New Blues recruit Callum Page, who has joined from Needham Market following a lengthy trial last season, says signing a professional contract with Town is a dream come true.
The 19-year-old penned a two-year deal last week, with the club having an option for a further season, having spent virtually the whole of 2020/21 training and playing with the Town U23s.
"It feels like a massive weight is off my shoulders. I’m really happy to have got it sorted,” he told Suffolk News.
"This is what you dream about doing as a kid — getting that contract at a big club.
"It was a bit different to a normal trial. Needham couldn’t play so I just got my head down at Ipswich and worked hard. I never got to ahead of myself — even when things were looking good — and just kept pushing every day.
"Everyone’s goal when they go pro is to make the first team and I’m the same. But I’ve just got to keep working hard.
"I would imagine I’ll start out playing and training with the 23s, but if the chance comes my way I’ve got to be ready to take it — that’s how football works.”
Page, who revealed he had had an unsuccessful two-week trial at Colchester a few years ago, paid tribute to Needham manager and former Town midfielder Kevin Horlock for his role in his progress.
"Before Kev came in I was struggling to get a game for the reserves. I was on the bench a lot,” he added.
"But he watched me play for 10 minutes, started me in the next game and I scored a hat-trick. I’ve haven’t looked back since then.
"When you’ve got people like Kev, [Town U23s coaches] Kieron [Dyer] and Terry [Butcher] giving you advice and believing in you, it means a lot. These are people who have played at the very top of the game, they’ve been there and done it.
"And Needham have been fantastic. They’ve done so much for me and have always been there if I’ve needed help. They saw the potential in me and have given me the confidence to perform well.”