Birthday boy Luke Chambers admits his recent switch from central defence to right-back has seen his matchday mileage increase dramatically.
Chambers, who is 28 today, laughed: "There’s a hell of a lot more running involved!”
Town’s stand-in skipper — he wears the armband when Carlos Edwards is absent from the starting XI — headed his first goal of the season against Middlesbrough recently after boss Mick McCarthy’s minor reshuffle at the back.
Chambers, who nodded home left-back Aaron Cresswell’s far-post cross, said: "Every time the ball’s down our left-hand side the gaffer wants me to try to get in the box.
"I’ve been doing it for 70 minutes or so but after that mark I’ve not quite been managing to get up there.
"I was in there a lot at Wigan on Sunday but it was just unfortunate that we didn’t get as many crosses in as we would have liked.
"But if balls do come into the box I’m another number in there and I think a few things might drop to me.
"I’ll just continue to keep getting into the position I was in when I scored against Middlesbrough. I’m trying to add that side to my game and hopefully I can get a few more chances.”
Chambers is happy to operate as a right-back, something he also did at former club Nottingham Forest, but he added: "It’s no secret that I feel playing as a central defender is my best position, although it’s no problem if the gaffer thinks it makes us a stronger team by me playing out there.
"I think people know me well enough by now to know that I’m here for the benefit of the team. My personal preference will stay with me and I’ll just go and do the job that I’m asked to do.”
Chambers, currently sporting a beard in common with a number of his team-mates, has also noticed a difference when it comes to preparation between games.
He said: "The training seems to change for me now. I do find myself in wide areas and it’s about receiving the ball in different circumstances and different areas of the pitch, plus I’ve got difference passes to play.
"It has changed a lot for me but I’m enjoying it — I’m not going to lie — and it’s been alright. Hopefully I can keep doing my job there and the gaffer’s more than happy with me.”
Chambers admits to feeling sorry for Elliott Hewitt, who has had to make way in recent games: "For me Elliott is a very, very good player, both for now and the future.
"I think he did very well when he was in the team and it was probably a bit harsh on him to lose his place. It was just that the gaffer wanted to change things. I think we performed very well in the first four league games but we had lost three of them and he felt he had to make changes.
"We had a response with a draw at Birmingham and then the two home wins. That’s the nature of the squad at the minute — if the gaffer makes changes it’s up to the lads who come into those positions to stake their claims and keep themselves in the team.”