Boss Mick McCarthy says Jonny Williams was all set to return to Crystal Palace last weekend until Eagles manager Tony Pulis had a change of heart following their 1-0 victory over Chelsea.
"Jonny was going back, I’d spoken to Tony Pulis, I’d known all week, since the game before,” he revealed. "I’d agreed with Tony that that was the end of his loan and he’d take him back.
"But then I saw the result against Chelsea and thought that it may just change things. I was asked who worked the oracle there, well Tony did, he beat Chelsea. It was him that changed that by beating Chelsea and I imagine they’ll be keeping the same team.
"And of course that means we can have him for Saturday and Tuesday. He’s on a 24-hour recall, so if they had an injury today and they wanted him back they could take him. If they get an injury on Saturday, they can take him.
"If he plays [today], they haven’t got a game in midweek, so we get him for two more games and hopefully beyond that.”
He warns that Pulis utilising his recall is a real possibility at some stage but is happy just to have the Wales international at Portman Road for longer than he expected: "He’s got a 24-hour recall for whatever he wants to do with him. If he just wants to piss me off and take him back, which has no chance of happening because he’s my mate.
"I really am grateful to Tone because I think he’s under a lot of pressure to bring him back because all their blogs and those on Twitter and on their websites were saying ‘bring him back’ but Tony keeps his head, beats Chelsea, fantastic result.
"And that’s the only way you get the trust of people is by getting results. So, he’s done that, so he’ll probably play the same side. If it was me I think I’d be playing the same side if I’d just beaten Chelsea.
"So it’s counterproductive to have him back and have him on the bench because that’s not doing anybody any good except that they’d have a lad there that might come on and do something. But they’ve got other good substitutes.
"And he’s benefiting. He’s adding value to him, he’s adding experience to him. You’ve all seen how he’s played, he’s been great.”
Williams’s form with the Blues has led to him being seen as increasingly important to Town’s play-off push but McCarthy doesn’t believe the player, who is still only 20, views the situation like that.
"I don’t think he sees it that way,” he added. "I haven’t spoken to him about it but I think he sees he’s playing well and he’s got the adulation of fans playing in the first team.
"He’s just enjoying it, he’s loving it and it would be wrong to even consider that the expectations of us getting in the top six are on his shoulders because in reality they’re not because others have got to mess up for us to get in the top six.”
So convinced was McCarthy that Williams was going back to Palace after the Nottingham Forest game that he even got him a parting gift.
"It was just a bit of fun, I just said ‘Here’s something to remember us by’ because we’ll remember him, that’s for sure,” he said. "I think everybody who has seen him will remember him.
"He’s a lovely young man, a smashing kid, he really is. He plays with a smile on his face. He’s a pleasure to have around. He’s a really talented player as well.
"We just gave him an Ipswich shirt with his nickname ‘Joniesta’ on it. I know he gets a bit of ribbing for it, so I put it on his shirt!”