Ipswich Town column: Sights set on back-to-back wins
IT has eluded us all season but surely Town can finally do it on Saturday against Scunthorpe; win back-to-back league games.
We managed a ten-game undefeated run going into the Christmas period but at no point were Roy Keane's men able to notch up two Ws side-by-side in their form guide.
The Blues will certainly go into the game brimming with confidence after Tuesday's excellent 2-0 win over Cardiff at Portman Road.
Saturday's defeat against Blackpool had got the jitters going again, as we slipped closer to the relegation trapdoor, but our midweek win was just the sort of victory we needed.
The game against the Bluebirds kicked off a crucial run of four home games in five fixtures, which will have a great bearing on whether we are still playing in the Championship next season.
Ignoring Keane's apparent hoodoo over the Welshmen (that's three wins over Cardiff in less than a year since taking over as Town boss), Tuesday's game looked to be the toughest test of the spate of Portman Road matches, but we passed it with flying colours, without arguably our player of the season, Grant Leadbitter, in the heart of midfield.
Daryl Murphy grabbed a brace to bring him up to five goals, meaning he is just one away from joining Jon Walters and Jon Stead as our leading scorer for the season, after just eight appearances.
Not bad for a player that most Town fans, me included, groaned every time they heard his name being linked with a move to Portman Road.
When he did eventually sign, on the last day of the January transfer window, it was his Sunderland team mate David Healy who supporters believed would be the front man to fire us to survival.
Instead it is Murphy that has made the instant impact, while Healy has looked short of match fitness.
The Northern Ireland record goal scorer will only be able to regain his sharpness if he gets games, which will require Keane's patience - something that will be more abundant if we are winning games.
After Scunthorpe on Saturday, there is a trip to Watford who are rapidly getting dragged into the relegation scrap, before we return to Portman Road for the visits of Barnsley and Plymouth.
Hopefully these will provide at least three of the four wins we need to stay up, but as we have found all season - this is easier said than done for this Town team
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Weather for Sudbury
Thursday 09 February 2012
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