Mick McCarthy is loving the fact that Ipswich Town supporters are getting excited – just don’t expect him to feel the same.

The Blues start the second half of a campaign occupying a play-off spot for the first time since 2007/08, Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Bournemouth extending an unbeaten run to seven matches and elevating them into sixth in the Championship table ahead of today’s visit of struggling Charlton.

At last Ipswich fans have something to shout about following four successive bottom-half finishes, this the club’s 12th successive campaign in the second tier.

McCarthy – who has won this division with both Sunderland and Wolves in the past – is glad to see some happy faces around Suffolk, but says it’s vital that he maintains his pragmatic approach.

“That is just my personality,” said the Yorkshireman. “I’m not trying to play anything down. Let me tell you, I’m delighted we’re in the top six, but I’m not going to walk around with a coat-hangar in my gob just to prove it.

“Being where we are at the halfway stage is a nice little achievement, but once you start thinking ‘top six, happy days, we’ve knocked it off’ then you can suddenly be looking at the bottom end.

“Fans do get excited, of course they do, but I seem to remember making a couple of substitutions at Blackpool and there were a few telling me I didn’t know what I was doing before that. Is it any wonder that football managers are pragmatic? I certainly am.”

He continued: “I’m ‘Super Mick’ when we win, but I don’t get carried away by all that.

“I love it that football fans get excited, because that’s part of my job to excite them. It’s also my job not to get carried away by all that too. I have to keep an even keel to it all.”

A bumper crowd is expected for this afternoon’s visit of Charlton after the Blues played at Doncaster and Bournemouth over the festive period.

“The away support has been brilliant,” said McCarthy. “I met a couple of lads down on the front at Bournemouth when I was out walking in the morning. They’d been up to Donny too and that takes a fair expense that. We appreciate that.

“I hope there’s a good crowd for the Charlton match and if there is then I hope we can win and send them away happy.”

– See today’s EADT and Ipswich Star for full match preview. Follow @Stuart_Watson on Twitter for live match updates.