New signing Andy Drury says he’s delighted to have made his move from Luton to the Blues. The midfielder, who signed a two-and-a-half-year deal earlier today after the clubs agreed a £150,000 fee, might not be able to make his debut at Derby tomorrow with Town still to confirm his availability.

Drury told the club site: "I'm obviously delighted to be here. It's a great opportunity for me to come here and show what I can do at a top football club.

"There were a couple of clubs interested but as soon as I knew Ipswich wanted me, my mind was made up instantly.

"Ipswich has a great history and looking around the place, it's a fantastic football club. I know the fans and the players won't know much about me but it's up to me to show that I can make an impact here. That's the target for me, to get into the team and help Ipswich progress."

Drury has travelled to Derby for tomorrow’s match as part of a 19-man squad, but may not be available to play as his deal was completed after midday. Town are seeking clarification from the authorities.

Meanwhile, Luton boss Richard Money says he’ll miss watching Drury in action for his team: "I think the most disappointing thing for me is that I really enjoyed watching him play.

"Everyone connected with the club, especially the football management team and players, deserve a huge amount of credit.

"We'd got a player who had never played higher than non-league in his career and wasn’t even first choice for his former club, and put him on a stage and he's been absolutely outstanding.

"He's been terrific for us and he's an excellent footballer, so it didn't surprise us that someone would come in for him and of course didn't want to stand in his way from progressing his career.

"To be fair to Andy he said if it wasn't a Championship club he would have stayed. We tried hard to give him an improved contract but sometimes that's life and we move on."

Photo: ITFC

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jas0999 added 21:12 - Jan 31 bluelady - I completely disagree re the striker.For three or four seasons we have struggledto score goals - not just due to delivery but woeful finishing.Our current THREE strikers: Scotland: 7 goals at home.Completely useless away. Looks likehe is not interested at times Wickham: Just 17.Not really a senior striker. Lots of pressure. One goal this season Priskin: When on form, great. But very inconsistent. Missed a lot of chances. Overall we need a striker. What we didn't need in my opinion was yet another midfield player ... how many more do we need??? Jewell seems to be following suit with Jim and Roy!

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1980sboy added 21:13 - Jan 31 How refreshing to hear a comment like this ...... "There were a couple of clubs interested but as soon as I knew Ipswich wanted me, my mind was made up instantly. When you think of some of the mighty Town sides that have set foot on the hallowed Portman Road turf over the years it's great to hear a player make this kind of statement which shows he really does appreciate the fantastic opportunity he has been given. Grasp it with two hands Andy and make yourself a Town hero . . . . . . . . . . . . No pressure mate !!!!! : - )

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howdonblue added 21:17 - Jan 31 welcome andy good luck............. coybb
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bluelady added 21:26 - Jan 31 Jas keane signed a hatfull all the same mould defensive we now have two creative midfielders. But your welcome to your opinion I personally have another view thats the beauty of football.
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Suffolk_n_Good added 21:27 - Jan 31 Don't know much about him to be honest, but impressed by his attitude, wanted to join, unlike some others!! Welcome andy, wish you all the best.
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paulm3paw added 21:30 - Jan 31 De Santos can leave spurs !!!
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bluemann added 21:52 - Jan 31 welcome to portman road !
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tractorblue99 added 21:53 - Jan 31 How come no one ever mentions ronan murray when talking about strikers. I think we could be about to see the best of him under PJ.
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jas0999 added 21:55 - Jan 31 bluelady - indeed it is! You may be right.Yet I think in comparison to other teams we lack a goal scoring threat. I do agree that Bullard is a more attacking player. I am not convinced Drury is any better than the high number of midfielders that we already have (i.e. Leadbitter, Norris, Peters, Edwards, Martin, Civelli, Healy et etc). But time will tell. Still think we need a right back!!! And a striker. Look at Forest - no surprise they are doing well - they have so many options upfront. We only have three!!!!

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jas0999 added 22:01 - Jan 31 tractorblue99 - because like Wickam he is just a youngster. The better sides have a number of senior strikers who score goals. Whichever way anyone looks at it - we simply don't score enough. Whether it be not creating or missing chances, our biggest flaw is not putting the ball in the back of the net! We can't rely on Murray!!!
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WarkyWonderLand added 22:02 - Jan 31 Paul Jewell has had 2 league games as manager and when he joined he said that he had learned from his time at Derby that he probably tried to change things too quickly. He has the same group of players which got to 2nd in the league in September and the one thing I am excited about is that we are finally going to have a team, not just a group of players wh never played together for more than 2 games. It's not PJ's fault about the players who are out of contract. Its clear that he is not going to panic buy and are mission for the rest of the season is to move up the table to safety and build on that. At the end of the season he will then have a clearer idea of what he needs and who he is going to move on. Lets not forget, other than Bullard and Drury, these are not the players he has brought in. He will then still have money to spend. Look at the money RK splashed and look where that got us! How much has Holloway spent at Blackpool and where are they?! PJ was a striker as was Sean McCarthy and I believe that they will get more out of our strikers who are decent. Priskin is still one of the only players we have who gone create something from nothing. I agree that we need a RB but PJ probably feels that at the level we are at, we can get by with Edwards/Peters and Brown. I would rather have players join who want to play for this club. As I have said before, I believe that Austin and his agent held out for the Burnley offer and with Howe there we never had a chance as he trained with Bournemouth when they had a transfer embargo and Howe said that he would be his first buy. Who heard CA say he wanted to join us. Lets get behind PJ and the players we have to make sure we move up the league and set the foundations for next season. COYB

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PunchNoHopers added 22:04 - Jan 31 Getting nervous, is it true, is there anything in the latest Wickham rumour, really hope not, he has said he wants to stay, but clearly Newcastle have money to spend!
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StochesStotasBlewe added 22:12 - Jan 31 Only 50 minutes to go then we can all settle down & give our team the wholehearted support they need starting at Derby. COYB
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TractorTrog added 22:15 - Jan 31 Paulm3paw.....Get De Santos if he is free to come to PR he is by far the best player I have seen play here for some time!!!!!!!
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Umros added 23:01 - Jan 31 Andy Drury...............Andy D'Urso.........I don't like it!!!!
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leagueonescum added 02:00 - Feb 1 Welcome to PR Andy! There's no pressure on you son, just enjoy it! COYB!
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brian_a_mul added 07:38 - Feb 1 Its great to get that blasted transfer window finished. x2 creative midfield players in, Wickham + Edwards extending their contracts, no player loss. Has to be a positive window for Town! Now lets concentrate on getting the players settled, contracts sorted and get back to playing football!
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BrettenhamBlue added 07:45 - Feb 1 Welcome on board Andy, and best of luck!
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Bergholtblue added 08:21 - Feb 1 This January transfer window is a farce. The amounts spent on Torres, Suarez, Carrol, et al is obscene. I for one am glad that we didn't get carried along and bid excessive amounts of money for players just because we perceive we need to fill this position or that. The loan window opens again soon. Then we will see PJ wheel and deal on the players that he feels will strengthen the team.

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