Town defender Cameron Burgess will be turning the clock back nine years when he returns to playing Championship football at Sunderland today.
It was at the same level, on the opening day of the 2014/15 campaign, that an 18-year-old Burgess made his professional debut for first club Fulham against his current side at Portman Road.
As will be the case with today’s eagerly-awaited clash, the game was shown live on Sky Sports, ending 2-1 in the Blues’ favour – thanks to goals from Daryl Murphy and David McGoldrick – as they made an excellent start to a season that saw them eventually squeeze into the play-offs.
Burgess, now 27, only played four second-tier games for Fulham before embarking on a journey that took him north of the border, on loan to Ross County, and then to Cheltenham, Oldham and Bury on a similar basis, before a permanent move to Scunthorpe, another loan switch to Salford, a transfer to Accrington and, almost two years ago, to Ipswich in a £750,000 deal.
The Scot, who emigrated down under with his family when he was 11 and has represented Australia at youth international level, laughed: "It’s gone full circle, I suppose, and I’m really excited to be back in the Championship and to get going again.
"We’re as prepared and ready as we can be. It’s been a productive pre-season and we’re all looking forward to it.
"Looking back to that game in 2014, I don’t remember a great deal. I was a youngster making my debut and I was playing in midfield. In some ways it was a weird experience with the game passing very quickly.
"It was all a bit of a whirlwind, to be honest, and I don’t remember a great deal. I’m coming back into the Championship with a lot more experience, obviously, and a lot more know-how. It would have been good back then to have known a few of the things I know now. I’m sure it will help me a lot in the season ahead.”
Burgess dismissed the notion that he has anything to prove to people in the game. "To be honest, I don’t have anything to prove to anyone other than myself, and my team-mates of course,” he added "We’ve all here to do the exact same thing, which is to prove we can all mix it at this level.
"It’s the reason why we came to Ipswich in the first place, because of the ambition of the club and how much we wanted to be a part of the journey. So, it’s about that, not having to prove anything to anyone outside our own dressing room.
"I guess the Championship is quite an open division and it’s known for its competitive nature. There are teams coming down and teams coming up that have made it even tougher, I would say, and I can see all of the sides fancying themselves to have a good season. It’s going to be down to us and how we perform, so we’ll just have to wait and see where it leads us.
"I’m a lot stronger these days than when I first played at this level nine years ago and I’m really looking forward to the challenge that lies ahead. It’s a huge step up from League One but our attitude is ‘Bring it on’. We’re excited by it, not scared.”
Asked if Town’s style of play would suit the Championship, he replied: "Our style suits us, which is the most important thing, and it’s something we have stuck by since I came to the club.
"It’s about us and how we do things. We put our own stamp on games as much as we possibly can and if it suits us, we’ll continue to do it. Hopefully, it will stand us in good stead for what promises to be an exciting season.”
Burgess is particularly motivated by today’s visit to the North East, adding: "The Stadium of Light is a special stadium with a big crowd and a lot of noise, so it’s a great way to start the new season. I think what Sunderland did to qualify for the play-offs in their first season back in the Championship shows what a great league it is.
"I know we say it quite a lot but it’s a league where, generally speaking, all the sides are capable of beating each other. It’s full of big teams capable of doing great things and it’s a league that a lot of teams are capable of doing really well in. It would be great if we could go into it the way Sunderland did last season and make our mark.”
Thanks to the incredible run of form that saw them secure automatic promotion last season, Town are unbeaten in league football since January, and Burgess was asked if they could continue the momentum into the Championship.
"Yes, I guess so,” he said, "but at the same time it’s a fresh start against different opposition and we can expect different types of games. Going back to the old cliché, we’ll just take it one game at the time and what we did last season doesn’t put any points on the board. We’re starting all over again and will have to earn any points we get.”
Burgess and his colleagues, together with the Town fans who were there on the day, will never forget the joyous scenes at Portman Road following the 6-0 thumping of Exeter in the final home fixture that ended four years of third-tier fare.
He added: "They are great memories and there was a great bond among the lads. We’ll always remember it but there’s the other side of it, where we all came to Ipswich with the same target, to get to where we are now, so that’s done now. We’ve got over that hurdle and now it’s about a new challenge in the Championship.
"It will be about putting our stamp on the league by doing the things we do well. It would be nice to get off to a good start and then taking the games as they come along and trying to build up our points tally.
"We don’t know where we are going to end up but what we do know is that if we stick to our principles and what we’re good at, the way we’ve played to this point will stand us in good stead at the higher level.
"At the same time, however, what we did last season means nothing now, although we’re confident we can give a good account of ourselves in the season that lies ahead.
"Who knows how things are going to work out? If you could predict where every one of the 24 Championship teams is going to finish that would be something very special.
"Every team in this league will fancy themselves to do quite well – that’s the nature of the league – and we’re no different. But we’re going to be playing at a higher level, which means that we need to do the things that we’ve shown we are good at a bit better than previously because we’re going to be playing against better teams.
"We’re a very well organised team ourselves but we all know it is going to be a step up in standard and that’s something we must address if we are going to make an impact.
"It will be a busy nine months or so. We’ve got the opening round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday – but we’re all pretty much used to that. It has been that way for me ever since I came over to England and by reputation the Championship is known to be a gruelling league.
"But the lads know what to expect and nobody’s put off by it. The overwhelming feeling in the squad right now is one of excitement and anticipation, with everyone keen to get going. We train with great intensity and we’re definitely ready for it.”
Town’s first home game of the new season will be on Wednesday when Bristol Rovers are the visitors in the opening round of the Carabao Cup and Burgess was asked how high the competition appears on the club’s priority list.
He added: "We want to win the game and advance in the competition. There’s a saying about winning breeding confidence and it’s right. Every game, no matter who it is against or in which competition, we’re looking to win it.
"That’s the only thing we know as a team and that’s why we have the large squad, so we can go out and challenge in all the competitions.
"All the players will be needed at some point over the course of a long season and we’ll be trying to win them all. It will be a tough game against Bristol Rovers.
"We played them twice last season and I remember the second one down there, the 0-0 draw, being particularly difficult. They’re a good team and they have also strengthened over the summer, so it will be interesting.”