Ipswich Town forward Conor Chaplin is convinced the Tractor Boys are now heading in the 'right direction' after a mixed start to the 2021/22 season, speaking to TWTD.

Paul Cook's side endured a major rebuild in the summer, releasing or cashing in on most of his previous squad from last season and recruiting 19 players in the Liverpudlian's quest to get his team back to the Championship after a three-year absence.

Bringing in a range of Championship-quality players, including Conor Chaplin, Tom Carroll, Bersant Celina and others, they were expected to tear the third tier apart due to the strength of their squad and their strength in depth.

However, the Tractor Boys failed to win any of their opening six league games of the 2021/22 campaign, winning just three points from a possible 18 and finding themselves in the relegation zone at that point.

Their form has improved since then, but losing a 2-0 lead at Cambridge United on Saturday afternoon to draw 2-2 was another setback in their quest to rise up the League One table and drag themselves into the promotion mix by the end of the calendar year.

Conor Chaplin is more relaxed about their current situation though and believes they are now well on their way to a brighter future, saying to TWTD: "Overall we’re disappointed that we haven’t put more points on the table by this stage of the season.

"Everyone’s expectation was that we would have more points by now than we’ve actually got – but we’re not in a bad place.

"We know we’re a brand new team, we’re just starting to click and gel, and I definitely think the supporters who have watched us home and away will vouch for that in terms of how we look over the 90 minutes.

"Earlier on this season we had a lot of stages in games when we were a bit shaky. You could tell we were a brand new team and relationships within certain areas of the team weren’t quite there yet.

"But I don’t think that can be levelled at us too much anymore. I really do think we’re starting to go in the right direction and it’s one loss in seven at the moment, albeit we would like to have more points."

The Verdict:

In their current position of 15th, Ipswich really need to gain some consistency if they want to put themselves in contention for an automatic promotion spot, because that has to be the aim after such a high amount of investment in the summer.

The play-offs are a huge lottery, so after investing a high amount of money on wages, they will be desperate to get back to the Championship this season and avoid having to spend another season in the third tier.

Remaining in League One would be a huge blow to many of their signings including Chaplin and Kyle Edwards who took a gamble in dropping down to League One, because you could argue both belong at a higher level with their previous experience at Barnsley and West Brom respectively.

Football isn't played on paper though, so Cook's squad will need to have the right attitude in the coming months if they want to climb up the table.

Even with their summer arrivals, getting out of the third tier will still be a huge test considering the strength of the likes of Sunderland, Wigan Athletic and the recently-relegated sides who will all be expecting to be in and around the top six at the end of the campaign.

Portsmouth are also in with a shout of being involved, so a win against Danny Cowley's men this evening would be a real boost for them.