Ipswich Town: Karl Fuller's take on Town after Preston loss

The fall-out from Saturday’s defeat to Preston has been hard to take for many. It shows how far we really have come.

Let us get it right. We did not lose because Kayden Jackson started. We did not lose because Kieffer Moore did not start.

We also did not lose because of a Vaclav Hladky error, although that contributed towards our own downfall.

Ipswich Town gave themselves too much to do at Preston (Image: Ross Halls)
We lost because collectively, we were not at it in the first half. We gave ourselves too much of a mountain to climb.

And whilst two-goal deficits have been something that we have overcome in the past, three were just beyond us on this occasion. 

Yes, Hladky’s error was costly. But such errors really have been rare. And there is no way that we will abandon such processes in playing out from the back.

It is one that we will just have to take on the chin and hope that it will not be too long before we are scoring goals of our own again that start with Hladky.

I have been ultra-positive since those last successive defeats in 2022 to Lincoln City and Cambridge United.

There have been far too many occasions to enjoy since then. So, let us look at the positives with some perspective.

The Blues have still only lost four league games (Image: Stephen Waller)
That was just our fourth league defeat of the season. The same as Leicester, the same as Southampton. And two less than Leeds.

Yes, we are having a blip. But we are also outside the top two for the first time since August. Rewind to July and who would have thought we would be saying that at the start of February?

I know it is disappointing given the position we have elevated ourselves to, but the reality is that we have exceeded all expectations for too long. And what is to say that we will not overcome this?

I am also not naïve enough to think that everything is perfect. Two wins in ten in all competitions does suggest otherwise.

There have been injuries, suspensions, and the loss of Cameron Burgess to the Asian Cup. We have had adversity to run towards. Unfortunately, we have just not done enough.

Hopefully, we will come out of this spell sooner rather than later and return to the form that propelled us into the top two throughout the first half of the season.

Kieffer Moore had a huge impact in his second debut at Preston (Image: Ross Halls)
Saturday showed us that we have increased our firepower once more. In Kieffer Moore and Ali Al-Hamadi, I can see us getting back on the goal trail without too many problems.

The January transfer window was seen by some as underwhelming. But I think that with Financial Fair Play constraints and the nature of January windows being notoriously difficult, we have done more than alright.

Moore was our number one target, and we got him. Although with the move not announced until gone 7pm, it had a few fans sweating and losing faith. Trust the process I always say.

Back to on the field matters. Look, the players have given us everything so far this season. They need us more than ever now. We support the Ipswich if we’re down or if we’re up, right?

Another huge game on Saturday as West Brom visit for another live TV game. They are of course one of only three teams to beat us in the league so far this season.

Now would be the perfect time to ensure that like Leeds, they do not do it twice.

Ali Al-Hamadi looked lively on his debut at Preston too (Image: Ross Halls)
I do not want to worry anyone, but our record on TV against West Brom is not good. Five games so far, all on Sky, have seen four defeats and a draw.

Two of those defeats took place at Portman Road. The last time was November 2018. This is another small matter that needs rectifying.

And what better way to kick-start a run of wins than to do so by notching a first live win over the Baggies.

And then it is onto Millwall for another live game. Sky have certainly taken to us this season!