Goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky has revealed he was happy to remain at Town after they rejected a bid from Scottish club Aberdeen last summer.
Hladky was targeted by Dons’ boss Jim Goodwin after the pair worked together at his previous club St Mirren, where the keeper impressed in an 18-month spell after arriving in the UK from his native Czech Republic.
"There was interest from Aberdeen,” he admitted. "But when I had a discussion with the club [Ipswich] they didn’t accept it. We decided we wanted to go forward together and try to achieve the big goal of winning promotion this season. That’s the situation.”
But while it was good to hear that manager Kieran McKenna was keen to retain his services, Hladky does not deny his frustration at being second choice to Christian Walton, who has been ever-present in League One this season.
He said: "It’s always a hard job being the number two goalie. I’m not going to lie, from a personal point of view it’s not easy. I want to be on the pitch, I want to be part of the team in every single game and I want to feel I am part of the success we are having.
"It’s always a hard position but I have to deal with it, although it’s not always easy. It is what it is; I’m glad to be at a big club and be part of a good squad, so I just have to deal with it as best I can. I need to take my chance to impress the manager, not just when I am picked to play in cup games but every day in training.”
Hladky is set to make his eighth first-team start of the season in tomorrow’s FA Cup fourth round visit from a Burnley side setting a hot pace at the top of the Championship, the previous seven coming in a mix of Carabao Cup, Papa Johns Trophy and FA Cup fixtures.
"I look forward and enjoy the opportunities when they do come along,” he said. "It is good to know you are going to play at certain times. I have plenty of time to prepare for them as well, but I would rather be playing in every game, not just the cup ties. I would be a lot busier, of course, but that is what I would like to do.
"I work hard every day in training and we spend a lot of time working on our style of play, just like every one of the players. In my position it can actually be harder in training than it is playing a game, so I have every confidence I could play more regularly and be more a part of the team.
"I’m just buzzing when I have an opportunity to play for the manager, Kieran McKenna. It is something that really suits me and I’m enjoying every single minute I am on the pitch. It’s brilliant and it’s me, if you see what I mean.”
Asked how he felt he had performed in the games he has played this season, Hladky added: "We are all trying to be the best we can be on the pitch and looking to be on the top of our game. We beat Rotherham in my last game but before that we lost to Portsmouth in the Papa Johns trophy and that was a big disappointment.
"I would say that generally we have played well but in a cup competition you have to win. I would say we were hurt by the Portsmouth result, which shows how much we wanted to win that one. We have had a good run in the FA Cup so far and we want to progress more.”
Hladky praised the contribution of goalkeeping coach Rene Gilmartin, continuing: "He is one of the best goalkeeping coaches I have worked with. He has a real passion for the job and his attention to detail is fantastic.
"He and the gaffer work very closely together on the style of play and how it affects the goalkeepers, and we are all on the same wavelength.
"The goalkeepers all know the situation — only one of us can play — and I’ve been in that sort of position for over 25 years. It’s nothing new for me or the other guys but we all work together and we get on very well.
"We all want the same, to be the goalie out on the pitch, so it’s about our mindset and how we deal with the situation. I think each goalie must really push himself and try to impress the manager and his staff, and to give them the message that they want nothing more than to be on the pitch.”
Hladky also applauded Town’s new recruits in the January transfer window and has seen at close quarters, in training, what strike duo Nathan Broadhead, a £1.5 million signing from Everton, and George Hirst, who is on a season-long loan from Leicester City, have to offer.
He added: "When you see the quality of the players that the club is bringing in, it makes an impact on the whole of the group. The manager and his staff have good eyes to bring in the right type of players.
"George and Nathan are young, talented and hungry, so they are delighted to be here, at a club with big ambitions. Success is what we all want and the better the players, the more chance we have of being successful.”