IPSWICH Town fans are currently partying like it’s 1999, the last time they made such an impressive start to a campaign.

Four wins out of four - three in the league - have seen the Blues into third place in the fledgling Championship table.

Few predicted the Blues’ quartet of victories, with expectations having been pretty much rock bottom following the 6-1 pre-season hammering at Charlton.

But the four wins on the spin - most recently Tuesday’s remarkable 4-3 goal-fest at Millwall - have Town fans starting to hope - if not yet believe - that this might be a season to remember, perhaps one even repeating that 1999/00 promotion to the Premier League.

Saturday saw them travel to manager Mick McCarthy’s hometown club, Barnsley, where they came from behind to win 2-1.

Having been a goal down after a first half in which the Tykes had most of the chances and Bartosz Bialkowski made a number of vital saves, McCarthy reshuffled his team at the break, bringing on David McGoldrick and giving Martyn Waghorn his Blues league debut.

Town, who had had a fair bit of the ball in the first period but without creating anything of note, looked far more dangerous as the subs banged in a goal each to claim their third win in eight days.

The Blues’ start to the season has been all the more impressive given the number of first-team players who have been unavailable, either due to illness or injury.

Ten were unavailable for Tuesday’s trip to Millwall, another of McCarthy’s former clubs: Dean Gerken, Tommy Smith, Adam Webster, Luke Hyam, Teddy Bishop, Emyr Huws, Tom Adeyemi, Flynn Downes, Andre Dozzell and Bersant Celina.

Add in youngster James Blanchfield, who missed most of pre-season due to injury, having been on the fringes of the first-team squad last year, and you’ve got a full XI, even if one utilising a revolutionary 2-8-0 formation.

The illness and injury situation somewhat limited McCarthy’s options at the Den. The team which lined-up 4-4-2 was more reminiscent of a Joe Royle Town XI or Osvaldo Ardiles’ Tottenham side, with McGoldrick partnering Joe Garner up front, Waghorn and Freddie Sears out wide and Grant Ward in an attacking central midfield role.

Goals at both ends always looked on the cards and the match was an open and entertaining affair from the off, with the Lions taking the lead through Jed Wallace in the 44th second.

Garner equalised three minutes later with a goal Millwall keeper Jordan Archer will want to forget and the sides continued to trade blows, each looking like they might score with every attack.

It was more basketball match than a game of football and Town ended the half 3-2 in front, courtesy of the brilliant McGoldrick’s persistence and skill as he teed-up Waghorn for his second of the game and third in his first week with the Blues.

After the break, the home side put Town under pressure but the makeshift backline held on until the 80th minute when Tom Elliott grabbed an equaliser.

The Lions looked the more likely winners but, with two minutes remaining, Jordan Spence rose highest to nod home a Ward free-kick to seal a victory which will live long in the memory.

As will the start to the season. It’s only a beginning, as McCarthy has been quick to point out, and the fixture computer was kinder than it might have been with the early season opposition.

But the 100 per cent four-game run has dramatically changed the mood among fans from one which was a whisker away from returning to last season’s fractiousness following the Charlton thrashing to one of increased hope and expectation.

Momentum has been built-up and the squad instilled with confidence ahead of the tougher tests to come.

Up front the Blues’ quartet look the most potent strike force they’ve had in years, while the defence and midfield should only get better as the currently absent players return.

Saturday sees a chance to match that 1999 start, when Town won their first five matches in all competitions, with Brentford - coincidentally defeated twice in the League Cup in that streak - visiting Portman Road.

Downes is expected to be back from injury, so McCarthy might switch back to a less gung-ho 3-5-2 as the Blues take on the Bees, who are fourth-bottom and without a Championship win so far in 2017/18. Town’s surprise early season party could continue for a while yet.