Kevin Foley admits he has landed on his feet by joining Town but believes he has probably played his last game for the Republic of Ireland.
The London-born former Luton and Wolves full-back, who has found his way to Portman Road via an injury-plagued short spell with FC Copenhagen, was able to represent Ireland through his parents, who hail from County Kerry, but he won the most recent of his eight senior caps back in 2012.
The Irish, managed by Martin O’Neill and with ex-Town boss Roy Keane his assistant, are bound for France and the Euro 2016 finals, which brings back painful memories for Foley after he was dramatically axed by Giovanni Trapattoni four years ago on the very day he had to submit his squad to UEFA.
Foley had returned to training after a hamstring injury and was in the original 23-man squad, only to be sacrificed by Trapattoni at the eleventh hour as the Italian opted instead to promote Paul McShane - who coincidentally will be at Portman Road this evening with Reading - from his stand-by group, a decision that left Foley heartbroken.
He said: "I’ve not even thought about Ireland, to be honest. I’ve just been concentrating on getting fit.
"They’ve had a great qualifying campaign to reach the Euro finals in France but I’ve been out of the scene for probably three or four years. So I can’t see it, unless something was to happen, and you never know in football.
"I’m 31 and I still feel I have a lot of years left in me. When I joined FC Copenhagen last year I wondered how hard it would be to get back into the Championship.
"That was a worry because I actually went over to Denmark thinking I might have two or three years there and then I would have to prove myself all over again when I returned. I’m happy to do that, to embrace it and prove to people that I can still play at a good level.
"It ended in a bad way for me with Ireland but it was just one of those things I had to take on the chin, getting left out of the squad at the last minute — literally. It was handled pretty poorly but that’s the way it went. That’s football, as they say.
"I prefer to look at my situation here at Ipswich because I am delighted to be here. I have landed on my feet. I sent TC a text three or four weeks ago asking if I could come in and train and get fit.
"I didn’t know if they needed players or not but after a couple of sessions it turned out Jonny [Parr] was leaving.
"I think it was just a bit of luck and good timing for me the way it worked out. I’m 100 per cent sure I have a few years left in me at a decent level.
"The last couple of years have been stop-start for me so I’ve got a lot of catching up to do. I’ve just turned 31 and I feel as good as I can ever remember, but obviously performances will tell on that one.”
Foley’s versatility is a major plus for Town because as well as being able to play in either full-back position he has also shown he can operate in midfield.
He added: "I’ve been doing a lot of training on the left in recent weeks, as well as the right, and I feel comfortable there.
"Obviously, my right foot is my strongest but I don’t mind using my left. I’ve played for the gaffer in midfield on many occasions as well.
"Sometimes players say it can work against you being versatile but I’ve always said that I’m just happy to play.
"Although right-back is my main position I don’t see it as the be-all and end-all. I’m just happy to play football at the end of the day.”