DANNY Simpson has called on Town fans to keep believing and for the team to take full advantage of their outstanding home form.The on-loan Manchester united defender accepted the 2-0 loss at Colchester United was not good enough but insists the Blues can still finish in the top six.

Derek Davis

By Derek Davis

DANNY Simpson has called on Town fans to keep believing and for the team to take full advantage of their outstanding home form.

The on-loan Manchester united defender accepted the 2-0 loss at Colchester United was not good enough but insists the Blues can still finish in the top six.

With Plymouth losing at home to Charlton, who are now level on points with seventh-paced Town, and Wolves not playing, Ipswich are still just a point away from sixth-pace, although Crystal Palace could move into that place tonight if they beat Stoke City.

Simpson said: “We have a great chance (to make the play offs).

“There is a belief among the lads that we can still go up. It just has not happened for us in the last couple of games so we have to take this on the chin and move forward.

“We have Cardiff on Wednesday at home and we have to show the fans we still believe and get the three points.

“This is now where we all have to show what we are made of and all pull together and make sure we are at it on Wednesday.

“We have slipped up again. We have had chances to get more points and now we have to show character.”

With three home matches in the final five games of the regular season to come Simpson has called on the Blues to reproduce the form that has seen them lose just once in the league at Portman Road.

Town are hoping Cardiff will have an FA Cup hangover, can then beat big rivals Norwich City on Sunday.

Simpson said: “We still have that game in hand so we go back to the training ground and look to the next game.

“We can't afford any slip ups. We need to make the most of our home advantage and make it up to the fans.”

“We had enough chances but you can't blame individuals. It was a team effort and we were just not good enough.”

For the second week running in the play-off chase Town failed to find the net but Simpson is convinced they can remedy that this week.

He said: “We do have goals in us. They are all around the midfield, set plays and we look dangerous all over. We are getting in one on one situations and if we keep doing that, it will go in for us.”

Simpson denied they took bottom-of the league Colchester too lightly.

He said: “We knew it was going to be tough game.

“We knew they had everything to play for and in derby games anything can happen, they are like cup games and it can go either way.”

Meanwhile, Ipswich Town have again been linked in the national press with Ian Harte who is expected to be released by Sunderland in the summer.

derek.davis@archant.co.uk