IPSWICH Town skipper Carlos Edwards says it is time for the sob stories to stop.
There have been fine margins in virtually all of the Blues’ game so far this season, with Town matching the likes of Middlesbrough and Wolves only to suffer defeat thanks to a lack of ruthlessness in both boxes.
At times it’s felt like the footballing Gods have been against Paul Jewell’s side, with every defensive error punished and the ball never quite dropping at the other end.
But while the picture could easily be a lot rosier, it arguably could be even gloomier too. Take away Scott Loach’s late penalty save against Huddersfield and Michael Chopra’s last-gasp winner at Watford and the Blues would be two points worse off.
It’s all ‘ifs, buts and maybes’, but the reality is that four defeats from the last five games sees Town out of the League Cup and second-from-bottom of the Championship table with a minus nine goal difference little over a month into the new campaign.
And with the pressure building ahead of Charlton’s visit to Portman Road tomorrow afternoon – the newly-promoted side on the same five-point tally as Town after their own difficult start – Edwards says there is no room for excuses.
“We need as players, as a team and a squad, to make our own luck,” said the club’s most senior member.
“We had the chances against Wolves, but we keep saying the same thing – we are not hitting the target. We are lacking that killer instinct and need to produce that extra effort to really punish teams and turn half-chances into good chances.
“We cannot go through the season saying we had all these chances at goal and come away with nothing. You can win a game and lose a game in either box and, at the moment, we are mucking up on every aspect.
“At the end of the day, it is a collective effort. Once the strikers score goals, it takes a bit of pressure off defenders. If we can keep goals out of our net, it gives the strikers a bit more belief. We all need to start doing our jobs.”
Town have failed to win a league game at Portman Road in six attempts, while there has been just two victories in the last 12 league outings – one of those coming against a Doncaster side who had already been relegated.
“We are in desperate need for three points,” admitted Edwards. “Come Saturday, we need to give a good account of ourselves. I just hope the fans can be a teeny-weeny bit patient with us. The guys are going to be really up for the game and hopefully we can give them something to smile about.”