Town forward Conor Chaplin has been named the Sky Bet League One Player of the Month award for December, becoming the first Ipswich player to carry off the gong in this division.
Chaplin, 25, who scored four goals during 2022’s final month, was up against Bolton Wanderers striker Dion Charles, Sheffield Wednesday keeper Cameron Dawson and Plymouth Argyle central defender Dan Scarr for the award.
But the judging panel, Sky Sports’ EFL expert Don Goodman, EFL chief executive Trevor Birch and Sky Bet EFL trader Ivor Davies, felt Town’s 13-goal top scorer was a worthy winner.
Chaplin was pleased to receive the award and that he ends a three-and-a-half-year wait for a Town player to be win a League One monthly award.
"It feels good. It’s nice recognition for a good month from a team point of view and a personal point of view,” he said.
"It’s nice [to end] a bit of a hoodoo for the club. I’m in a really good team, I’m fully aware of that, so it’s a lot easier to perform and to score goals, which is probably why you get these awards.
"Obviously your general performance has got to be good, but at the end of the day you’ve got to be getting chances from your teammates and I’m in a really good team, in my opinion we’re the best in the league.
"I’m fortunate that I’ve got a lot of good players to play with and that makes it a lot easier.”
Chaplin had already carried off the club’s own Player of the Month award for December and is also among the nominees for the League One PFA Vertu Motors Fans' Player of the Month.
"I need one more, it would be nice,” he reflected.”This one probably means more [than the PFA award] because it’s judged by a panel rather than the fans voting and we’re lucky at Ipswich because we’ve got such a good following we obviously get a lot of votes in those PFA ones. I think a lot of lads have won it here, I think Wes [Burns] won it last year.
"I think if an Ipswich player is up for the PFA award then nine times out of 10 they’d be winning it because of the fans’ following is so good.
"The club one means a lot as well, voted by the fans that come and pay to watch you every single week home and away, so that one probably means the most, in all honesty.”
Looking ahead to tomorrow’s big game against Plymouth at Portman Road, Chaplin said: "Everyone’s excited, everyone’s really looking forward to the game.
"It’s one that’s hopefully going to be a good game for the fans with a lot of people coming in numbers, so it’s going to be an exciting occasion as well.
"We’re under no illusions that it’s a big game, so we’re going to be ready and everyone’s looking forward to it.”
Manager Kieran McKenna believe Chaplin has made great strides over the last year.
"I think he's one of our individuals, amongst a few others, that are really developing I think he's had a really strong 12 months developing as a footballer, developing as a man as well,” he said.
"He's a really good age, he's had quite a few different clubs, a few different positions and styles of play, and he's really finding himself as a player and understanding how he can impact games in different roles and in different styles.
"He's having a good season on the pitch and he's a really important cultural reference for us at the training ground as well because he's one of the most passionate learners about developing himself and has an absolute love of the game that you don't get with every player.
"He's a joy to work with, he's having a strong season and he's a part of a really important cultural group who are driving things here.”
Barnsley boss Michael Duff was named League One Manager of the Month.