Cole Skuse admits it might help Ipswich Town to be playing this weekend’s East Anglian derby away from home.
The Blues head to Norwich on Sunday on the back of a 0-0 draw with bottom side Burton, played in front of the lowest home league attendance in two decades, after which Mick McCarthy’s side were booed off by sections of the crowd.
Skuse was taken aback by the level of away support when he first signed for Ipswich in 2013 and, when asked if it might be better that the Blues are on the road this weekend, the midfielder admitted it could be beneficial.
“Maybe, it could be, yeah,” Skuse said.
“When we played them at home I thought we played well, put in a good performance and should have got something from the game, but coming off the back of last weekend and that performance (it might help).
“The support away from home is always fantastic and we’ll be looking to put on a good display for them.
“I was a bit taken aback when I first signed for Ipswich because the away fans are unbelievable. The atmosphere they create is phenomenal.
“Let’s not beat around the bush, Ipswich is geographically challenged to say the least. Every away game for Ipswich is hours and hours, hundreds of miles.
MORE: ‘You could say the pressure is on Ipswich’ – Farke says there’s no favourite for East Anglian derby
“The away fans are fantastic, so credit to them. It would be nice to give them, on one of the shorter journeys, the win they deserve.”
Skuse admitted hearing the Portman Road crowd vent their displeasure is tough to take, but insisted it’s up to the Blues players to give the fans something to be excited by.
“We have to give them a reason to get behind us,” Skuse said.
“You can’t be putting in performances like that week in, week out and expect to get ‘oles’ and then cheered off the pitch. That doesn’t happen in any football stadium, so we need to be putting in performances that will excite fans and bring fans back week in, week out.
“It’s tough (to hear the boos) because you wouldn’t want that when you walk down the street, the booing, jeering and being told you weren’t good enough. As a human that’s not nice but it’s something you have to deal with in football.
“Only we can make amends, so it’s up to us to put in a performance and excite the fans.”
FACEBOOK: Follow us for all the latest Blues news, views, interviews and videos
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here