Middlesbrough loanee Hayden Coulson has revealed his delight at being reunited with former colleague Sam Morsy, the Blues’ new captain after his deadline-day move to Portman Road at the end of August.
Midfielder Morsy’s decision to leave Championship outfit Boro and drop into League One with Town raised a lot of eyebrows and even Coulson was busy texting his ex-colleague to discover whether or not they would be teaming up again.
Coulson said: "I was messaging him as the rumours were flying around that he was coming to Ipswich. We had a good little chat and it was great to hear the move had been done. He’s a great addition to the squad, not just as a player but also as a captain.
"The gaffer knows him well from their time together at Chesterfield and Wigan, and he knows exactly what he can expect from him.
"After a few games the rest of the lads could see what he was going to bring to the side. Sam’s a good player and a good communicator as skipper.
"We have a huddle before the game and he’s in charge. He makes it clear what is expected of us and he definitely has the lads’ respect as a leader.
"Sam is a stand-up-and-be-counted type of guy. If things are not going well he’ll do the best he can to change that and he’ll always lead by example. You get total commitment from Sam in every game, he never gives less than 100 per cent and it rubs off on other people.
"Was I shocked when he dropped down from the Championship to come here? Like I said, I texted him to see if it was true and if it was really going to happen. I can see why people might have been surprised but it wasn’t as if he was leaving Boro to join a smaller club, was it?
"He was in the Championship and we’re in League One, but obviously he was buying into the idea of Ipswich being promoted back to the level where he was comfortable.
"It was a professional move but he always had aspirations to be a Championship player again, no doubt about that.”
Coulson has had a frustrating time since arriving on loan in August. He tested positive for Covid and was forced to self-isolate and then, after winning a place in the side and impressing at left-back he sustained a thigh injury that kept him on the sidelines until the weekend, when he returned to action in the 2-1 defeat at league leaders Plymouth.
"It was bad timing, wasn’t it?” smiled the Gateshead-born player. "But that’s football and you can’t predict anything that’s going to happen tomorrow.
"It’s just one of those things and it’s just good to be back playing now, settled in and ready to go again on Tuesday at Wycombe if selected.
"No player likes to be out injured but the rehab went well and I’ve been back in training for a couple of weeks and it’s been really good. It’s great to be fit and involved again and getting the last-minute goal against Fleetwood, to make it back to back wins, was a good feeling for everyone at the club.
"We all know it wasn’t good enough at the weekend down in Plymouth. We’ve sat through the recording of it and we can see it wasn’t all bad but it’s the result that counts.
"We did have chances in the second half and later on when we could have turned it around or even won the game. Even if you get a draw away from home, against a side at the top of the table, it would keep a few people happy but we definitely need to start picking up points against teams like that.
"We have a great group of lads here. They and the gaffer kept my spirits up when I was injured. Whenever anyone is out injured the other players, the gaffer and his staff, they all keep in touch and there’s always communication between us, which is good.
"We’ve been a tight-knit group right from the beginning because we were all new to the club at the same time when we came in.
"We were staying in the same hotels, that sort of thing, so it helped us to gel as a unit and really get to know each other. We would go out to eat together in the evenings and that was another important part of bonding as a group. What happened was that we got close quite quickly.
"When I first came down here and had a tour of the stadium I was very impressed. It’s the same at the training ground, top-class facilities, and it’s definitely not a typical League One club. Everyone here is striving to improve our results.”
Finally, Coulson was asked about his father, Steve, who has been busy communicating with Town fans on Twitter and attends as many games as he can. "He’s just like any dad, proud of his sons,” said the Boro loanee, who was capped by England at U16, U17 and U18 levels. "I’ve got two brothers and he’s as proud of them as he is of me, and that’s the main thing.”