Bournemouth and Charlton will be swamped by a sea of blue in the next ten days as Ipswich Town’s Championship promotion push gathers pace.

Saturday’s mouth-watering clash between second-placed Bournemouth and the fourth-placed Blues is already a sell-out – the winners going top-of-the-table, should other results go their way.

Three points on the South Coast will really get the 1,309 Blues fans making the trip to Dorset dreaming, ahead of their relatively short trip to south London to face the much-improved Addicks next Saturday.

Despite the game being televised on Sky and the kick-off being brought forward to 12.15pm, the Blues are already taking 1,978 fans to Charlton, while more tickets are available and, if still in demand after that, more can be ordered.

Portman Road is also proving to be something of a fortress this season, Ipswich having dropped just five points on their home turf, and half-season ticket sales are currently higher at this stage than the total number of sales for the whole of last season.

Official Blues supporters’ club chairman, Liz Edwards, said: “I remember a long, grim, miserable overnight return trip from Carlisle United, two years ago, after a few hundred Town fans had seen the team crash out of the League Cup.

“What fantastic progress we have made since then.

“We are towards the top of the league and beating teams by playing better football.

“We have players who are coveted by other clubs but an owner who has been prepared to turn down a windfall of £10m in order to keep them.

“We have, in Tommy Smith, Luke Hyam and Teddy Bishop, three fantastic players who have come through our own academy.

“This is the best time to be a Town fan for ten years.”

Meanwhile, this season’s first “Legends on the Town” event which takes place at the Dove Street Inn, Ipswich, on December 4 (7:30pm, doors open 7pm) has sold out, it has been confirmed.

Hosted by Simon Milton, the evening is in aid of the Blues’ Academy and includes a Q&A session with Town and England legend Terry Butcher, as well as a raffle, auction and a chance to obtain photographs and autographs.