Stephen Ward has revealed how he seized the opportunity to become an Ipswich player, so much so that he knocked back interest from clubs at a higher level.
Ward, a free agent over the summer having left Stoke, said: "I spoke to a couple of clubs in the Championship but with what’s going on in the world at the minute there are a lot of ifs and buts. I wouldn’t say I’m impatient but I like to know what I’m doing and get ready for a new season with a couple of weeks training under my belt.
"I didn’t really fancy waiting around until the last minute, so when I found out there was an opportunity to come here I was keen to do it. They wanted to have a look at me and it gave me a chance to get a feel for the club.
"They made it clear they were interested so I took it seriously from the moment I found out and was more than willing to come down here. I was really happy when it all got done as quickly as it did and just wanted to get my head down and start working straight away.”
Ward fills the gap in manager Paul Lambert’s squad caused by the loss of loanee Luke Garbutt, who had a productive time as he weighed in with six goals in 30 appearances in all competitions, as well as contributing a healthy number of assists.
Garbutt would have been welcomed back with open arms after his release by Everton but he was unable to agree a permanent deal and Lambert wasted no time in turning his attention to the vastly experienced Ward.
Clearly impressed by Garbutt’s statistics, Ward added: "I think it’s important that there’s a contribution in the final third from everyone. If you’re going to be a successful team you need to have contributions from every area, whether it’s defenders scoring from set pieces or open play, or goals from midfield or wide areas.
"With the way the manager wants us to play, hopefully we can create a good number of chances. It is going to be a tough season and with so many big clubs in League One now it’s a tough call to say who is going to win promotion.
"But with what we have available in the squad we believe we can be up there. If I can contribute some goals and assists it would be brilliant but first and foremost we need to be solid as a unit at the back and make sure we provide a platform for the many talented players ahead of us who will be looking to create chances and score goals.”
Lambert has described Ward as exactly the type of player the Town squad had been crying out for and the player continued: "That was nice to hear and I did notice myself when I came in that we have a relatively young squad.
"That seems to be how the game is going at the minute and I suppose in a way it’s a young man’s game. But in the successful teams and squads I’ve been involved with I’ve always found that there was a really good mix of youth and experience.
"You’d have the energy of the kids coming through but also the experience of players who had been there, done it and had some success.
"The manager has tried to get it right in pre-season and we’ve all worked hard. You never really know until the season starts but we feel we are in great shape and looking forward to really going for it.”
Ward believes tomorrow’s home clash with Bristol Rovers in the Carabao Cup, followed by Tuesday’s visit of Arsenal’s U21s in the EFL Trophy, provides an opportunity to build some momentum ahead of Sunday week’s first league game of the new season against relegated Wigan.
He said: "The priority this season is to get promotion and it seems strange there are two cup games before we start in the league. But if that’s how it is we have to make sure we approach them in the right way, looking to win them both.
"The manager has made it clear he wants to breed a winning mentality and as players we all want that too.
"It’s especially important at home and we will be looking to make Portman Road a real fortress. As a footballer you can’t beat winning games, no matter what competition it is, and if we can start with a couple of wins going into the Wigan game it will fill us with confidence.”