Lambert Presents Chambers With Shirt to Mark 300th Appearance - Ipswich Town News
Town boss Paul Lambert presented skipper Luke Chambers with a shirt to commemorate his 300th appearance for the Blues at the team hotel last night with the 33-year old set to hit that milestone at his former club Nottingham Forest today.
Chambers, who joined Town on a Bosman in the summer of 2012 after leaving the City Ground, is proud to have played so many matches for the club and so many at Championship level. Today’s match his 435th in the second tier with his one-time Forest team-mate Lee Camp, now with Birmingham, the only player also currently in the division who has played more, 465.
"I’m proud of the number of games I’ve played at this level in general. I think it can get overlooked now, the appearances you make,” he told the club programme for Wednesday’s game against Bristol City.
"I have been here six years and a bit now and this club has been a massive part of my career, so to play 300 games for Ipswich Town is great. Hopefully there are many more to come.
"There have been highs and lows in that time but there always will be. That’s the nature of the game.
"I have played a lot of games, met a lot of people, experienced so much. I have played under managers I have learned from and feel that I’m in a good position now to deal with a lot of different scenarios.”
Reflecting on those highs and lows, he added: "Going top of the Championship on Boxing Day at Brentford in the year we got to the play-offs is a particular highlight.
"It all clicked that day. We had a great start, played some terrific football and the fans were amazing. That was a good team we had, perhaps if we’d added to the squad that January, who knows what would have happened.
"There is only one thing I’d change in my time here if I could — losing to our neighbours in the play-offs that year. The rest, I’ll take it as it is.
"Yes I came here to win promotion to the Premier League and it’s been a disappointment that we haven’t achieved that yet.
"I don’t think I could have given any more in trying to get there though. I’m confident if I had the chance, I could play at that level. I’ve just not had the opportunity. That’s life.”
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