When Darren Ambrose could not force his way into the first team at relegation-haunted Birmingham last season he could never have anticipated that he would be on the brink of the Premier League with first club Ipswich just a few months later.
After he scored his first Town goal in almost 12 years at Southampton on Sunday, to earn an FA Cup third round replay at Portman Road next Wednesday, he spoke of rediscovering his love for the game all over again.
He said: "It’s disappointing when you’re not playing and I had a rough time at Birmingham. The manager makes decisions that he feels are right for the team and I wasn’t part of it there.
"It was very frustrating because my aim when I left my previous club, Crystal Palace, was to be in the position that I’m in now, battling for promotion.
"That’s what everyone wants to be part of and to be doing it now at a club like Ipswich, where I grew up, is such a fantastic feeling for me and my family. We’re just delighted to be here.”
Ambrose has only started once, at St Mary’s, and has also made five substitute appearances in the league, but now that his immediate future has been settled he is hoping his best form is still to come.
He added: "I hope I’m always learning and developing. The training has been fantastic and TC has been working a lot on my finishing and getting on the end of things in the box. It worked at the weekend so I hope I have more to give.
"The one thing I will give is 100 per cent every time I’m playing because I love being here and I love playing football. Who knows what the future holds for me? I’m not going to say I’m the best player I’ve been or the worst player I’ve been.
"No one knows — I’m just going to go out and give 110 per cent every time I get the opportunity.
"All games at the moment are massive for us. We want to stay in the top two, at least stay in and around it, and we have a massive opportunity this year.
"They are all fantastic, big games for us. We want to look after Derby this weekend and then go forward to the FA Cup replay against Southampton, which will be a fantastic night for everyone.”
Going back to life at previous club Birmingham, the midfielder dismissed the idea that things were so bad he contemplated retirement and recalled a successful spell on loan at Greek club Apollon Smyrni that saw him regain his appetite for the game.
He said: "When I got the opportunity to move to Greece it was a fantastic opportunity for me to play against some massive European clubs. I had a great time out there and that showed me that I was still the player I had been at Crystal Palace.
"I could still get on the end of things in the box and I could still score goals. I’m here now and I’m really enjoying my football so hopefully every time I get the chance I can contribute.”