Loan midfielder Paul Green says he’d love to be back at Portman Road when the Blues squad start their 2014/15 pre-season programme at the end of June.
The 31-year-old is out of contract at parent club Leeds this summer and Town boss Mick McCarthy is going to bide his time before making offers to Green, fellow loanee Frazer Richardson and Stephen Hunt, who signed a short-term deal midway through the season.
"No footballer looks forward to pre-season but it would be great to come back here and be with the lads,” Green said after scoring the winner in Saturday’s 2-1 final day victory over Sheffield Wednesday at Portman Road, his second goal for the Blues.
"There is a terrific team spirit here - a real togetherness with everyone pulling in the right direction. It all bodes well for Ipswich and I believe they can do even better next season and make that top six.”
He’s pleased he made his loan move from Elland Road in February: "I’m glad I joined. From not getting into the squad at Leeds to playing and scoring goals for Ipswich, it’s what players want to do.
"To help a team win games is exactly what I want to do and I was not able to do that Leeds but I have here. The gaffer has given me a chance here and hopefully I have repaid his faith.
"It has been a stop-start season for me. For some strange reason I wasn’t getting in the squad at Leeds so coming here to try and help Ipswich get into the play-offs was a big boost for me.
"When you are training week-in, week-out then not getting into the squad, it is intensely demoralising. I enjoyed my first year at Leeds but the second didn’t work out.”
Reflecting on Town’s campaign overall, he added: "It has been a great season. Obviously it is disappointing we have not reached the play-offs but compared to last season when Ipswich were fighting relegation this is a big improvement. It is a total transformation.
"It bodes well for next season. The gaffer will look to bring in new players to strengthen the squad and that can only be good.”
Meanwhile, Hunt, whose freekick led to Green’s goal on Saturday, says he hopes to return to Portman Road for 2014/15, tweeting: "It's been a pleasure to play for this club. To the players, staff, fans and the town, if I'm not back, all the best. Hope to be back.”
The Town squad are due back at Playford Road on June 26th and 27th for tests and assessment with pre-season getting underway in earnest the following week.
The Blues will spend a week training at the Carton House hotel in County Kildare before playing a single friendly in Ireland, against Shelbourne at Tolka Park, Dublin.