The official stats have confirmed what Anthony Wordsworth has suspected all along — that he is not lazy and always pulls his weight.
The midfielder is back in the first team fold after a lengthy absence, starting three of Town’s last four games, and is happy with his form.
He said: "I feel I’ve done well. The gaffer has always been on to me about working hard and doing all the other side of the game. I did the most running in the games against Brighton and Derby, and I was also putting in tackles and headers, stuff like that.
"I think I made it difficult for him and I would have been very disappointed if I had not been put back in at Blackburn on Saturday.”
Wordsworth has dismissed the theory that he didn’t measure up to Mick McCarthy’s demands and was perhaps lacking commitment.
He added: "I always believed I had been putting in the effort. I think the gaffer probably didn’t know what type of player I was, which is obviously difficult.
"I always believe in myself and I know what I’m about. I know I work hard, I know I can score goals and I know what I can do, so I just have to try to prove him wrong.
"There is a lot more to come from me but maybe it is too late in the season now. I think I need maybe 10 or 15 games to try to show the gaffer what I can really do. When I’ve been put into the side I think I’m just doing enough and I’d like to do more.”
The former Colchester player also blamed his running method for giving the impression that he might not be applying himself fully.
He said: "I think I’ve got this unique running style, as they say, and it maybe doesn’t look like I’m working hard. But if you look at the stats, I’ve done more running in the games I’ve played than anyone else in the team.
"The manager likes players who work hard and get in people’s faces. I’ve got my way of running and it might look lazy but the stats say I have covered more distance than anyone else in the team. I feel like I’ve worked hard and done all the things that he’s asked of me.
"The stats come out on a Monday morning and I was the first one there to check them. When I saw that what I believed was actually right I was very happy.”