Aaron Cresswell was unaware that Town’s midweek win over Crystal Palace saw him clock up a career milestone — his 150th league start.

He has made 87 for Ipswich to add to the 63 he clocked up for first club Tranmere and considering he won’t be 24 until December it is no mean achievement for the club’s reigning Player of the Year.

Cresswell said: “I hadn’t realised that until now but it’s a good achievement at the age of 23. I’m still young but they tell me that the older you get the longer it takes to recover from injuries. I’ve been fortunate in that area and I hope it continues.

“Since the start of last season I’ve played most games. We played at Bristol City and won on the opening day of the 2011/12 season and to be honest back then I wasn’t thinking I would manage to play this many games.

“It’s been almost every game. I had a challenge on to make the starting 11 but I’ve done that most of the time and not really looked back. When you’re young you are always learning from one game to the next and obviously the more you play the more experienced you become.”

Cresswell was linked with a big-money switch to Aston Villa last summer and Town boss Mick McCarthy admitted this week that he would not be surprised if there was Premier League interest in the player all over again in the coming months.

But Cresswell added: “I’ve still got two years on my contract so there’s no reason why I can’t be here long-term. I love it down here — I bought a house last year — so there’s no reason why I can’t be here for some time to come.”

The Liverpool-born defender laughed off the suggestion that McCarthy, a former player and manager of the Republic of Ireland, might have been keen to recruit him on behalf of the Irish.

Cresswell laughed: “I’ve no Irish connections, just English. In fact, just Scouse!”

Photo: Action Images

Lightningboy added 12:06 - Apr 19 What a find Cressy's been..Jewell and his scouts deserve a big pat on the back for this one. If we can hang onto him and bring in 3 or 4 decent signings in the summer then we could have our best team for 9 or 10 years. Big day ahead 2moro - let's hope we can get the points we need and start planning for next season.
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Special_A added 12:45 - Apr 19 PJ wont be remembered for much good (which is a shame) However, Signing Cresswell is probably the best thing he did. Without doubt our best and most valuable asset. I hope he stays with us for as long as possible COYB In Mick an TC we trust
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