WINNING is a way of life.To be successful, winning gets to be a habit and at Portman Road the players are determined to show they are winners, at everything from five-a-sides, card schools to the Championship title.

By Derek Davis

WINNING is a way of life.

To be successful, winning gets to be a habit and at Portman Road the players are determined to show they are winners, at everything from five-a-sides, card schools to the Championship title.

Blues' skipper Jim Magilton told the EADT that this current side has the resilience and character to stay top of the table and, with a five-point cushion at the moment, go on and win automatic promotion, possibly even the title.

What is also clear is that the team thinks and acts like winners, pulling off victories sometimes when the game looks beyond them.

The Blues have come from behind to win or draw 10 times so far this season and, to do that, you need a winning mentality.

In all sports, the ability to find that extra something separates teams and individuals from their peers and, at Ipswich Town, the side is packed with winners.

The squad has no less than a dozen Championships, winners' medals or promotions between them. And that is just the players, the coaches are no slouches in the silverware department too.

While Joe Royle and Willie Donachie have a series of promotions and an FA Cup tucked in their belt in management, they both won honours as players.

Steve McCall won a UEFA Cup winner's medal with the Blues, while goalkeeping coach Andy Rhodes played in both Football League and Scottish League Cup finals.

Jason De Vos picked up a Division Two championship title medal with Wigan just two years ago and tasted international glory with Canada.

He skippered the side to a shock Gold Cup win, the central and northern Americas' equivalent of the European Championships.

Drissa Diallo went one better domestically in Belgium by winning two Championships for KV Mechelen.

Kevin Horlock is another vastly experienced in helping teams to get promoted, after doing it twice with Manchester City and once with Swindon Town.

As he has never before played out of the Premiership, new signing David Unsworth has never won promotion but he did win FA Cup and Charity Shield medals in 1995.

Shefki Kuqi won a Finnish title with HJK Helsinki in 1998 and is another experienced international.

Magilton, Richard Naylor and Fabian Wilnis all played prominent roles in helping the Blues to reach the Premiership in 2000 via the Wembley play-off finals, while Matt Richards, Darren Bent and Ian Westlake were all up-and-coming youngsters with the club at the time.

Many of the players have also tasted disappointment, in one form or another, and that is another factor that makes them such a tough proposition.

Come May, every one of the squad should be at least one honour better off, and there is enough of the winning mentality among them to ensure it is a Championship title, not just another promotion.

There can be no doubt, then, that Ipswich Town are a team full of winners.