Luke Hyam has revealed he came close to departing Town on loan in the January transfer window before deciding to stay put and continue his quest to earn a new contract.
Hyam’s present deal is set to expire in the summer but the club have a one-year option and he will be doing his best to extend his time with his home-town club, having joined the academy while a pupil at Northgate High School.
The midfielder said: "Going out on loan was something I considered because I have been out injured for such a long period of time. But in the end I decided to stay here and fight for my place in the team.
"I spoke to the gaffer about it a couple of times to see what was out there for me and about what was right for the team at the same time.
"In the end I wanted to stay here and not just fight for my place but for as many points as possible between now and the end of the season.”
Regardless of what the future holds for him, Hyam believes Town can look forward with confidence thanks to the number of promising young players he expects to be challenging for first team places next season.
He added: "There are some very good young players coming through at the club. Flynn is out on loan at Luton at the moment and there’s obviously Tristan and Doz, who has been very unlucky after being ruled out for the season when he got injured in the very first game.
"Beyond them there are other promising players coming through the academy, which is great for the club going forward.
"In the meantime we must play for ourselves and for pride in the remaining games this season.
"We’re a few points off the play-offs but we’ll going after as many points as we can get. We’ll be trying to improve our performances at the same time and make our fans proud of their football team.
"The atmosphere at Portman Road can be a bit hostile at times but I understand the fans’ frustration.
"It’s the same for us as players because we know we can do better. But we have such a good team spirit around the place and we work for each other, and as long as we all stick together, including the fans, it can only help us in the long run.”
Hyam made a sentimental return journey to Sidegate Primary School earlier today as he and teammate Martyn Waghorn, together with Waghorn’s wife Leoni, supported an event in conjunction with the Elena Baltacha Foundation, which the former British number one launched four years ago before tragically losing her battle with cancer.
Earlier today, @LukeHyam19 and @Mwaghorn_9 went down to @SidegatePrimary, Luke's former school, to support the @ElenaFoundation as we reignite our partnership!#itfc pic.twitter.com/LYRYftfrRB
— Ipswich Town FC (@Official_ITFC) February 22, 2018
The Town pair, along with fitness instructor Leoni, were a big hit with pupils as Elena’s husband, Nino Severino, looked on with pride.
The event created a rousing atmosphere as the youngsters clearly enjoyed the experience and the foundation goes from strength to strength.
Hyam said: "It’s great to see the kids enjoying themselves and playing sport. Waggy and I were pleased to do our bit to support the foundation and it was a bit surreal for me being back at Sidegate for the very first time since I left.
What an incredible event @SidegatePrimary in Ipswich, supported by our foundation mentor @LeoniWaghorn and @Official_ITFC players @Mwaghorn_9 and @LukeHyam19 All supporting The Elena Baltacha Foundation in the best way possible. pic.twitter.com/q1Ar2M0VJ6– Elena B Foundation (@ElenaFoundation) February 22, 2018
"My mum works with the after-school club and the nursery across the road, and I’ve picked her up a couple of times. I drive past it regularly but I haven’t actually been in the building for about 16 years.
"It’s nice to come back because this is where it all started for me. They were good times. I was captain of the school team here but at high school I remember being dropped. It only happened once but I wasn’t happy about that.
"I really enjoyed my school days, not just here but also at Northgate High School, but I would never say I was academic.
"Being a local boy I still have a lot of friends I went to school with and being back here brings back a lot of happy memories.
"I’m still in touch with some of my old teachers from Northgate. I get texts from a couple now and again, plus I see one of them pretty regularly at the gym I use.
"They were always very supportive of me and it’s nice to keep in contact with them.”