Hallelujah!!

OK so Hillsborough Saturday February 2nd 2008 may not quite echo down the years with the same resonance as winning the league, FA Cup or UEFA Cup in the proud annals of Ipswich Town history. But if you were there....

... and you felt that all-but-forgotten smug satisfaction that comes with ambling through dark side streets looking for your car, weaving through gaggles of depressed supporters moaning in Yorkshire accents - well THAT away win seemed pretty good at the time.

In fact, after some fairly uninspiring road trips already clocked up this season and some frankly rather bizarre transfer activity in a hectic transfer window, a relatively trouble-free win against a fairly feeble Owls outfit was not just very welcome - it will hopefully go down as the turning point in Town's season.

As Jim Magilton so eloquently and bizarrely put it - three points away may well be a monkey off the lads' back. An interesting point that - and if true, might signal the way forward from now on. I have to say that I had been somewhat puzzled as to the reasons behind the stark contrast between our home and away performances. Simultaneously having the division's best home and worst away records seemed to my mind indicate that something fairly fundamental was wrong away from home.

But no, apparently the team wasn't disorganised and clueless away, nor even suffering from collective travel sickness. We now know those cheeky chaps were just monkeying around. OK it was a great joke while it lasted. Let's leave the monkeys at home from now on lads.

So assuming we are monkey-free from now on, what does the future hold? Hopefully, no banana skins in next Saturday's home game against Watford next on the agenda, one hopes that three points away won't be hotly followed by three points dropped at home. And this is what lies at the heart of Town's season from now on. In theory we really don't have to improve very much at all to get promoted - just play as well as a mid-table club away from home. It can't be that difficult can it?

Well yes - as it happens. If you bet on football matches you probably study statistics quite closely. And one of the great truisms of football statistics is that things happen in clusters. So for example teams don't win, lose, win lose - they win a few lose a few. Players don't score in every game (unless they are called Ronaldo) they score a few then go through a phase when they literally can't hit a barn door. So statistically at least, Town are 'certain' to drop points at home from now on. In effect they have been overachieving at home and under-achieving away.

So strangely, the reason that Town dropped out of the play-off positions recently wasn't the abysmal away record. It was costly draws which meant dropped points at home. But why? You see it's the reason behind Town dropping points at home (and away) that intrigues me. For the life of me I can't fathom what's going on in Magilton's mind when he's picking the team. Yes he has a huge squad to choose from, with at least two people of similar ability in every position (including on-loan goalkeeping). But do we really need to drop our leading scorer quite so often. Or play our would-be player of the year on the left where his form has dipped alarmingly? And just how many monkeys has poor old Harding got on his back - he seems to be the scapegoat for everything.

If you take my theory of a baffled Jim Magilton to its logical conclusion, the raft of new signings will confuse him even more. I can think of at least 2 million reasons (possibly more) why Norris's place is safe. But I can foresee a time fairly soon when a Macedonian who's name I can't even begin to spell will 'need time to adjust to the pace of English football' and Quinn will need 'resting'.

But let's be thankful for small mercies - and cherish that away win. Best to quietly forget for now that the Owls have been losing to anybody and everybody just recently - for now is a time to look onwards (and hopefully) upwards. Well for a week or two at least.

So for now pardon me if I don't expect a triumphant charge up the table as our fresh set of midfielders re-energises our stuttering strike force and protects our leaky defence. It may happen, it may not. I'm not even holding my breath for an inspirational loan signing.

You see to my mind, Town are so close to touching distance of the promised land that we didn't really need a raft of signings. We need a shed load of consistency. And if Magilton tries stability as a cunning plan to go with our re-invigorated midfield, then I won't just be singing Hallelujah - I could be singing in the Premier League.