IPSWICH Town did not deserve to be a top-six side this season – so says their current boss.

IPSWICH Town did not deserve to be a top-six side this season – so says their current boss.

Manager Paul Jewell has admitted that his current squad of players have not been good enough to be pushing for promotion in 2010-11, but he expects that to change next term.

Town are currently 12th in the Championship table, and can leapfrog Leicester City into a final finishing position of 11th, if they manage to beat the Foxes at the Walkers Stadium tomorrow.

Alternatively, they could slip to 14th with a defeat at Leicester, and other results going against them.

“This team has finished in just about the right position. After 46 games you finish where you deserve to be, and it’s clear that the team needs help,” confessed Jewell.

Town had flirted with a possible promotion push earlier in the campaign, when sitting in third spot for much of August, and also returning to the play-off zone with a win at Sheffield United at the beginning of November.

But the club then nose-dived during the final couple of months of former manager Roy Keane’s reign, leaving his successor Jewell with the task of avoiding relegation and then trying to play catch-up.

However, despite the progress made since Jewell’s appointment in January, the current squad has not had what it takes to be promotion candidates.

“When as a manager you do come in January, or midway through a season, he’s got to play the hand dealt to him as he sees fit,” continued Jewell.

“We have a lot of good players here, but confidence was lacking, and consistency is a big thing.

“Preston (2-1 win last weekend) typified our season, decent in the first half but then hanging on in the second. We have not been able to put 90 minutes together.

“Now I’m looking forward to getting a team together that can be competitive.”

And Jewell revealed that he could land one of his targets as early as next week.

“There are deals going on. The owner (Marcus Evans) is speaking to other chairmen, and we are trying to keep it as discreet as possible.

“Some are not a million miles away. We are hopeful of completing a deal next week.”