Jon Nolan still believes Ipswich Town have the quality to win promotion from League One but admitted the third tier is far stronger than in recent years.
The Blues sit seventh in the table with 12 games remaining, starting with this weekend's visit of Oxford, but those around them have games in hand as the season reaches the business end.
Nolan has experienced the League One promotion race before, losing the play-off final in 2018 with former Town boss Paul Hurst at Shrewsbury, with the midfielder still of the belief his current side are capable of promotion.
"I said at the end of last season that with the squad we've got, we should have enough to go up and I still think that," Nolan said.
"I'd say there are definitely stronger teams in the league this year than when I was at Shrewsbury though.
"That season, it was only Wigan and Blackburn you looked at and said 'they will go up'. You look at it this season, five, six, seven, eight teams. That has surprised me. There are no runaway leaders. It's a very competitive league this year.
"Home games are going to be massive for us and when you look at the number we have, you think it's an advantage to us.
"It's in our own hands. We've got the ability. We are playing the teams that are around us at home so if we win, we take three points off them as well. It's down to us."
Oxford visit this weekend before the Blues travel to Blackpool next Saturday, with seven of the remaining 10 games after that being played at Portman Road.
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