This year is Ipswich Town’s fourth campaign in the third tier of English football. The Blues have missed out on play-offs in previous years, but this season has a different vibe for supporters of the Suffolk club.
Ipswich Town Wins Show Tractor Boys Ready for Promotion Push
Blues Showing a Different Side to Previous Seasons
The 2022/23 League One season might still be in its early days, but Ipswich Town fans will have plenty to be positive about after a strong start. The Blues sit a point behind Plymouth Argyle and four ahead of third-placed Sheffield Wednesday.
It proves to be a stark contrast to the starts by Ipswich Town sides of recent years. This season the Blues have lost just once in the league; last season, it took Town until matchday six to pick up their first trio of points – a 4-1 win at Wycombe Wanderers.
Town Improving on Match-by-Match Basis
At the end of matchday 13 of last season, the Blues had 17 points. At the same point this season, Kieran McKenna’s side has amassed 30 points.
Using this method, however, provides very little indication of the change in fortunes for the Suffolk side. If you look on a match-by-match basis, things become more clear.
Can't count how many times we've said 'we wouldn't have won that last season', truth is we didn't
The direction we are heading is very positive. Top 6 win, recently promoted wins, come from behind wins. Long may it continue – next up, a chance to match a victory ⬇️#itfc pic.twitter.com/uaE9tzzMAi
— Thomas Lane (@Thomas_Lane11) October 8, 2022
As Town fan Thomas points out, Blues fans have been heard countless times this season saying “we wouldn’t have won that last season”. When you dive into the matches, it’s clear that Town didn’t.
In fact, if you compare results on a match-by-match basis, Town are 25 points better off this year in comparison to last season. Some of this remains incomparable due to promotion and relegation for League One sides, but if you take those out of consideration then the Blues are still up 19 points on the previous year.
Improving Record Against Top Sides
Arguably more important for Town, however, has been their record against top teams. Last year, the Blues struggled against their fellow promotion contenders as well as the Championship’s relegated outfits.
Against teams placed as the bookies’ favourites for promotion (Charlton, Sheffield Wednesday and Sunderland), Town picked up just five points. It’s a total of nine points if you include Portsmouth and Rotherham.
It looked like it could have been a similar frustration for Town this year when they let a two-goal lead slip to draw 2-2 at Sheffield Wednesday, a 2-2 draw with Barnsley, as well as a 1-0 lead to lose at Plymouth Argyle. But McKenna’s side showed determination to keep fighting despite Portsmouth’s counter-blows as they picked up maximum points in a 3-2 win.
In each of those fixtures, it was fine margins which meant Town dropped points. The Portsmouth victory, however, cuts short memories of struggles against top teams and is the latest boost for Town fans enjoying a wave of positivity which has seen them forge themselves as a firm promotion contender.
Players, staff and supporters.
Together as one.#itfc pic.twitter.com/xaZWo87kFq
— Ipswich Town (@IpswichTown) October 8, 2022
