MONDAY may have been the UN’s International Day of Happiness but good cheer was in short supply among Ipswich Town fans, with the weekend 3-1 defeat at Cardiff City having galvanised lurking fears of third-tier football for the first time in 60 years.

The deserved loss to the Bluebirds saw Town go into the international break in 17th place, only five points off the relegation zone with eight games left.

It was the last fixture in a dispiriting March in which the Blues were unable to build on their improved February form.

While they continued their unbeaten run, taking it to eight prior to Saturday, they failed to win a match and took only three points from games against mid-table or struggling sides.

The performance at Cardiff was much as the previous three games - the draws with Brentford and Wolves at home and Barnsley away.

In their best displays in February the Blues took the game to their opponents, even dominating possession against keep-ball experts Reading for long periods.

Although they managed a brief first-half spell on top against the Bluebirds, in which they took the lead, as was the case in most March matches Town spent most of the Cardiff game on the back foot.

Even before that defeat the Day of Happiness was destined not to be too enthusiastically celebrated among the Blues support with Friday’s announcement of next year’s season-ticket prices having been received in much the same manner that the club unveiling a new management team of Grant Holt and Darren Huckerby might.

After a dismal season which has never really got going and threatens to get even worse, the price of an adult season ticket rising by 1.5 per cent did not go down at all well.

An even bigger hike for fans aged between 60 and 65 as the club changed the point at which its senior citizens’ price kicks in was received significantly worse.

While 1.5 per cent is only a £6 increase on a lower-tier season ticket, it was more the psychological factor of being asked to pay more after a disappointing campaign which so irked supporters.

Fans, I think, wanted the club to make an attempt to woo them back with at least a price freeze and ideally a cut, not be asked for more cash.

The mood appears to have been spectacularly misjudged.

Plenty of season-ticket holders have been wavering on whether to renew and the club needed to do something to persuade them not to jump ship.

Instead, Friday’s announcement will have pushed them over the edge.

Town did reduce prices for younger adult fans, an under-23 ticket has replaced the under-20 band, but even that positive development has meant mature students who are over 23 are no longer entitled to a concession.

The club has set a target of 12,750, at which point all season ticket holders will receive a five per cent discount.

While this is laudable, with the current total just shy of 12,200 it looks hugely over-ambitious.

A drop into four figures for the first time since promotion in 2000 seems virtually certain.

What could Town do to go some way towards addressing this expected slump? Short of biting the bullet and revisiting their entire approach - which would probably be the only way to make a very significant difference - introducing the senior citizens’ switch in a more measured manner would go some way towards mending some fences.

Rightly or wrongly, a change of manager would certainly tempt some fans back. Mick McCarthy has said he will make a decision on his future when he meets with owner Marcus Evans if and when the Blues are safe with fans’ views of him coming into his thinking.

Even if Town avoid relegation in the final eight games his standing is unlikely to improve to a level which would reduce the non-renewals.

Will Town escape the drop? Looking at their remaining fixtures, if they don’t then they’ve only got themselves to blame.

They face five of the sides below them, including all-but-relegated Rotherham and Wigan, so their destiny is in their own hands.

Winning their back-to-back home games against Birmingham - one place behind the Blues on goal difference - and then the Latics after the international break would go some way towards calming nerves.

However, Town are still to record back-to-back wins at any point in a miserable season which could yet get even unhappier.