Greg Leigh has praised Town’s medical department after he returned to full fitness ahead of schedule in midweek and is set to continue his comeback in tomorrow’s FA Cup second round clash with non-league Buxton at Portman Road.

The player picked up a compressed fracture at Hillsborough in September towards the end of the Blues’ 2-2 draw with Sheffield Wednesday and was expected to be sidelined for several months. But he was passed fit enough to start Tuesday’s home defeat by Portsmouth in the Papa Johns Trophy and completed more than an hour before being withdrawn.

Leigh said: “I remember the very second I got injured. It was when I went up for a header and I landed with a straight leg. Hyper-extension is something that can happen quite often and I’ve seen it a lot this season.

“Sone [Aluko], for example, and [Wesley] Fofana at Chelsea. A lot of different things can happen and in my case I was grateful that my ligaments stayed intact, although it was my bone that took the brunt of the force.

“In terms of the treatment I received, I’d say it was excellent, really top class. I’ve been at a lot of clubs and seen how it is elsewhere and we’re right up there in terms of the equipment and facilities we have.

“Players want clarity about what has actually happened to them and how they are going to be treated going forward, and from my experience I was put fully in the picture by the medical staff here, as well as the specialists we consulted.

“It was all fully explained — how the injury had happened and why it had happened — all the way through to how they were going to get me back playing again. I’m the type to ask a lot of questions and they gave me all the answers.

“It was pretty much perfect for me because I was kept informed as we went along as to why I was being asked to do this and that.

“At the end of the day, yes, we want to be back as quickly as possible, but we also want to be as safe as possible, and that’s where the medical staff were really good.

“They set out a full programme for me to work on and it couldn’t have gone any better. A match made in heaven, you could say!”

Sunday’s clash with Buxton seems the ideal opportunity for Leigh, who was signed from Morecambe in the summer, to step up his comeback. At the same time, it provides manager Kieran McKenna with an opportunity to rest Leif Davis, a close season recruit from Leeds and one of the main success stories for Town in the current campaign.

Asked if he was sufficiently fit to face the National North League outfit, Leigh said: “I’ve worked hard with the medical staff and they have worked hard to get me up to speed, so I’m ready for pretty much any challenge.

“Tuesday’s game gave me a good indication of what I can do, in terms of minutes on the pitch, and I managed that well. I’m ready for the next challenge now.

“We’ve been working on the Buxton game the way we work on every game we play, including Bracknell in the first round.

“We’ll be fully prepared by the time the game comes round and it has actually become a bit easier to access footage of non-league teams, which is a big part of our preparation.

“We work on our shape and how we believe they will shape up, things like that, but it’s about putting the work in to make sure you get the outcome you want.”

Leigh stressed how pally he is with Davis, his main rival for a first-team place and the winner of successive Player of the Month accolades during Leigh’s absence. He added: “Being totally honest I was delighted for him when he picked up the awards. He’s a few years younger than me and he has made great progress since he joined us in the summer. He’s been doing so well and racking up the assists as well.

“He’s not just a teammate, he’s also a mate and that applies to everyone in the squad. Our relationship has gone from strength to strength in the time we’ve been here. We’re united in our goal for the season and all the players are adapting to their roles.

“You can start one week and be on the bench, or even in the stand, the next, but I am pleased for anyone who is doing well.

“We’re a group where there is no animosity between any of the players. It’s not as if anyone doesn’t get on with anyone else. Yes, of course there is rivalry for places, like between Leif and me, but that doesn’t get in the way of a friendship between players.

“At the end of the day we all share a vision of Ipswich being in a certain place at the end of the season and we are all mucking in together to try to make it happen.”

While Leigh is fit and ready for action, Town are coming to terms with the news that front man Marcus Harness will be absent for 10 weeks following his early withdrawal in midweek.

Leigh said: “In every season, even when a club is successful, there are going to be injuries and setbacks. It has been frustrating for us because they have all come at once, or that’s the way it seems right now, but we have to get through it and we will.

“It doesn’t matter which guys are injured and out of the side because in every area of the team we have the same thing, competition for places, and when one player is ruled out it opens the door for someone else.

“Nothing really changes — we still go out to get three points if it’s a league game or through to the next round if it’s a cup tie.

“Sunday’s game is one where people will be looking for an upset. The neutrals, not just Buxton’s supporters, will be hoping it happens, so we have to guard against it happening by being thoroughly professional in how we prepare.

“If we’re playing a league game we know when we’re at it — we’re showing the right energy, we’re in the right positions, we’re defending well and we’re attacking with pace — and in that scenario there aren’t many teams, if any, at this level who can live with us.

“You get the shocks when players don’t approach the game in the right way and we won’t be doing that. As long as we stay focused on the qualities that make us a decent side and enable us to win games, we’ll be fine.

“We can’t afford to let our standards slip. It’s one game, and we never focus on any more than one at the time.”

Reflecting on his time out of action, Leigh added: “I’d been getting used to playing a few games and coming off the bench in others, then all of a sudden there was nothing at all.

“I really missed it when I was sitting there watching the lads with a brace on, wishing I was out there, but at other times, when I was around the lads, I felt more involved even if I couldn’t play.

“But it was frustrating as well, games like the 4-4 draw at Charlton, when I was wishing we had been able to hang on for a win and three points.

“The thing you miss most when you are out injured, apart from not playing obviously, is the overall involvement with everything else that goes on at the club. All I wanted was to be back, 100 per cent fit again and playing my part.”

On his relationship with manager McKenna, he continued: “It’s everything I wanted and expected it to be. One thing about the manager is that we have plans for every opposition — how we’re going to break them down, how we’re going to go forward etc. As you’ve seen in games, a lot of it is based on our attacking play and being in possession.

“We have had the lion’s share of the possession in every game we have played and when you have such attention to detail as the manager has, you are going into games knowing exactly where you need to be and what you have to do.

“In other words, having a real plan, which makes all the difference. It hasn’t just been what I thought it would be; it has actually been a bit better than that.

“It keeps you focused and ensures you are progressing as a player, which is another added bonus.”

Leigh also looked ahead, to 2026 and the World Cup being hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico, and which will see 48 countries taking part — 50 per cent more than the 32 currently involved in Qatar.

He is hoping to be involved himself with Jamaica, for whom he was unable to add to his eight senior caps due to his recent injury.

He said: “Straight away, there is going to be more scope for countries to qualify. Actually, I felt we were a bit unlucky in the qualifying campaign for this year. If we’d gone into it a bit more organised, I believe the outcome would have been different.

“It’s a long way off but if I could get involved and be in and around the squad on a regular basis it would be great.

“Jamaica would be in with a chance of qualifying and I would rather they did it with me than without me. I was gutted that my injury kept me out of their game against Argentina in which Messi played, although he only scored twice!

“But there’s another game in March and then the Gold Cup next summer, so fingers crossed I can be fit and playing well enough to be considered for that.”

Photo: Matchday Images

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