Town defender Cameron Burgess has welcomed new signings Gassan Ahadme and Panutche Camara to Portman Road and says he is looking forward to playing alongside them both in the not-too-distant future.
He may line up alongside striker Ahadme at Accrington tomorrow following his arrival from Burton Albion yesterday, transfer deadline day, but Camara is still carrying a knock and the ex-Plymouth midfielder will not feature at the Wham Stadium.
Burgess said today: "I met the two new lads when I came in this morning. It’s more positivity for us bringing good players in to strengthen the squad and more competition for places, which is never a bad thing for an ambitious side looking to achieve things.
"Both of them know what it’s like in League One and I’m looking forward to playing alongside them, whenever that might be. I played against Gas at Burton recently, only briefly near the end when I came off the bench, but he was a helluva handful to us all night.
"He’s a player who works tremendously hard and he puts himself about as well. Everyone could see what he had to offer that night and he’s scored a few goals as well, which is always a good sign for an attacking player. Based on what we’ve seen of him he’s going to be a welcome addition to the squad.”
Another recent addition, veteran defender Richard Keogh, impressed on his debut in Tuesday’s Papa Johns Trophy 6-0 hammering of Northampton and it meant a great deal to the 36-year-old after he was released by Town 20 years ago after several years in the club’s academy.
"It was a big occasion for Richard because he had been waiting a few years for that moment and it clearly meant a lot to him,” said Burgess. "He brings a wealth of experience to the squad, someone who is keen for us to pick his brains as well as being keen to play when required.
"The type of guy he is, he’s more than willing to share what he’s got and he’s a very positive addition to the group. Long may it continue and he’s there to push us for a place in the side as well, so that keeps us all on our toes too. It’s added competition and he’s a brilliant guy to have around.
"Richard had a great first game and it was a pleasure to line up alongside him the other night. The gaffer made 11 changes so to win handsomely and play as well as we did was important for everyone involved.
"The message before the game and in the build-up to it was that we have a strong squad and we need a lot of games to keep everybody fit and healthy.
"So, the more games, the better for us really, and the only way to have more games is to win in the cup competitions. We’ve made a strong start in this one and hopefully there will be more of the same to come in the next group games, while we also have the FA Cup to look forward to later in the season.
"Overall, the mood around the club is very positive and it has been for a fair bit of time now. Our pre-season was positive and everything at the club has been positive.
"We’re undefeated and going well in the league but we’re the first to admit we are not the finished article yet and we all accept we have a long way to go before that is the case.
"It’s a positive start but that’s all. The messages are consistent — we need to keep it going and we should be looking to improve on what we’ve done so far. We’ll carry on working to get better and keep it going like that.”
Town manager Kieran McKenna continues to favour the three-at-the-back system that has seen the Blues only suffer five losses in 32 games in all competitions since the former Manchester United first team coach launched his management career in December last year.
There were times in midweek when Town’s free-flowing football made it seem as if they were operating with only two defenders but Burgess explained: "I just think it’s just game to game really and different things can change.
"The manager and the coaching staff do a lot of research on the teams we play and know what will work for us and what won’t.
"The principles don’t change so it doesn’t affect us in that way, in terms of how we go about things, but obviously there will be tweaks here and there at times during the season.
"Different personnel for different opponents, perhaps, but nothing changes in the way we prepare for each game. But the manager might want to tinker things a bit, I suppose.”
Meanwhile, Burgess also had praise for fellow central defenders Corrie Ndaba and Elkan Baggott, who are both out on loan at Burton Albion and Gillingham respectively this season as an important stage of their development with Town.
He said: "Elkan was actually away quite a lot with his national team so he wasn’t in the building a lot to begin with in pre-season. But I had worked with him last season so I knew all about him, while I worked with Corrie in pre-season after he was on loan at Salford last season.
"I would say they both have bright futures ahead of them and I expect they will be pushing for places in this team when they return. That will ensure there is good competition for places in the future.
"They are doing the right thing in going on loan to get games because there’s nothing better than playing competitive football week in, week out, to help you improve, mature and develop.”