Fit-again Town midfielder Luke Hyam knows he is playing for his Portman Road future over what remains of the current campaign.
Hyam made his first league start for the best part of two years in last night’s narrow 1-0 home defeat by second-placed Cardiff and with his contract due to expire in the summer his target is to do enough for the club to trigger their one-year option on his services.
He said: "I’m out of contract in the summer and I need to play games. I need to be on the pitch to prove my worth. Like last night, I want to prove myself in more games and then see what happens at the end of the season.
"I haven’t spoken to anyone yet about a new deal. I’ve just been keeping my head down and working hard.
"After being out injured for so long, first and foremost I want to stay fit through to the end of the season.
"It’s nice to be enjoying my football again and I’m very grateful for that. I’m happy at the moment and long may it continue.
"I want to stay here, without a doubt. Any player who happens to be playing for his local club, the one he cheered on as a boy, would feel the same. But you never know what is round the corner so I’ll just play it by ear at the moment.
"It’s a great club in a great town and I’ve got all my friends and family here. I love it here but we’ll just have to wait and see what happens. I play for the club but I’m still a massive fan as well.
"I went regularly when I was younger and the fact that I have family and friends who are fans makes it a bit special for me.
"There’s still a lot to play for this season and it’s not just me. Whenever you go out on the pitch you always want to play your best and do yourself and your family proud. That’s no different for me to any other player.
"If I play I’ll always do my best and as a team we are setting our sights on seeing what we can achieve over the rest of the season.
"The club have got an option and I think they have to let me know by May what they are going to do.
"I completely understand the situation. I’ve been out for a long time and football can be very uncertain.
"Players like to have some security but in my position all I can do is keep working hard and see how things go.
"I’m playing for my future, whether it is here or elsewhere. If I can play regularly between now and the end of the season it will enhance my chances of a new deal with Ipswich or, if that’s not possible, a fresh start somewhere else.
"Having not played for 18 months or so it’s hard and if they say no here I want to be in the best possible place to earn a new deal elsewhere.
"I need a run of games, say four or five, to be at my max and feel I’m back into it again.
"At the moment I’m just happy to be fit and everything else is a bonus. I’m very grateful that I’m back playing again.
"It was great against Cardiff last night and hopefully I’ll get some more minutes on the pitch through to the end of the season.”
Meanwhile, as much as 26-year-old Hyam was disappointed with the defeat by Cardiff he was delighted to be named in manager Mick McCarthy’s starting line-up for the first time since the penultimate game of the 2015/16 season, a goalless draw at Middlesbrough.
He added: "It was a nice feeling to be out there. I played from the start of the FA Cup tie against Sheffield United last month but to get a league start is a bit different.
"It was unfortunate that we didn’t get the result — I thought we were a bit hard done by — but we go again at Preston on Saturday.
"I was a bit tired today but other than that I felt really good. It was just nice to be back out on the pitch doing what I love doing. Players want to play, regardless of whether or not they have been injured and on their way back.
"More than anything else I want to play football and hopefully I’ll get more starts in the weeks ahead. If I’m not in from the start I’ll be supporting all the lads who do play.
"I was pleased with how things went on Wednesday and it gives me a base to build on as well.
"From the team point of view we are looking to improve over the 13 games we have left to play and to finish as high as we can in the table.
"After what happened at Norwich on Sunday and against Cardiff last night — I felt we deserved more than what we got from both of these games — we need a win and it would be great if it came at Preston on Saturday.
"I felt the disappointment at Norwich as much as a fan as a player. It was horrible to be honest because we were so close to ending our nine-year wait to beat them.
"We thought we’d done it right at the death so for them to come back and equalise with the last kick of the game made it feel like a loss. We can’t dwell on it, though, and have to look to the future.”