Promotion-chasing Town tackle Wycombe Wanderers in tomorrow’s Good Friday showdown at Portman Road seeking an eighth win on the trot, a situation all the more amazing since it follows a lean eight-game spell that saw them win only once.

The transformation could hardly be more stark, but experienced midfielder and club captain Sam Morsy insisted: “Nothing has really changed, to be honest. We had players coming back from injury and if you look at the Bristol Rovers game [0-0] we had virtually all the possession but we couldn’t quite take our chances.

“In the previous game against Sheffield Wednesday, in the first half it was probably as poor as we’ve played in a long time and we went in at the break 2-0 down.

“Then in the second half it was pretty much as well as we’ve played all season, we got back to 2-2 and we came very close to winning.

“We’ve added new players, who have all been great, but the training has been the same and we’ve all stuck together.

“It’s a 46-game season, so there are going to be times when things don’t go as well as we’d like, but the important thing is that if you are vulnerable or you’re coming off the back of a run you don’t like, that’s when you really see the team spirit that exists at this club.

“It’s easy to stick together when you’re winning every week and a lot harder to do when things are not going well, so there’s been no blame culture and now we’re reaping the rewards from that. We’ve been doing exactly the same things but getting different results.”

Morsy has been virtually ever-present this season in the league, only missing the 3-2 win at his former club, Port Vale, and has contributed four goals, the most recent of which was enough to secure all three points at Milton Keynes Dons in February.

He recalled: “It was a good goal and we probably needed it at the time. There are times when you know, as soon as you make contact, that it’s going in. It was one of those, a good strike that fortunately flew in.

“Actually, it was a tough game there and they’ve gone on to get some better results, which I thought they would to be honest. They’re not a bad team at all and they have a really good attacking threat, so it was good to contribute with a goal.

“It’s always nice when goals come from other areas of the pitch. Our front players have been on fire this season but it’s important to spread the goals around a bit, whether it’s me, Mass [Massimo Luongo], or [Cameron] Burgess with a header, for example, the more goals we score the better our chances of being successful will be.

“I’d like to score again before the end of the season, hopefully one or two at Portman Road. It’s important that everybody can chip in from time to time, especially when we’re on this really strong defensive run.

“That’s the challenge — can we all help to get goals from all over the team? We’re going to need them coming from everywhere.”

Morsy also won promotion at another two of his former clubs, Chesterfield and Wigan, and was asked if he has been able to impart any knowledge gained from the experience on his current colleagues.

He replied: “Yes, I think so. You want to be subtle with your messages and the way you put them across. Also, you don’t want it to be about yourself — ‘This is how I’ve done it’ — because people can switch off very quickly.

“They’re not interested in how you have done; they are interested in how you can help. I’ll do it day by day but try not to get over consumed by it and concentrate on what we can do rather than getting too concerned about other teams’ results. We’ll train hard, like we always do, and take it one game at a time.

“Remember, this is football and you never really know what is going to happen. It’s the same with life; you can make all your plans but one thing can derail everything and your plans are out of the window.

“We’ll be doing our best and we’ll keep preparing, but right now it’s all eyes on Wycombe, the only game we can control for the time being. We’ve had a really good time on the training ground and we’re looking forward to playing in front of another full house at Portman Road.”

One of the outstanding features of the Blues’ recent run has been the way January signing Luongo has dovetailed with Morsy in midfield, the pair immediately looking to be on the same wavelength after the one-time Town loanee — he originally joined from Tottenham 12 years ago — signed on a free transfer following his release by Middlesbrough.

Morsy added: “It has been brilliant playing with Mass and we’ve formed a really good partnership. It was evident pretty much straight away, when he came in to train with us ahead of his move, that we would hit it off together.

“The foundation was there and Mass has put in some great performances recently, so we have some great experience in the middle of the pitch.

“I think we have similar, natural principles in how we both play and compete. Sometimes it just works and it was similar with Joe Williams at Wigan, where we had a good relationship and it clicked.

“We understood how each other played and he was a good competitor as well. Mass is the same and it is helping the team.”

Morsy is pleased to have survived without adding to his nine yellow cards picked up this season, since a tenth would have incurred a two-game ban, but with the cut-off point having come and gone he is no longer at risk of suspension.

He said: “I had been in the same situation before, earlier in my career, so I knew I had to be a bit careful. I think the closest I came to another booking was against Accrington when their player stamped on me and went down. I picked up the ball and was probably lucky not to get a booking to be fair.

“There was a bit of luck here and there as well but generally I had to be a bit smarter and in situations where you might typically decide to take one for the team, I had to be particularly careful. I didn’t really think about it but if it meant I was going to be suspended then so be it.”

Turning his attention to tomorrow’s visit of the eighth-placed Chairboys, now managed by ex-Town youngster Matt Bloomfield, Morsy added: “They have a new man in charge so it’s going to be slightly different to the Wycombe we played under Gareth Ainsworth. They have some good, quality players and are still a strong team who carry a threat from set pieces.

“We’re expecting a physical game and with them fighting to qualify for the play-offs they’re going to come here and try to win because a draw is probably not going to be enough for them.

“We’re expecting a really tough game but, again, it’s going to be about how good we can be and whether we can be the best version of ourselves, which is what we will be trying to be.”

Finally, asked to sum up the side’s current run of form, Morsy said: “There are probably loads of little things, really. We’re obviously playing well, everyone is contributing, we’re scoring goals, we’re keeping clean sheets, we’re saving penalties and people are making goal-line clearances.

“It’s not easy but there’s a lot of confidence in what we’re doing. We’re working hard and we always felt that at some point we would go on a really good run. We’re not too focused on the run to be honest; it’s just one game at a time.

“We’re looking at a clean sheet record but what happens if we concede after a minute? Does it go out of the window? Really, we’re just focusing on one game at a time and trying to beat Wycombe.”

Photo: Matchday Images

BurleysGloryDays added 03:47 - Apr 7 Ledge
0

Ipswich Town Polls