Town striker Daryl Murphy has dismissed rumours that linked him with a transfer window move to Premier League strugglers Hull.
The whispers intensified when the 19-goal ace was ruled out of the goalless home clash with lowly Wigan but the deadline came two days later with Mick McCarthy’s squad unaffected, much to the relief of Murphy.
He said: "I don’t think there was anything in the rumours about me and Hull, and even if there was it wouldn’t have interested me in the slightest.
"I’m pleased that the squad has remained intact because I think it’s important for a club like us, where we don’t have the biggest squad.
"It’s big factor because if you lose your best players it’s only going to weaken the team and it’s also going to be difficult for the manager to strengthen in such a short space of time.”
Murphy is in the best form of his entire career, not only topping the scoring charts at club level but leading the way in the Championship, and he admits he is revelling in the responsibility of being the team’s number one goal threat.
But he added: "I think it can go two ways. The pressure might get to you if you don’t produce but I’ve never felt it in that position. I always play for the team and it’s never all about me.
"If I can score goals and the team wins, fine, but if I don’t score and the team wins it’s still the same to me as long as we win.
"I always wanted to be a goalscorer from a very early age and most kids are the same. We used to play morning, noon and night when we were kids and at that age you don’t just want to become a footballer, you think it’s easy to achieve.
"It’s just about enjoying it when you are young and I was never put under any pressure by my parents. I think they just thought ‘If it happens it happens’ and weren’t too confident that it was going to happen. But I always kind of believed that I would make it.”
Murphy turned his attention to this weekend’s clash with Fulham, newly relegated from the Premier League when they were defeated 2-1 at Portman Road on the opening day of the season and the Irishman was on target to open the scoring.
He said: "It’s not easy for teams who come down and Fulham found that out the hard way in the first game of the season. These days, I don’t think the clubs who come down expect to go straight back up. It doesn’t work like that.
"You need good characters in your team, people who understand the task. Although Fulham have struggled a bit they still have quality players and can hurt you on any given day but hopefully we will go there and win.”