James Wilson is enjoying life alongside Toto Nsiala at the heart of the Ipswich Town defence.
The Welshman has been the Blues’ most consistent performer since returning to the side for last month’s goalless draw with Oxford, helping his side earn 11 points from their last six games and netting twice himself in Town’s last three matches.
His partner for all of those games has been Toto Nsiala, with the duo reviving a partnership which also served Town well at the start of the campaign.
The pair have started 14 league games together this season – the first eight of the campaign and then, four months later, the last six - with Town winning eight of them, picking up a total of 27 points and keeping six clean sheets.
“I like playing with him,” Wilson said of Nsiala.
“At the end of the game he’s shown what a good defender he is with an unbelievable block (at the end of the draw with Lincoln) so it’s been good.
“It’s a good base for us to go from.
“The boys who aren’t playing (Luke Woolfenden and Mark McGuinness) are working really hard and the gaffer (Paul Cook) is working with everyone, so we all know how he wants to play. If anyone has to step in it’s going to be the same.
“We’re on our toes and we have options at full-back, too, so it’s going to be a good run-in.”
Wilson and Nsiala will need to adapt to Cook’s way of playing, with the new boss asking more of his defenders on the ball.
“Every manager you get is completely different so it’s been the same this time,” Wilson said.
“He wants me and the rest of the defenders passing the ball and stepping in a bit more, keeping the ball for longer.
“It’s a completely different style of play but we’ll get there. It’s been really enjoyable so far and everything’s been really positive, which is good.
“He’s a bubbly character, it’s different to before, so it’s a welcome change.
“We just have to try to take everything he’s saying onboard quickly because we don’t have many training sessions, it’s all about games.
“Every time we work with him, we have to take that little bit extra.”
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