Stand-in skipper Carlos Edwards is confident he could serve Ipswich for at least two more years after his current contract expires in the summer.

Edwards has already made it clear that because he and his family are settled in Suffolk he is keen to remain at Portman Road and would willingly consider a new deal on reduced terms.

He said: “I believe I have another couple of seasons in me. I look at Ryan Giggs, he is 38 and I don’t think my fitness level is any less than his. I am 33 and the body feels good.”

Edwards, who has scored six goals in 112 appearances since his arrival from Sunderland in August 2009, even believes his new role as team captain has benefited him.

He laughed: “I think the armband has some magical power because I feel more energetic. I am enjoying the responsibility of leading the team.

“I was genuinely surprised when [assistant manager] Chris Hutchings handed it to me about an hour before the kick-off at Portsmouth last week. He joked that it had been decided by the flick of a coin.

“I’ve tried not to let it change me. I am not becoming too eager just because I am captain. I am still calm, trying to do my business and perform as well as I can. I am voicing my opinion but all the players can do that and I think I have done a good job so far.”

Apart from the 1-0 win at Fratton Park, Edwards also skippered the side to a 3-0 home win over promotion-chasing Cardiff last Saturday so can boast a 100 per cent record and two clean sheets.

But Edwards is the first to acknowledge that things were already going well prior to him replacing crocked captain Ibrahima Sonko, who is now back in contention for tomorrow’s trip to Brighton.

He added: “We had won our previous two games and we now have four on the trot but none of us are getting too carried away by the form we are in at the moment.

“We have the quality going forward to punish opponents. We have shown we can score a few goals but as always we will be concentrating first and foremost on our defending and trying to keep another clean sheet.”

Photo: Action Images

1Finshefki added 07:10 - Feb 24 Top man, Carlos. A wise head to lead out a young, eager team. Glad you are with us.
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floridaboy added 07:10 - Feb 24 While a decent player would still like to see a good right back being brought in over the summer. Trouble is not sure if Edwards would be happy warming the bench because not sure where he would play if that happens. Might have to be bye bye and thanks Carlos!
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TractorCam added 07:30 - Feb 24 He likes playing for us which is one thing, but we need a right back, i'd take Edwards at right midfield, but not right back, there are too many errors and we need to sign another one.
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Tillz9 added 07:32 - Feb 24 Definitely deserves another contract. Have seen worse rb than him. He is full of energy still as well - proven by our second goal against Cardiff. Gets caught occasionally but his pace helps him to recover well
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SomershamBlue added 07:43 - Feb 24 At his best, he can show up most other championship players in terms of skill, 'football brain' and ability. RB is not his natural position. 2nd goal on Saturday showed just what he is capable of.
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Mark added 07:50 - Feb 24 His fitness levels are superb for a player his age and I think he could be worth a 2 year deal IF he will take a substantial pay cut. He can't expect to be paid now what he was as a 30 year old coming from the Premier League, so it'll come down to the money I suspect.
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Dissboyitfc added 08:05 - Feb 24 tractorcam..spot on...and tillz9 ... thats not,,, we need a proper rb and being ok at times, is simply not ok, yes there are worse rb's , but thats hardly the attitude, when in the past he gets caught out, i have seen his midfield mind kick in and he expects the defence to cover him, only just for for a second he forgets he is the defence, happened far too often and it has pulled the defence out of shape. I am bored now of mid table mediocrity i want us to improve. I live with far too many scum fans surrounding me , but hats off to them and respect for what they have achieved , but they havent done it with square pegs in round holes. Would keep him for midfield back up though, dont expect he would want to warm the bench....coyb

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bobble added 08:48 - Feb 24 did the team change their cyder order lately because they seem full of confidence now ? or maybe it took this long for the dark lords evil spell to wear off.........
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radiogaga added 08:56 - Feb 24 Good old Carlito!
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positiveblue added 09:16 - Feb 24 Def worth keeping for another 2 years!!
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cornishnick added 09:56 - Feb 24 Just 1 year I would say, and review again in January
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Happy2bBlue added 10:10 - Feb 24 Whilst he still has his pace Carlos will be an asset to us. I think he is getting better with age.
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itfc1981 added 10:37 - Feb 24 didnt he turn down a longer deal last time to stay on the same wage? I think so. All is not what it seems.
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Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 10:48 - Feb 24 Carlos is one of the (few) "oldies" we should keep as we seek to build a newer, younger, hugrier team.
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davetheblue added 11:19 - Feb 24 defo worth keeping ,if we get a decent RB ,carlos would be good cover for RB and midfield and great asset to bring of the bench.
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buryblue77 added 11:25 - Feb 24 It's a shame he's not on the lesser side of 30, as although he was a liability at times earlier in the season (but then so was most of our defence) he has grown into the RB role which is not his natural position but at 33 how long can he go on bombing up and down the wing? Havng said that 35 seems to be the heading over the hill age now instead of 30 and look at some of the older players still playing at the top level well into their mid to late 30's. It's quite possible that he could maintain his level of athetisism for another 3-5 years such is the level of fitness players have nowadays.

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Garv added 11:27 - Feb 24 Not sure many will agree but for me Carlos has played his best football for us at full back. I was unimpressed with him at the start of his town career (although I reckon he would look better on the wing now than before). But the reason he is so effective at full back is that he has a lot more space to run into, and with that comes momentum which is very good to have with him as he can just glide past players. On the wing he's always having to stop and maybe weave round someone which he is not as good at as say a player like JET is because of his trickery and exceptionally quick feet. I'd be more than happy to give him a two deal (but its not my money), as despite the number on his birth certificate he has the energy, fitness and speed of someone ten years younger.

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SouperJim added 13:31 - Feb 24 A fantastic athlete inspite of his age and he can play a bit too. I think we all know that being an attacking player for most of his career, he has his short-comings at right back. He has improved in his new role though and his pace often patches over the cracks in his positional sense. Well worth a place in the squad if we can agree something on the right money.
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roytheboy added 13:31 - Feb 24 It would be a great pity not to have this Man's skills available to us, I'd prefer him to stay with ITFC.
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tractorboy1961 added 16:17 - Feb 24 Sign him up Clegg
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blue979 added 18:19 - Feb 24 always committed and deserves another 2 years. he wants to play for the club and performs well.
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