Ipswich boss Paul Jewell was delighted and relieved after his side battled back from 2-0 down to win 5-3 at Barnsley at Oakwell.
A Craig Davies penalty and a further strike from Ricardo Vaz Te put the hosts in command at the interval, but Ipswich pulled a goal back through Keith Andrews inside the opening minute of the second half and the same player equalised three minutes later. Danny Collins, Michael Chopra and Jason Scotland added further goals before Davies netted again at the death.
Jewell, who had seen his team lose their previous seven games, said: "It was a credit to the players after being 2-0 down at half-time. I told them that it wasn't a time for shrinking violets - we needed men. We created opportunities and looked like a confident team from nowhere. We've shown a bit of character."
He added: "After being on a run like we've been on, it's easy to feel sorry for yourselves. I told them to believe in themselves.
"Goals change games and I told the players at half-time that the next goal was vital. We managed to score and we were on the front foot all of a sudden.
"We lost seven matches on the bounce and it's not a situation I like but I've had nothing but support from (chairman) Marcus Evans.
"It's a huge relief for everyone at the club, but we've got to get better at a lot of things. Our concentration at times is poor and we've conceded far too many goals, but it's a start."
Barnsley manager Keith Hill refused to blame his players after letting a two-goal lead slip.
He said: "I don't think anyone could see that coming. The players are hurting.
"When you look at the Ipswich team sheet, it's a Premier League side. When you come up against the calibre of players Ipswich have got and they perform how they did in the second half, it's difficult. I do believe that we should have done better with at least three of the goals, but you can't take anything away from Ipswich and I won't."