Boss Mick McCarthy was understandably pleased to see his skipper Luke Chambers sign a new contract taking him to 2017 with an option for a further season yesterday.
McCarthy says he’s a big fan of the 29-year-old: "I’m delighted to get him tied down and also delighted that he wants to tie himself down to the club.
"He can see that we’ve made progress, he wants to stay and he’s enjoying it here. He really has been terrific for me for the last two years.
"Whether he’s been at right-back or at centre-back he’s been an outstanding performer.”
He says Chambers, who was signed on a free transfer after leaving Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2012 by his predecessor Paul Jewell, is at his best now that he has switched back to centre-half, having spent most of last season at right-back.
"As you would expect,” he said. "You specify when you start playing that you want to play one position and you want to make that your own, you don’t want to be caught between two stools.
"When I first asked him he was happy to play at right-back but a little uncomfortable in case it didn’t go particularly well and Tommy and Christophe played and he couldn’t get back in there.
"But he did it selflessly and that’s what I loved about him. He went and played and was up against some good ‘uns, Lloyd Dyer at Leicester and people like that, and he saw most of them off, I have to be honest.
"He’s certainly got a good partnership with Christophe now, that’s to the detriment of Tommy, but that’s what happens when you've got three good ‘uns. Let’s hope the two of them keep playing well and Tommy’s ready to go [if needed].”