Only a fortnight ago, prospects for survival at Portman Road looked bleak.
Although Ipswich Town played with skill and bravery, as they had the season before in the Championship, they also frequently looked naive and error-prone.
Winning positions were frequently squandered, and by November, the club had not picked up a single victory.
Then, seemingly from nowhere, a seismic win was achieved away at Tottenham Hotspur, followed by a hard-earned point at home to Manchester United.
In a fortnight, the Tractor Boys had begun to look streetwise, knowing when to press for a goal and, perhaps more importantly, when to dig in and defend.
Portman Road was rocking with energy and enthusiasm after denying Ruben Amorim by coming from behind to earn a point.
"We could have won the game, we finished the first half in the ascendancy and deserved to be at least level," said manager Kieran McKenna postgame.
"The second half was competitive, we had a few big chances but had to be disciplined with our defending. On another day we could have won it but if you concede an early goal the game could have run away from us so credit to the players.
"When we have a setback then everyone responds really well and doubled down on what we needed to do. As the half went on we got more aggressive and more brave."
The improvement of other teams has meant that despite Ipswich Town's recent uptick, the Tractor Boys remain in the relegation zone.
It demonstrates how tricky this season will be for a club that has not played top-flight soccer for over two decades.
But McKenna felt suitably buoyed by recent weeks to offer a positive outlook, albeit with a focus on the next job.
"The time for taking stock will be a bit further down the line and at the end of the season. For now, it is just about focusing on the next game of the season and concentrating on our next performance.
"We are happy that we are competing well and generally been hard to beat. In terms of being consistently competitive in almost every match and in the early stages of the season as a newly promoted team, I think that's a big priority.
"We would like to have a few more points and we think that, especially with quite a few of the home draws, we feel like we could or should have won one or two of those at least.
"But there are positives there and we are going to try and build on those. But with all these things, you can't count on anything really. Come 3pm on Saturday, it all starts again and we have to fight for a new result."
However, the fixture list has gone from looking rather tricky to achievable simply because the atmosphere around the club has moved to a more positive vein.
Good For Who?
Burnley's players and staff huddle at the end of the English Premier League football match between ... [+] Burnley and Nottingham Forest at Turf Moor in Burnley, north-west England on May 19, 2024. All three clubs promoted last season — Luton, Burnley and Sheffield United — have been relegated to the Championship. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty Images
As I have highlighted previously, the Premier League, as a competitive entity, desperately needs a club like Ipswich to prove there is still some level of meritocracy.
The club's promotion from the Championship was crucial to begin with because it broke an alarming trend of clubs funded by solitary payments after relegation and regaining top-flight status.
Now, playing at English soccer's highest level, Ipswich finds itself looking to break another disturbing development in Premier League relegation battles: that the demoted teams are also the promoted teams.
This was the case last season when Burnley, Sheffield United, and Luton Town all returned to the Championship after just one year amongst the elite.
That only happened once before, but it now forms part of a broader theme in which at least two of the sides who come up fail to establish themselves.
Having Ipswich Town break into the Premier League after such a long absence and then manage to retain its status would be a huge sign that it's possible for clubs that are not aided by the division's finances to live the dream.
However, whether that is beneficial for the greater good is debatable. The bitter truth is that many clubs' ambition to play in England's top flight is becoming unachievable because they cannot compete with the top end of the Championship.
A revolving door between the bottom of the Premier League and the division below is creating a chasm that will destroy the meritocracy English soccer has prided itself on for generations.
Should Ipswich Town achieve the impossible dream, they will be used as an example to stifle the necessary changes to benefit the competition.
Rival fans in the Championship are left in a Catch-22 scenario where they need to know whether they want to see what can be done to give them hope or have it proved unachievable to build the case for change.
Given how resistant English soccer is to restructuring, it might be better to hope that Ipswich Town survives for the good of the game.