Cole Skuse has insisted the Ipswich Town squad go into what could prove a vital week still full of confidence, despite Saturday’s loss at Cardiff.
The Blues never got going as they went down 1-0 in south Wales, leaving them three places and four points off the play-off spots, heading into big home games with Blackburn (tomorrow) and Rotherham (Saturday) prior to the international break.
When they return to action in April, Mick McCarthy’s side then face tough away trips to rivals Sheffield Wednesday, Middlesbrough and Derby as they bid to get back into the top six.
Tomorrow night’s game serves as the Blues’ game in hand on those around them and, while Skuse knows it’s one they need to take advantage of, the midfielder insists he and his teammates are not getting carried away by the continual ups and downs of the promotion race.
“It (the game in hand) has been over our heads for a little while and we’ll be giving our upmost to turn around the Cardiff result and get the win on our own patch,” he said.
“We’ll be focused and if we can have a buoyant crowd behind us then we can get the right result.
“Even the sides above sixth place, like Hull, drew at the weekend so some of them are having a little (shaky) patch. There’s still everything to play for, we’re not getting carried away with today’s result.
“We’ll take it on the chin and bounce back.”
Saturday’s game saw Skuse make his return after suffering a toe ligament injury at QPR at the start of February, but while the midfielder was delighted to be involved once again, he admitted being back in the side was bittersweet.
“I had a couple of bumps and whacks on it but it seems to be okay, I’ll just keep it strapped up for the next couple of games ahead of a big game on Tuesday,” he said.
“It was pretty bittersweet really, I’ve been out for four or five weeks, which was frustrating, and it was good to be back for a big game because they are the sort of games you want to play in.
“It wasn’t our day. It was lovely to be back but a bad result.”
After the game, Cardiff boss Russell Slade said: “Ipswich are probably the best at grinding out a result in this league and we have done it to them. “I’m proud, we’ve done that, that we’ve been ugly. It was not pretty, we were fighting.”
Skuse admitted his account of the game was a fair one.
“That’s a fair reflection, a fair assumption from him,” the Ipswich midfielder said.
“A lot of teams adjust their game to do that against us and there was nothing in the game before the goal, nothing in the game after the goal, just a disappointing one to concede.”
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