Midfielder Owen Garvan has pledged his future to Town by signing a contract which will keep him at the club until June 2009. Garvan joins Scott Barron, Danny Haynes, Shane Supple, Matt Richards and a number of other academy products in committing to the Blues.

Boss Joe Royle told the club site that he is delighted to have secured the Irish youngster's services for a longer period: "Owen still had two years of his contract to run so there was never any panic over him signing. All the same it's nice when it's done.

"I said to him at the beginning of the season that he would be in and out of the side until Christmas and that in the new year I would be looking at him to become a pillar of the side. He looked at me a bit strangely at the time, but that's pretty much the way it has turned out.

"I was over in Ireland scouting last week and they are pretty excited by what is going on at Portman Road. They have heard about the progress of Owen and Shane Supple."

Royle is now keen to sign French loanee Jimmy Juan on a permanent deal from Monaco.

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