MATT Elliott today admitted: “I love it at Ipswich.”The on-loan Leicester defender has played a massive role in helping steer the Blues back on course for promotion.

By Elvin King

MATT Elliott today admitted: “I love it at Ipswich.”

The on-loan Leicester defender has played a massive role in helping steer the Blues back on course for promotion.

And Elliott insists Joe Royle's in-form side is equipped to return to the top flight via the play-offs.

“This club is good enough to go up,” said Elliott. “I love it at Ipswich. It has been easy to fit into the team and everything about the club is right from the manager down.

“The style of play, the ground and in particular the fans. We are not getting carried away and we know that we cannot rest on our laurels.

“But we are good enough to win our way into the play-offs and into the Premiership. It was a big Easter for us with two excellent victories and it is now down to us.”

Elliott's partnership with John McGreal at the heart of the the Town rearguard back has given Ipswich some defensive stability just when they needed it most.

Back-to-back victories over the Easter weekend saw the Blues race into the Nationwide League First Division play-off zone. And optimism is high that Royle's men can do enough in their remaining four matches to secure a top six spot.

And Elliott has proved a key man, giving Ipswich a similar boost to last autumn when the acquisition of loanees Chris Bart-Williams, Alan Mahon and Shefki Kuqi transformed the Tractor Boys and helped lift them off the bottom of the table.

Ipswich have won five of their six games since 35-year-old Elliott arrived from Premiership strugglers Leicester and Monday's 1-0 Portman Road success against high-flying rivals Sunderland was Town's best defensive show of the season.

Elliott is reluctant to take credit for the current good run. “I am pleased if I have played a part, but it has been a big team effort,” he said.

“We put more emphasis on our defending against Sunderland and we looked solid. It was not our intention to be on the back foot for much of the second half, but full marks to Sunderland who forced us to defend.”

And Elliott has praise for McGreal, who all Town fans hope will stay fit for the remainder of the season.

Elliott said: “John is very clever and he really played well against Sunderland. Defending is a team effort but John was outstanding.

“But having said that, I have played alongside Georges Santos and he did very well as well.”