New Town signing Stephen Ward may have reached the veteran stage of his career but he is keen to point out that his appetite for football is definitely not on the wane.
Indeed, there is nothing the former Republic of Ireland international would like more than to end his first season as an Ipswich player by securing promotion back to the Championship.
Last season’s failure to mount a sustained challenge, although Paul Lambert’s men started promisingly and even led the table in January, was a massive disappointment to the club’s supporters, most of whom had stayed loyal to the cause despite the shattering blow of relegation.
Ward, 35, is one of Lambert’s three close-season signings. An experienced left-back, he became a free agent after his contract had ended at Stoke and having impressed during a period training with the club was delighted to be offered a one-year deal.
He said: "I’m fit, healthy and I still really enjoy coming into work every day. Enjoying football is a massive part of it but one of the things that really made me want to come down here was that I still have the desire to achieve things in the game.
"I still want to finish my career in good shape, maybe not at the top as such, but by ending on a high note. I’m really excited about how the club is pushing for promotion back to the Championship. If we achieve it this season — and especially if we actually win the league — it will count as a major highlight in my career.”
Asked how he felt about facing another 46-game campaign, the Dubliner added: "I suppose when you get towards the twilight of your career it might be the case that you don’t have to train every day. The manager and I have had a chat about that.
"Speaking from personal experience you get to know how to manage yourself as you get older. You learn how to look after your body and I’m well used to doing that in the past few years.
"I love the game and I’m hoping to push on for another few years. I still have the appetite for it and, like I said, I want to finish on a high if I can. I’ll take it day by day at the minute.”
Town’s season gets under way tomorrow with a Carabao Cup visit from League One rivals Bristol Rovers, while Arsenal’s U21 side will be at Portman Road on Tuesday for the opening group game in the EFL Trophy.
Ward continued: "I’m completely focused on the League Cup game tomorrow and really excited about what lies ahead for us. Since I’ve been here I can see how much talent there is in the squad and it’s a big club too. There is an aura about it.
"They’ve ended up in League One but this is a club that should be at a much higher level and I’m hoping we can have a successful year that will take us back to the Championship.”
Asked how he was settling in, he said: "It’s been very enjoyable. Obviously, I was delighted to sign and it’s been good getting to know the rest of the lads and to play some pre-season games. It’s been really positive, the lads have been great and I’ve enjoyed the training.
"Everything about the place has been fine and I’m just looking forward to getting started with the real business of competitive football. We have worked very hard in the past few weeks on a particular brand of football that the manager wants to play and I can’t wait.
"Hopefully, once the season gets under way we can continue to improve and have a very successful season.
"It’s a massive club that has to be ambitious this year. The club spoke for itself, really, because I have played at Portman Road plenty of times and always enjoyed it.
"It’s a great place and with the calibre of manager they have here, and having the experience he has of managing at the highest level, it was something that also attracted me.
"As a player he had a fantastic career and I know a lot of the players who played for him at Aston Villa and Wolves. When they heard I was coming down here they sent me lots of messages and they were all very positive, which was another key factor in me wanting to sign here.
"I also knew a few of the lads, like Alan Judge and Luke Chambers, who had nothing but good things to say about the place, and they have been proved right.”