Ipswich's play-off change was already stuttering before we visited Oakwell on Tuesday but a 4-1 defeat has got us staggering like Enzo Maccarinelli after a right-hander by David Haye.

Despite some initial positive signs that our squad bolstering in the January transfer window would give us the extra bit of quality needed to secure a top-six place, and maybe even higher, fears are starting to creep in that this may not be the case.

Ignoring the capture of Stephen Bywater to replace Neil Alexander, Jim Magilton saw midfielders as the key ingredient to get Town over the finishing line, with David Norris his top target.

But after shipping four goals at Barnsley, you can't help but think that if there was any position we should have pulled out all the stops for it was at centre-back.

To be fair, Magilton appeared to go right to the wire to sign Leicester's Gareth McAuley, who had a vastly inflated price tag, but in the short term our priority in the loan market should surely be a new partner for Jason De Vos, ahead of a new striker.

Richard Naylor has been an outstanding servant to the club but since Marcus Evans opened his chequebook he is now the sort of player that should be there among the reinforcements rather than the starting XI.

Matt Elliott came in a few years ago in a similar situation and was a revelation at Ipswich, a player of the similar quality would be a godsend.

I'm sure Super Jim has found it easy to pick a list of candidates and has the necessary finances but convincing the clubs and the players is the stumbling block.

At the moment I simply can't see Town being promoted with this backline but, in their defence, it could not have been easy to switch keepers mid-season.

They certainly face one of their biggest tests of the season tomorrow against the Addicks, who have one of the most dangerous arsenals of strikers in the division with Luke Varney, Andy Gray, Chris Iwelumo and loanee Leroy Lita, who most Town fans wish we had gone in for rather than time-waster David Nugent.

At least Charlton are struggling for form as much us, which will only add to the intensity and pressure of the occasion.

Former favourites Matt Holland and Darren Ambrose may be making their first returns to Portman Road tomorrow but at this stage of the season
there is no room for sentiment.