Blackpool v Ipswich: Paul Jewell is wary of the potential backlash effect at Bloomfield Road.

Blackpool could count themselves unfortunate not have been promoted straight back to the Premier League back in May following an impressive performance against West Ham in the play-off final.

Manager Ian Holloway immediately informed fans at the club’s end-of-season awards night that his side would be gunning for automatic promotion this time around.

And having held onto rising stars Tom Ince and Matt Phillips so far, the Tangerines have enjoyed a fantastic start to the campaign – wins over Millwall and Leeds putting them atop the early Championship table.

There is a new-found wave of cautious optimism sweeping around Ipswich Town at the moment though ahead of their match at Bloomfield Road tomorrow afternoon.

Unbeaten in their opening two matches – a 1-1 home draw against newly-relegated Blackburn followed by a last-gasp 1-0 win at bogey side Watford on Tuesday – all the talk in the Portman Road camp is of high spirits amongst a young and hungry tight-knit squad.

Looking ahead to tomorrow’s clash, a fixture Town comprehensively lost 2-0 last season, Jewell said: “When I was at Wigan, we got knocked out of the play-off places with the last kick of the game in the last game of the season against West Ham. We used that disappointment as a way of bouncing back and we got promoted the next year.

“It can work both ways, but Ian Holloway has worked exceptionally hard on their mental strength. You look at their team and they have really good players with most there for a good few seasons. They are a really good, expansive team. What Ian has done well is that he has lost Charlie Adam and DJ Campbell but replaced them without any problems. They have continued to improve, they are a really good football side and a way of playing that is very difficult to play against.

“In every game, you have to respect the opposition. Just because we have won a game doesn’t mean you are going to play that way every time. What we are trying to do is play with a freedom, express ourselves and pass the ball in the right areas at the right time.”

– For live updates from tomorrow’s game, follow @Stuart_Watson and @davegoods on Twitter.