DURING the travails of last season's ghastly relegation, I had a recurring, saddening thought.

It was along the lines of the fun factor having deserted Ipswich Town.

The X Factor was gone and any lingering appeal slowly dissipated, to the point where only loyalty and a sense of obligation kept fans coming back for more.

Portman Road wasn't a happy place to be or visit; perhaps years of drudgery having reached a depressing head.

Thankfully, this season has been the complete opposite so far and, if the early weeks are anything to go by, it's going to be one laced with entertainment and enjoyment.

It hasn't been a smooth ride.

It hasn't been plain sailing and it certainly hasn't been a perfect, unblemished start to life in League One.

If you want an example of that, just reflect on the first half of Tuesday's victory against AFC Wimbledon.

It was as bad a half of football as I can remember.

But whoever said it was going to be easy?

Anyone who thought it was going to be a cruise was being naive.

Instead, there have been peaks and troughs already but the exhilaration of this week's late goals will live long in the memory.

For all the online groans and gripes, which I find unfathomable, the fans appear well and truly onside.

Home crowds of 24,000 and nearly 19,000 are testament to that, not to mention the bumper 4,000 that followed the team to Peterborough on Saturday.

Boss Paul Lambert is tweaking and tinkering with his squad, probably, with hindsight, experimenting too much in the Wimbledon match.

But suddenly there are exciting options and, after making a trio of new signings this week, the squad, surely, is up there with the best in the division.

Would any fan swap this group for another in League One?

With new additions in tow and injured players on the comeback trail, there's quality, strength and depth.

Which, as I laid in bed reflecting on Tuesday's win, made me contemplate my strongest XI.

For me, as things stand right now, it would be a 4-4-2 formation with Tomas Holy behind a back four of Kane Vincent-Young, Luke Woolfenden, Luke Chambers and Luke Garbutt.

My midfield quartet would be Gwion Edwards, Cole Skuse, Flynn Downes and Anthony Georgiou and I'd definitely like to see more of the blossoming partnership between strikers James Norwood and Kayden Jackson.

People will have differing opinions and there are notable absentees in my team, including Messrs Bishop, Judge and now Keane.

But how lovely to have choice.

Even the prospect of seeing the next teamsheet is exciting, let alone the match itself, and I certainly wasn't saying that last season.