Midfielder Luke Hyam says Town can still get back in the play-off mix with games against three of the other challengers, Brighton, Derby and Nottingham Forest, up next.

The Blues, who are now ninth, six points from the play-off zone, travel to the Amex next weekend, then the Rams and their East Midlands rivals visit Portman Road on the Tuesday and the following Saturday.

“We have three massive games coming up,” Hyam said after Saturday’s 3-1 home defeat to Wigan.

“This was a little blip but if we can get results in the next three games then things will turn around.

“Wigan have won eight on the bounce and are high on confidence. If we can get a couple of wins then we can be right back in the mix and that is the beauty of the Championship.

“We got off to a great start with Tommy scoring but it was disappointing they got back into it so quickly but we have to look forward now.”

Hyam was making his second start since returning from a hamstring injury, which he suffered in his first game back having been out with a gash to the leg.

“It was a case of getting my head down, doing well on the training pitch and showing the manager what I can do to get back in the team,” he added.

“It was nice to be back in the team. It is never nice for any footballer to be out injured and it was good to be part of it again.

“I was out for nearly six weeks and I’m still short of match fitness but the more games I get the fitter I will be.”

Meanwhile, former Blues loanee Ryan Tunnicliffe was delighted to take three points away from his return to Portman Road with Wigan, who moved up to fifth place.

“It's a great win,” he said. “It was always going to be difficult to come down here and get a win - Ipswich have got good home form. To come down here and win 3-1 sends a marker out to the rest of the league.

“We're in the play-off positions and have got a few games in hand so we just need to keep winning and try and cement our place in there - it's in our hands.”

The on-loan Fulham man says he gave manager Uwe Rosler the benefit of his inside knowledge of Town: “I tried! The little details he likes to know are who the best headers, how people play, stuff like that - anything I can help with.

“Obviously I enjoyed my time at Ipswich but I'm a Wigan player now so I would happily do anything to try and beat them and I'm glad we did.

“I told the gaffer before that Tommy Smith was probably the best header and the most dangerous at set pieces to look for because he's great in the air.

“We tried marking him but it was a second phase and we didn't clear the box as well as we should have done and didn't him pick up and he toed one in.”

Why did he opt to join Wigan instead of returning to Town when the two clubs came in for him last month? “At the time it was a better fit for me. I spoke to Ipswich and at the time it couldn't be done. Then I went and met Rosler and liked what he had to say.”

Photo: Action Images

prebbs007 added 14:39 - Mar 17 Luke, its ok for you to say these things. Looking forward to the games is one thing, passing the ball forward is another. we have to be more creative to win games of this magnitude, you are not that player. We will have a whole load more chance of winning if you are not in the team. Your "shot" on saturday was a joke for someone who is a professional footballer. You made 1 meaningfull forward pass in 90 mins... We must change things... carrying on with the negative defensive tactics will not work against the better teams. Be brave Mick, leave out the workhorses and give flair a chance. Luke Hyam will never take this team forward, he is not good enough, take a chance on the creative players as our top 6 aspirations (were probably never realistic) are slipping away very very fast

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warwickblue added 15:10 - Mar 17 I was looking at our team during the second half v. Wigan, when it became clear that the game was beyond us, and I decided (in my opinion) that Town didn't have a single player on the pitch for whom " Premier League" would sit comfortably as a description of their ability. In the current squad McGoldrick might be in with a shout, in a Premiership team with a different tactical style to Town; but otherwise - hardworking as they are - there was nobody out there that I thought could do a job for us if, by some incredible sequence of results, we were to go up through the play-offs. This is so different to promotion last time round. Then, the promoted team was not the finished article, of course, but the core of quality players was there. This season, we look average at best - a point thrown in to sharp contrast when playing against a not-particularly stretched Wigan side, who looked different class at times.

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Kesgraveblue57 added 16:05 - Mar 17 RegencyBlue great post and so true
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runningout added 16:45 - Mar 17 'BLIP' my ar*e! We couldnt even give Manchester United a game, with our current lack of endevour! Should be beating the likes of Wigan, Leicester and all.. if none of our donuts dont think so, get a grip!!
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Trimleykid added 17:57 - Mar 17 Season is not over yet, only 6 points off play off (only 1 more than before the Wigan game) with Forest imploding.
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Miles added 18:17 - Mar 17 What's wrong with him saying that? All it says to me is he hasn't given up and the lads are still believe in themselves. Shows me that the team aren't going to give up which is the perfect attitude. I don't expect us to get the playoffs but that doesn't mean we should just give up. Keep working hard and grind out as many results as you can lads.
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RaymondovicBlue added 18:41 - Mar 17 Hey Luke .... they might well have been massive games had we not just been well beaten in the" must win" one. Yes we can dream, but we'd probably need maximum points to get to play off place now.
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TimmyH added 19:57 - Mar 17 I don't see them as 3 massive games now...Wigan, Reading, Derby and Forest (although going through a dodgy spell) are certs to be above us...just like to see a bit ore 'flexibility' in player choices and right players playing in right positions for the rest of the season and see where it gets us.
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Suffolk_n_Good added 20:02 - Mar 17 It's this kind of clap-trap, peddled out after a lacklustre result, from a player who should be performing better, in a game of huge importance, against a fellow play-off hopeful, that gets on people's wick!! So if we loose to Brighton on Sat, which player will be put forward to try to convince us we still have a chance of the play offs & the next 2 matches will be massive! As has been previously said, the problem is with our negative approach to games, we should at least be playing 2 up front, our lack of pace in midfield creates & scores very little, our defence is strong enough, but it comes under too much pressure from our lacklustre midfield. We need a couple of players with pace, who can break quickly, as we are we are to predictable.

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