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Hunt Targeting Premier League and New Deal - Ipswich Town News

Promotion back to the Premier League will also guarantee Town winger Stephen Hunt a new contract to remain at Portman Road for a further 12 months.

The 32-year-old Republic of Ireland international revealed: "I’d like to stay and if we get promoted I think I’ll be here anyway.

"There is a clause in my present contract that means I will get an automatic one-year deal if we get promoted.

"I haven’t spoken to the manager about a new contract. There are far more important things going on at the moment but we will obviously have to sit down at some stage to see what is going to happen. For now it is more important that the team is doing well.

"I still feel I’ve got a few years left in me but to be honest I wasn’t too pleased with my performance on Tuesday night against Cardiff.

"It could have been a bit better but I’d been out for a while. I’ve started nine league games this season — eight wins and a draw — so I like to think I’ve been effective.

"Is Mick McCarthy aware of the stats? Yes, because I told him what they were. But it was in a cheeky, good-humoured way and I wasn’t trying to pick his team for him.

"Two minutes later I was saying to myself ‘Why the hell did I say that?’ But he knows me and what I’m like.

"If I’d played really well on Tuesday I wouldn’t have had to say anything but I think I better keep my mouth shut. I didn’t do anything wrong but I wasn’t exceptional either and I probably would have had to be exceptional to stay in the team.

"I’m happy enough — three games to go and hopefully I’ll have a part to play. There’s never a good time to go knocking on his door but this definitely isn’t.”

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