Blues boss Mick McCarthy believes Town could get themselves back in the race for the top two if they beat leaders Watford and Bournemouth, who are third, in their next two games, but is under no illusions that that's a tough ask.

McCarthy’s seventh-placed side go to Vicarage Road on Saturday, then the Cherries visit Portman Road on Good Friday following the international break.

“If we win our next two games there’s no reason why that couldn’t be the case,” McCarthy insisted.

“But we’ve got to beat Watford away and Bournemouth at home. It’s kind of a big ask. I’m not sitting here being naive about that.

“I still think we’re out of the top two places and I’m not into all that reverse psychology, thinking we’ll suddenly start winning all the games.

“But everybody’s got to play each other. If we were to beat Watford and Bournemouth then we might be back in it, who knows?”

However, he believes the current incumbents will probably be the ones to go up automatically.

“I think Watford and Middlesbrough look they’re going to finish in the top two,” he added.

“Middlesbrough, having turned Derby over the way they did, although you wouldn’t have thought that in the first 45 minutes against us.

“Patrick Bamford’s goal the other night, the winner, was just different class. If he’s on that kind of form with eight games to go and he can continue it, they’re going to be hard to stop.

“I’m saying Watford and we’re playing them. But if we go there and win, we’ve got Bournemouth coming, so we could have our noses out of joint by next week or we could be right back in it. We’ll be trying to get the right back in it version.”

Eighth-placed Wolves are only two points behind the Blues with Nottingham Forest in ninth five points further back, but McCarthy says he’s not too bothered about the chasing pack.

“It won’t matter if we finish ninth or 10th. If three of them overtake us it doesn’t really matter, we’ve got to overtake somebody in front of us,” he continued.

“That doesn’t matter. If we don’t get past at least one in front, it’s not going to matter. And if we get past the one in front, or two in front, I think that we’ll finish above the others chasing us, so I don’t bother about that.

“We’ve got Wolves to play, Nottingham Forest to play. We’ve got to just take care of the ones in front of us and if we catch them, the ones behind us I’m not really worried about.”

Photo: Action Images

TimmyH added 13:04 - Mar 20 Well I bet all the money I have we don't win the next 2 games!! - we're not playing that fantastic (although far from being outplayed) but our defense is going to be well and truly tested! - Mick trying to be optimistic but the damage has already been done in terms of automatic promotion.
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Seasider added 13:23 - Mar 20 I agree Mick that Patrick Bamford was different class last Saturday;but we do have the leagues top scorer,so lets hope we get the ball to him(on the ground occasionally)and dont leave the bus parked in our half for the whole game,which dont think will work.
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Gforce added 13:31 - Mar 20 There is about as much chance of us winning the next two games,as there is of Nigel Farage becoming the next prime minister !
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Gforce added 13:34 - Mar 20 There is about as much chance of us winning the next two games,as there is of Nigel Farage becoming the next prime minister !
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