Simon Jordan issues exciting Ipswich Town prediction live on talkSPORT | OneFootball

Former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan believes Ipswich Town will secure automatic promotion from the Championship this season, despite their tough upcoming run of fixtures.

It has been a remarkable season for the Tractor Boys in their first year back in the second tier after promotion from League One, and they have spent much of the campaign in and around the top two.

However, after losing 1-0 to East Anglian rivals Norwich City on Saturday, there was more disappointment for Ipswich as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Watford at Portman Road on Wednesday night.

The Tractor Boys had their chances to win the game, with Nathan Broadhead hitting the post in the first half before Kieffer Moore went close with a header, but they were frustrated by an excellent defensive performance from the Hornets.

Kieran McKenna's side do move back into second place with the draw, and they are one point clear of third-placed Leeds United ahead of the home game against Middlesbrough on Saturday.

Jordan: Ipswich Town will achieve automatic promotion

While Ipswich face difficult fixtures between now and the end of the season against Middlesbrough, Hull City, Coventry City and Huddersfield Town, Jordan believes the Tractor Boys have enough to get over the line and seal automatic promotion.

"It's an intriguing league, and you're looking at sides that are in there that are former Premier League sides in recent times, you're looking at clubs like Ipswich that have been out of the Premier League for a long time but have great pedigree in the past," Jordan said on talkSPORT.

"I think they're doing a wonderful job with their ownership and their manager and the way that they're building a football club as well as a football team.

"Ipswich will look at the result last night as a bit of both, when you've got the run in and you're trying to get automatic promotion rather than being cast back into the lottery that the play-offs can be, you've got to win your home games.

"They'll take it as a point gained, but they'll also be on the flip side saying they're our home games and we have to win. "If you look at what they've got coming up, Middlesbrough is always a difficult fixture at home whenever you play them, they've got Hull away, who are trying to get in the play-offs, Coventry away, who are trying to get in the play-offs and create themselves an opportunity, and Huddersfield on the last day of the season, who are trying to stay in the division and competing with the likes of Birmingham. "So you look at those games, all of them have something on them, with the Middlesbrough game being the one that probably doesn't have in it for Middlesbrough, and you think to yourself, they're all battles, but Leeds will have a similar thing. "I think Ipswich have done remarkably well this season, I really do, there's so much they can take away from this.

"They're going to be competing to get in the Premier League one way or another by the end of the season, I've just got a sneaking suspicion they might just have enough about them to get into the automatic spots."

Ipswich Town must not be disappointed by Watford draw

It was a missed opportunity for Ipswich to cement their place in the top two against Watford in midweek, but the Tractor Boys must quickly shake off any disappointment they feel about the result.

The Hornets have improved significantly under interim head coach Tom Cleverley, and they have proven to be tough opponents for the likes of Leeds and West Bromwich Albion in recent weeks.

With games against Middlesbrough, Hull and Coventry to come, Ipswich will have been desperate to pick up three points against Watford, but the draw does move them back into the automatic promotion spots and ensures that their destiny remains in their own hands.

In what has been an outstanding season, the Tractor Boys have shown repeatedly that they should not be written off, and they are more than capable of winning their next four games to secure a return to the Premier League.