Town new boy Leif Davis is hoping to make it a hat-trick of promotions in his short career by playing his part in bringing Championship football back to the club next season.
Left-back Davis, who has also played in the centre of defence, first did it with former club Leeds in the 2019/20 campaign. Although he only made three league appearances in the second tier, he helped contribute nine points towards the end-of-season tally that restored the Yorkshire club to the Premier League.
And he did it again last term when he was loaned to Bournemouth, playing 15 games in all competitions as the Cherries climbed back into the top flight after being relegated the previous year.
Davis, 22, made his Premier League debut for Leeds in October 2020, coming off the bench in the 77th minute of a 1-1 home draw with Manchester City, and he added a second appearance two months later, again as a substitute, as Manchester United trounced his side 6-2 at Old Trafford.
He would like nothing more than to complete the hat-trick with Town this season and after collecting his second win bonus as a Blue at the weekend, after the convincing 3-0 home win over rock-bottom MK Dons, he is more convinced than ever that he made the right decision to drop down two levels from the Premier League to reignite his career.
Davis said: "When I heard about the interest from this great club I thought it was a bit of a no-brainer, actually. After I’d spoken to my agent and met the manager, I was very happy to get the deal done.
"I wanted to get down here straight away but I was carrying a bit of an injury and Leeds said they were taking me on their pre-season tour to Australia, which messed things up a little bit.
"It meant I had to wait until we came back to the UK to get things moving again and when it was all sorted, I was delighted. I had a full pre-season with Leeds and played a few games, but only 45 minutes here and there. Now I’m at Ipswich I want to get 90 minutes under my belt in every game I play.
"Going to Bournemouth on loan last season was a very positive experience for me. I’d had two years of playing for Leeds before I went down there and so I have helped with two promotions, which is a nice feeling. Hopefully I’ll make it three this season with Ipswich.”
Davis made an unfortunate start to life with Town when he conceded a first-half penalty that enabled Bolton to take the lead in the sides’ 1-1 draw at Portman Road on the opening day of the current campaign.
He added: "It was one of those occasions, to be fair, where you just have to hold your hand up and admit what you’ve done. You can’t do anything about it but the way you react is what matters most and I think I managed to react positively as we got back into the game and even should have won gone on to win it.
"To be honest, I think I was still suffering from a bit of jet-lag and it took me a bit of time to get my bearings. I didn’t feel right, really tired, but that’s all in the past and I’m feeling a lot better now.
"In situations like that, when I conceded the penalty, you can’t go back and must look forward. It’s a bit of a test of character and you just have to get your head down and carry on.”
Davis has started all three Town league games this season and, reflecting on Saturday’s victory, he said: "It was incredible and showed how good a team we are when we get playing with the ball and have had a good week in training.
"It was also against good opposition who finished high in the league last year and our aim now is to carry on in the same vein at Burton tomorrow and hopefully turn it into a lengthy winning streak.
"I came from Leeds, where we were playing in front of big crowds, and it’s exactly the same here. The fans are absolutely incredible the way they get behind the team and are always pushing us on. We were 3-0 up on Saturday and they still wanted more, which is great because it helps to drag us through the games.
"The fans have a big part to play and I would say they are like a 12th man to us. Players love it when the supporters come out in big numbers and make a lot of noise because it makes Portman Road a hard place for opposition teams. They know they are not going to get an easy game when they come here because we have such tremendous backing.”