Goal-scoring debutant Luke Garbutt believes that Ipswich Town are ‘as good as it gets’ in League One - and go into Saturday’s huge home opener with Sunderland with ‘massive confidence’.
Garbutt, who netted in the 1-0 win at Burton on Saturday, is also adamant that the Portman Road faithful, and the vociferous away fans who made such a noise at the Pirelli Stadium, have a big role to play in the club's quest for an immediate return to the Championship.
The Blues are expecting a crowd of more than 20,000 to rock Portman Road on Saturday.
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"It gives us massive confidence," insisted Garbutt, with reference to the battling win at Burton. "We have to start on the front foot again at home this Saturday.
"We have great strength in depth, especially going forward, plus we have a couple of centre-halves coming back and the skipper coming back next week.
"The squad is probably as good as it gets in this division, I believe so. We just need to keep moving forward and keep that mentality of trying to win every game.
"We should be up there this season, 100%. If we work hard and do the basics well, we have more than enough going forward to be a threat in this league.
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"We just have take care of the basics and do the defensive duties well, and then I believe we are going to get more positive than negative results.
"Last season this league had a few big teams, and there are a few big-hitters again this season, including Sunderland.
"The standard of football towards the top end of the division will be good, and I think it will be tight."
This is a big season for 26-year-old Garbutt, who is on loan from Everton for the campaign, as well as Town.
"It's my final year at Everton, and so this is a great platform for me to show what I can do and how I can perform," explained left-sided specialist Garbutt.
"I want to show what I can do, at a big club in this league. My time is running out at Everton, obviously with a year left on my contract and me going out on loan again, so probably my future is going to be away from Everton.
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With reference to the fans, Garbutt said: The supporters were great (at Burton). They were brilliant, really loud, and it felt like a home game. That pushed us forward and made us get a positive result.
"They really got behind us. We will get backed, and that should push the club forward."
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