Mike Bacon on the Blues: Only promotion will quell the pent-up fires of frustration

If it gets to the stage we're not happy with Ipswich Town winning football matches then, as fans of the club, we might as well all pack up and go home. (In fairness, I know, some of you already have!)

Paul Lambert and Stuart Taylor ahead of the game with Burton. Only promotion will do for fans this season. (Image: Steve Waller)

We know it wasn't really good enough against Burton. Town were ten minutes away from a second chorus of boos before Emyr Huws saved the day for his boss and team-mates with the winner.

We're getting used to late winners, which could actually be construed as one of the few half-positives right now - Norwich City are past masters at it. Or are we papering over the cracks? I'll leave that debate to you.

But so long as we have more players out injured than some League One clubs have in their entire squad, the injury issue will be the excuse to hit us all on the head with for the foreseeable future.

So, get used to that.

Emyr Huws saves Town with the late winner against Burton (Image: Steve Waller)

Yes, the injury card is justified to a fair degree. But I'm convinced we still have enough in our fit squad to be producing better performances than we are currently doing, even if the results won't always show.

And are we really saying as soon as the likes of KVY, Downes, Bishop, Edwards et al return, we will begin battering teams? It's not an impossible dream I suppose. Then again, dreaming is all we can do right now.

Certainly players returning appears the one thing everyone is hanging their hat on. The cavalry can't come soon enough. No pressure!

MORE: Stu Watson's five observations from the Burton win

Town fans back at Portman Road for the Burton clash (Image: Steve Waller)

This is such a poor league.

If we can play as averagely as we have over the last month or two and still be two points off the top, that says it all. In any other division in England, nae the world, we would be sitting 14th!

Still, we're not, we're somehow fifth! So, let's take it and continue to pray.

Hands up who thinks we'll beat Peterborough on Saturday? No, didn't think so. Can you imagine if we did? What an early Christmas present that would be.

Not that it would change the way many fans already think.

Paul Lambert's charm offensive with most of them has long gone. There will be fans of other clubs in our division/Great Britain, who will wonder why on earth we're moaning and groaning sitting where we are the in the table.... they don't know the full picture. And never likely will.

Emyr Huws is taken down by Colin Daniel, who was given a yellow card for his challenge. (Image: Steve Waller)

MORE: 'Two points off the top is incredible' - Lambert

Marcus Evans' apology over his 'be careful what you wish for' comment was the greatest example of the divide between club and fans right now.

That apology, like McCarthy's gesture to Town fans at Carrow Road, will be forever etched in memory, so long as Town continue not to make the grade. Somehow, somewhere though, we just have to move on.

Meanwhile, Lambert continues to fight fires at every juncture.

Each single word he says is analysed and interpreted as fans look for any excuse to vent their anger. I sort of half feel for him, I sort of half don't. He brings much on himself.

But let's cut to the chase shall we?

Players clap the fans at the end of the game. The club badly needs to come together (Image: Steve Waller)

Only promotion this season will quell those fires and dampen the hurt. Just reaching the play-offs won't cut it. As I said, this is a hapless division.

Come May, none of us will be interested in any more hard-luck injury stories. None of us will be interested in the owner apologising for something he said. No-one will be interested in how many late, late winners we had against the league's poorest sides.

It needs to be done this season. Make no bones about it.

And yes, it is indeed 'incredible' we are fifth. In fact, it's an absolute miracle!