Stephen Hunt is looking forward to his home debut as he takes the next step towards converting his current pay-as-you-play deal into a permanent contract at Portman Road.
Despite a successful first outing in Town’s 3-2 success at Blackpool, the Republic of Ireland winger knows he still has a long way to before securing his long-term future.
Hunt, 32, has agreed a deal through to January and his performance level in Saturday’s home clash with Leicester will help determine whether he extends his time alongside manager Mick McCarthy or heads elsewhere in the new year.
The pair first got together at previous club Wolves but after McCarthy’s exit in February 2012 the former Reading and Hull player headed out of Molineux at the end of last season when his contract expired and the club had been relegated to League One.
Hunt has used the international break to get to know his new colleagues better but explained: "Having been here in pre-season for a week made it easy coming in when I signed. I knew where I stood with all the boys and just cracked on with it.
"The break has made me hungrier to play to a certain degree. It was a bit of a surprise to play at Blackpool, although I knew I was ready. I had trained for six or seven weeks, if not longer, so all the hard work in the summer gave me confidence going into games. I’ve looked after myself and I was raring to go.”
No player celebrated Daryl Murphy’s last-gasp winner more than his fellow countryman, who was happy to elaborate on his reaction as Town earned their first away win of the season.
Hunt had at one stage looked set to sign for Blackpool only for the proposed deal to collapse in September, at which point it was suggested by manager Paul Ince that the player’s wage demands proved insurmountable.
But Hunt hit back: "I’ve already apologised to Murph for not celebrating with him. I had my own separate agenda. It was all fresh in my mind from the summer and I got carried away a little bit.
"What’s the quote from AP McCoy’s book - victory is better when it’s revenge” or something like that? I’ve never had a bigger insult in my life than for someone to call me greedy in my career. That’s not me.
"I play football, not just for the love of it because I have a family to support, but it hurt, it was remembered and it obviously came out in the goal celebration.
"Paul Ince said to me that his hands were tied and he couldn’t do anything. He also said ‘Now you know where I stand regarding the chairman’, so when he called me greedy three or four days later I was a little bit surprised.
"I can understand him backing his chairman — they’ve got to stick together as a team — but I didn’t need him calling me greedy. That’s one thing I’m not.”
Photo: ITFC