Millwall midfielder Liam Trotter says it wasn’t a difficult decision to leave the Blues in the summer of 2010, despite having come through the ranks at his hometown club. The 23-year-old, who scored one and created one in the Lions’ 3-0 victory at Portman Road on Saturday, turned down a one-year deal at Town to sign a two-year contract at Millwall, where he had previously been on loan.

Trotter said: “It was not really a hard decision at the time, because even though it was a contract offer, it was not one that said to me the club really wanted me to stay.

“Kenny Jackett showed he really wanted me and promised me games, so even though I wanted to stay, it wasn't the right thing and in the end it was an easy decision.”

The 2005 FA Youth Cup winner returned to a role he had only previously occupied with Town on Saturday: “I was back playing on the left wing, as I did for Ipswich.

“Roy Keane gave me a good chance with 12 games on the bounce but it was at a time when the team was not playing well and that made it difficult for me as a young midfielder. I’m happy now and Ipswich are doing fine without me.”

He feels he is a better player than the one that left Portman Road: “Development comes with experience and I have played a lot of games for Millwall.

“The manager has given me confidence to develop and blossom and I’m beginning to play as I feel I can.”

Unsurprisingly, he was delighted with how Saturday’s game panned out: “It was good, I’m not going to lie.

“You always want to go back to your old club and do well and it is my hometown club and I wanted to make it here. I felt I had unfinished business because it did not work out that way.

“It was always unfinished business for me and I wanted to put in a good performance. I didn’t play well last time I played here as I was up sick the night before, but for me and the team it was good to get a goal.

“Ipswich fans gave me a good reception, as they do all their ex-players. They appreciated that when I was here I worked my nuts off and did everything I could to get in the team, but it didn’t work out.”

Trotter’s Millwall team-mate Andy Keogh confirmed that he had had trials with the Blues' Academy when he was moving over from Ireland at 16: “I came here as a kid but I had offers from a lot of other clubs like Blackburn and Leeds.

“I was very close to signing for Ipswich but chose Leeds. There were a few Dubliners who signed here, and there were a few Irish boys at Leeds. It was very close thing.”

Town skipper Carlos Edwards was disappointed with his side's display having played so well against Birmingham a few days beforehand: “After the way we played against Birmingham, which was the best we played all season, it was disappointing to then we put in a performance like that.

“We created good chances bit could not capitalise and it was not up to par, which has cost us.”

The Trinidadian dismissed suggestions that there was an end-of-season feel about the performance: “As players we don’t think like that. We wanted to send the fans home sweet.

“Even though we had nothing to play for, three points is massive thing to take from every team and the players and fans would have had something to smile about. We thought we could just carry on where we finished on Tuesday but it was not to be.”

Edwards was disappointed that fellow full-back Aaron Cresswell's season has ended due to his hamstring injury.

Speaking before the announcement that Cresswell had won the Player of the Year vote, the 33-year-old felt the summer signing from Tranmere was in with a very good shout: “Cressy has been up there neck and neck with me in terms of games played.

“He has a chance to be Player of the Season, so it was sad to see him get injured in that way.”

Photo: Action Images

Sindre94 added 10:27 - Apr 23 Not a surprise, Keane wasnt exactly the "dream manager to play for" I dont blame Liam, millwall offered him better at the time. Ashame hes not under jewell, as I think he could have played a part and actually enjoyed it
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itfckieren added 10:27 - Apr 23 Absolute idiot. Celebrating like he did.. Thinks he's better than he actually is. Just remember which club gave you the start in your career
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Sindre94 added 10:29 - Apr 23 The celebration wasnt nice towards us, maybe keane wasnt good to him but IPSWICH WERE
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Marcus added 10:50 - Apr 23 Players come, players go. It was sad to see him leave but perhaps that's what he needed to get his career going. Better to look forwards than backwards both for him and for Town. I believe Edwards was runner up for POTY. It will be interesting to see who wins the box holders' and players' awards.
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gibbsm1 added 10:52 - Apr 23 Good for him, why we don't bring our own players through anymore I do not know Prefer to play overpayed 30+ players. Who was the last player to come through the youth team and play 200 games for us?
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Superfrans added 11:01 - Apr 23 gibbsm1 - how many 30+ players did we start with on Saturday? Oh, 1.....
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cornishnick added 11:09 - Apr 23 A decent lower level Championship player, but nothing more.
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depressed added 13:01 - Apr 23 I am pleased to see he's settled and doing well for himself. Good luck to the lad
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buryblue77 added 13:30 - Apr 23 Good, we don't want players like you here Liam, players who don't want to play for the club. It's the likes of you who got this club into a mess and i can understand why we lost a potential great keeper in Supple, because he retired from the game because of what players like you are like. I hope never to see you at portman Road again, or next time your comments give our team the encouragement to hammer Millwall and send them down, ungrateful little (fill in your own expletive here) I've never heard such disrespect from a bitter ex player who was given his professional footballing chance by the club. I'm not one for booing ex players, but this one deserves it, we're better off without you. Rant over.

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StowTractorBoy added 13:42 - Apr 23 To be honest when he was here he was a lumbering carthorse and was lucky he got the number of games he did with us. I for one was pleased we got rid but fair play to the lad he has come good at Millwall. Sometimes thats how it is in football.
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chiddley added 13:52 - Apr 23 I remember the experts on here slating him weekly, fair play for moving on. Who are the experts going to slate next ?
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whittonite added 14:38 - Apr 23 i'm sorry stow tractor i disagree with your comment totally.if he had been here under jewell the guy would be starting 11.keane took the gamble and played him. he also did that with wickham.even though wickham did well for us they were in a team that was not playing well at all.as we have seen with players like martin who came from man u,he played couple of few games for them and did very well but looked bad in our team which was doing badly.there is a lot of talk of how we now treat our youth players at our club but supporters slagging off a young talent does'nt exactly breed loyalty in the player.and what an insult a 1 year contract,to make an ipwsich boy want to sign for millwall of all clubs...! speaks volumes.....

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paulnstar added 16:35 - Apr 23 jewell out jewell out jewell out
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WhoisJimmyJuan added 16:46 - Apr 23 Cornishnick: we are a lower level championship team! And he did better on sat than any of our lot!
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yorksblue added 16:56 - Apr 23 Never looked interested whenever I saw him. Just seemed too lazy.
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happybeingblue added 18:21 - Apr 23 blimey cant believe the stick trotters getting from itfc fans yes he celebrated he always does the dance thing- im sure he doesnt disrespect itfc-he was born here after all! read what he says-that it felt good to score! well yeah even against us,rather than give the norris leadbiters 3yr deals on big money maybe we should have kept him.or as whitonite says a better deal.maybe liam took the stick for the general frustration of how the team were performing at the time.theres normally a scapegoat scowcroft,edwards,lots of fans near me moaning about edwards for ages- think hes shut them up for now!i would have given him player of the year for adjusting to the posistion hes played in!

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hairbear added 18:24 - Apr 23 Clearly wasn't wanted at town. Only offered a token contract to get the compo. Sadly a similar situation to hyam at the moment. Luke will prob be loaned out next year to a team that actually want and rate him, then pick him up for free the following season. I do agree if trotter had stayed he would be a first team regular. X
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h32 added 19:12 - Apr 23 buryblue77 - didn't take you long to lose your way again did it ? - 'we don't want players like Trotter here' - PATHETIC COMMENT - of course we do, and more of them. This is what happens to young (another local remember) players when they do not get treated as they should - THEY MOVE ON - and ITFC are making a name for themselves fast as being that kind of Club. Only place that will lead us, is further down the slippery slope. He was offered a paltry contract (sounds familiar) as a youngster, decided (somewhat against his wishes) to move on for good reason - and has proved to have done the right thing. Good Luck Liam - shame you were forced to wear another shirt - you were'nt the first, and for sure, you won't be the last youngster to do that. Shame on the Club - once again.

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h32 added 19:23 - Apr 23 happybeingblue - sad, sad people that's all you can call the Trotter knockers. No other words to describe them. Good promising (and local) players will continue to be released - or be offered such paltry contracts, that they have no choice other than to move on. Wonder if the gerihatricks have started to queue yet to sign for next season. I'm not joking - and don't care how much people knock me for saying such - it's as always the TRUTH.

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buryblue77 added 19:46 - Apr 23 h32, I lost the plot earlier when I read the article, I'm all for home grown young players, I'd love to see more of them coming through, like the Ipswich way. What I meant was I only want players here who are interested in the club and want to be here. On the contract issue, I feel under our current top level management (remember PJ doesn't hand out the contracts) that derisory offers are all that's ever going to be made, hence why Norris and McAuley walked away and probably why Leadbitter will too. I agree with you on the way things are handled regarding the youngsters, although I never rated Trotter that highly so not bothered to see him go, I let anger get the better of me earlier.

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alfromcol added 20:50 - Apr 23 I seem to remember that there were few positive comments about Trotter when he played under RK, most on here thought he was awful. Can't remember anyone saying he should be offered a better contract. Hindsight again being a wonderful thing. The change has done him good, good luck to him. He had his chances here and didn't take them.
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bournemouthblue added 20:56 - Apr 23 re: brian_a_mul - he got a dodgy red card against Pompey in the FA Cup which essentially ruined his Ipswich career. He's fairly quiet on the defensive side but he's always had goals in him. I used to play football every day with him at Primary School so I certainly don't begrudge him his success. As for the celebration, to me it looked like he was actually pretty reserved until he got near the Millwall fans who he rightly celebrated with.

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h32 added 22:04 - Apr 23 buryblue77 - you're back on track with that ..........
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Facefacts added 22:12 - Apr 23 The (some would say, incorrect, word in ear of 4th official by Joe Jordan, radio-miked on to Mark Halsey) sending-off against Portsmouth (FA Cup 3rd Round, 2008) cost us the game and cost him his Ipswich career - he was getting a run in the team as a young player at the time. After that, he never really got back in.
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buryblue77 added 22:19 - Apr 23 h32, I'm not sure if your post is a statement of agreement or questioning the validity of my post. Anyway, as I always say, we all have opinions and backed up with rational intelligence I believe peoples opinions are all equally valid, we're all Ipswich fans and all want the best for our club, but it doesn't mean we have to agree, however I can't stand nonsensical drivel that comes from some people. Believe it or not, I'm quite a laid back person, so it shows how Trotters comments got to me, although looking at it rationally I guess if my employer were to make me a derisory wage offer I'd be offended, I think sometimes it's easy to forget that footballers are employees too. Doesn't mean I've changed my opinion of Trotter as a player but if we're alienating our current youth, good or not up to the standard in the long term parents wont want to get their children involved in the Ipswich academy and we'll lose out even more. I guess I'm starting to see the bigger picture and wondering what's going on financially at our club and why we seem to be so stubborn in contract negotiations. I guess it also makes it so much harder seeing the budgies doing it all on a shoestring budget but with the right (or wrong!!) management they've turned things around in no time at all, with several of their own developed players.

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