Recent arrival George Hirst has confirmed there was interest from Ipswich last summer and has made it clear he is not considering a permanent move to Portman Road for the time being.
When asked about the possibility of a long-term future with the Blues beyond the end of the current campaign, the Leicester City loanee said: "That’s a conversation for the summer. I’m not really too focused on that for now. I’ve come here in January so I’ve got about three and a half months or so to do my very best for this club.
"I know where Ipswich and their fans want to be next season — and where they should be — so my time is going to be spent trying to make sure that happens.
"Don’t get me wrong, it’s something that I have most definitely thought about, but right now the focus has to be on Morecambe tomorrow night and I’m trying not to look too far beyond that to be honest.
"There was quite a lot of contact between me and Ipswich last summer. I obviously ended up going to Blackburn and it was a pretty tough decision.
"I spoke to the gaffer here but I wanted to go and test myself at that level, the Championship, and I felt I could make it there, although it didn’t pan out that way.
"The gaffer understood my decision but when I heard they were still interested in bringing me to the club it was a no-brainer for me.
"From speaking to the gaffer in the summer I understood how he wanted to play and what he was expecting of me, and after speaking to some of the boys here, like Marcus Harness, who I knew from our time at Portsmouth, I was keen on the move straight away.”
Older Town fans will no doubt remember Hirst’s father, David Hirst, during his days as a goalscoring forward, predominantly for Sheffield Wednesday, in the 80s and 90s. He started his career with Barnsley, ended it with Southampton but it was for the Owls that he displayed his best form — 106 goals in 294 league games — and he also scored one goal in three senior games for England.
Hirst junior added: "He’s been a huge help and I’m probably still paying him back a little bit. He’s been brilliant for me and he played — and scored a lot of goals — at the very top level for a number of years, so I’ll always ask him questions when I feel I need to.
"He’s always the first person I speak to after a game. If he tells me I’ve done alright, I know I’ve had a good game, and if I haven’t done that well, he’s the first person to tell me.
"He keeps me grounded as well, which I think is really important for me. It’s nice to have someone at home like that, to bounce ideas and thoughts off, and it’s free of charge!”
Is there any pressure in terms of expectation at following in the footsteps of his famous father? He said: "It’s something that I knew would come with me being a footballer as well. From when I was just five or six years old I was following him around and I could see that everybody knew who he was. That’s something that I’ve always had.
"The fact that we are both strikers is probably the only similarity between us, the way that we play. He was 5ft 11ins tall when he played and I’m 6ft 4ins, so straight away there’s a difference. He probably had things in his game that I don’t have; he’s right-footed and I’m left-footed for example.
"There are a few more differences than I think people realise, but with us both being strikers there is always going to be a comparison. For me, it’s about doing as much as I possibly can while I’m playing and hopefully one day he’ll be known as George Hirst’s dad!”
Was there a time when he started getting the better of his old man in garden kickabouts? He added: "I like to think so but he would probably give you a different answer to that. Whether he was going easy on me, I don’t know, but maybe one day I’ll get the answer to that.
"I’m not sure but he could just be keeping me grounded by not telling me. Actually, he was always good as gold with me when I was younger and growing up through the youth ranks, plus he’s always been there for me when I’ve needed help or advice.”
Wednesday are the visitors to Portman Road two weeks on Saturday and when asked who his father would be supporting, Hirst added: "I think, most definitely, it will be me and Ipswich. As much as he was at Sheffield Wednesday for years and loved his time there, he’s my dad and I’m his son, so he’s going to support me wherever I go.
"But I don’t think many of his mates will be happy if I score that day, so it will just be one for the bragging rights when they meet up in the pub that weekend.”