Town can still end the current campaign on a high and qualify for the play-offs, insists midfielder Cole Skuse.

The 30-year-old said: “A lot of people wouldn’t have us as a top six side. These people are probably not looking past the likes of Newcastle, Villa, Derby — the bigger sides — but we have set ourselves inner goals and know what we want to achieve and what we can achieve. We’ll stick to them.”

Skuse recalled last week’s 3-0 home win over QPR — only Town’s second in seven outings at Portman Road — and added: “It’s always good to win but it was also a very, very convincing performance.

“I thought we were very, very good. Going a goal up early in the first half sort of settled us a little bit because it had been a rough time for all of us at home.

“We’d not had great performances at home so it was good to go ahead when we did, then in the second half we were very convincing and if we had gone on to score five or six goals I don’t think it would flattered us.

“We had some good fortune on the second goal but on top of that we also carved out some very good opportunities.

“There were several one-on-ones, we played some very good stuff in the right areas and I thought we were full value for the win.”

So it’s two wins out of three for Town as they head for the West Country tomorrow and a game that has been eagerly awaited by Skuse since the fixtures were released back in June, his first return to former club Bristol City.

Having missed last season’s game there because of injury, Skuse admitted he was wary ahead of last week’s win over QPR since a booking would have ruled him out through suspension and an injury might have proved just as costly.

He said: “I was aware and my Dad was aware as well. He told me beforehand ‘Don’t do anything stupid’ and it was in the back of my mind.

“But you never know what’s going to happen in any game. I could have missed a tackle by a split second and picked up a yellow card but when you’re playing in a game you can’t be thinking of those things.”

Skuse cast his mind back to the summer of 2013, when he was 27 and decided the time was right to move on in his career, which meant rejecting the offer of a new contract with the club where he had joined the academy set-up 17 years earlier.

He added: “I think I was there so long that it felt like I needed a change, a fresh start. It can happen to anyone in any walk of life — if you’re in a job for so long you are going to feel at some stage that you need a change to rejuvenate yourself and kick on again.

“Some fans said it was because we got relegated but it had nothing to do with that. My mind was made up and even if we had stayed in the Championship I would still have left.

“It wasn’t just me that needed a change; it was the same for my family. I think we needed it to get that spark back.

“Ipswich is obviously right at the other side of the country but there was a club who are even further away who wanted to sign me. I won’t name names but there were a couple of clubs I spoke to before I came here.

“I never really knew too much about Ipswich in terms of the area and where to live.

“I spoke to a couple of players before I signed — Jon Stead and Bradley Orr — and they pointed me in the right direction.

“I couldn’t have moved to a better place in terms of location. We love the club but to bring up our kids in an area like Suffolk is fantastic. It’s a lovely area.”

Photo: TWTD

northernblues added 06:08 - Dec 2 Sorry cole, have to disagree massively mid table atbest!
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TLA added 06:42 - Dec 2 Cole Skuse is exactly the kind of player I want here. He's fully committed to the club and the area and he gives everything. I want us to be ambitious and, whilst we're battling financial odds, it's the passion and commitment of our senior players that gives us a slim chance of the playoffs.
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TractorCam added 07:19 - Dec 2 I guessed correctly! Last week on the Berra article I said Skuse would be rolled out next friday to say this exact quote!
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therein61 added 08:14 - Dec 2 We supporters want the top 6 Mr Skuse, but we are not on the park to do anything about it how about some more consistent displays and effort please!!
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martin587 added 08:50 - Dec 2 If we ALL pull together it could still be possible.It's in your hands MM.!!
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TimmyH added 11:13 - Dec 2 What's the point of this article?...at the beginning of the season top 6 was the aim so now in early December with us 5 points of the play-offs are the players going to now say 'we'll try and get as close to the play-offs' or 'as high up the table as possible'. I think it's a reassurance to the disgruntled supports and more spin from yet another player.
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TimmyH added 11:16 - Dec 2 @Tractorcam - fully agree on your post, the club is pretty predictable on it's spin now days!
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Cotton_eyed_joe added 11:46 - Dec 2 Going on our current form of played 18 on 6 lost 6 drew 6. I predict a total points from 46 games to be 63 from 16 wins 15 lost and 15 drew. Over the last 10 seasons the lowest 6th place has been 68 points and the highest was 78 making the average/mean 73 points to get into playoffs. They need to do something a lot different to what has been happening on the pitch to be anywhere near the playoffs.

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ChrisFelix added 09:21 - Dec 3 We have players more than capable of finishing in the top 6. But no chance if start with Douglas. Can't afford to play with 10 men
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