays just yet.”

Town have been beaten just once in their last eight games to move six points clear of the relegation zone but that impressive run has still not done enough to guarantee survival.

Chambers added: “It is a big boost but we certainly don’t think we are safe yet. We’ve still got work to do and that needs to be the case until it is mathematically certain.

“We’ve had a good week’s training and we had a tough couple of weeks prior to that where we had a lot of games. We’re looking to go into the Hull and Palace games and get something out of them.”

The former Nottingham Forest defender admits he is surprised to see Hull in contention for automatic promotion, a view based on the Tigers’ performance in the corresponding fixture on Humberside in October when Town led through Jay Emmanuel-Thomas’s goal before succumbing to a late Nick Proschwitz double.

Chambers said: “They were a lot better than us at the time and we were struggling for form. They were a good team but I don’t think they were second in the league at the time, which they are now.

“I wasn’t thinking to myself that they would be giving it a right go. I just think they have probably been the most consistent team. They are playing a lot of good football now because when you are at the top of the league it brings confidence.”

Photo: Action Images

austractor added 06:56 - Apr 12 Luke Chambers was a parting gift from Jewell.
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wkj added 07:54 - Apr 12 I agree PJ did a lot right, Chambers and loaning DJ Campbell he just couldn't get it right on the training pitch and tactically.
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DiamondGezzer added 08:25 - Apr 12 Would love this run in to continue [ sounds obvious I know ] but even if only to send out the message that we are back to being the club that we have always been untill R.K's [ can't bring myself to say his name ] entrance and the ' grand jumble ' sale began. We now have a much more settled side, results are showing us that. Well done to MickMac, T.C and all.
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oioihardy added 12:36 - Apr 12 i think jewell should take a bit more credit than what people give him sometimes ! the signings he made have kept us up its just mick knows how to play them !:)
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Karlosfandangal added 13:13 - Apr 12 Five 0-0 draws will do me if its enough to keep us in the Championship
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Pessimistic added 13:22 - Apr 12 I could not agree more Oioihardy! Whatever people might think about Paul Jewell he wore his heart on his sleeve and gave Town everything he had to give.( Not enough I hear you say...) Paul Jewell though was as a player a striker with Liverpool and Mick the man a defender with Millwall. It showed. Paul created teams that scored goals but leaked lots. Mick McCarthy has created a team that defends well and yet scores very few. Coincidence? I think not. At the end of the day, we have a lot to thank Paul Jewell for - even if his tactics left a lot to be desired. He not only brought us D.J Campbell in attack but also recruited Luke Chambers and Aaron Creswell in defence and let us not forget our bright young thing in the wings, Mr. Hewlett! Town may well have gone down under P.J. but Mighty Mick will be grateful for the legacy left by his good friend Paul Jewell. Bill Shankley once said that you build a team from defence with a good keeper and a solid centre half. In Scott Loach and Luke Chambers ( both Jewell recruits) we have that now and that is why Mick McCarthy only really needed to do some fine-tuning to the squad he already had. He put round pegs in round holes and his gritty Yorkshire nature largely did the rest!

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NITFC added 13:25 - Apr 12 And dont forget that Paul Jewell was very unlucky with the injury to Paul Taylor
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bluefeast added 14:17 - Apr 12 loach isn't a good keeper , he is a championship keeper ,who cant catch , cant kick ,cant dominate his area ,however he is prem class as a shot stopper.
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warksonwater added 15:22 - Apr 12 Aah, isn't it touching that everyone's going all sweet on PJ now. Is it the fact we're almost safe, or is it the passage of time that has forgiven him? Or both?
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