Nathan Broadhead believes he has become a more accomplished footballer since joining Town nine months ago in the January transfer window – and he is convinced he will carry on improving under the tutelage of manager Kieran McKenna.
"For sure, I’m a better player,” said Broadhead. "It’s down to my fitness, the coaching here, everything really. My awareness is another aspect that has definitely improved since I came here. I think I’ve improved in every way possible working for the manager and his coaching staff.
"It actually feels like I’ve been here longer than just nine months, to be honest, but it’s probably because so much has happened and I’m enjoying myself a great deal. Obviously, I’ve still got another few years on my contract and I look forward to achieving more as an Ipswich player.
"The aim is to get better, fitter and stronger. It has been a great nine months so far but I want to improve and under the manager we have here, I think that’s going to happen.
"I know how he wants us to play so it’s all about improving every day in training and also putting in the effort on match days. It’s hard work that has got us this far and all the players share the credit.”
That’s just what Blues fans want to hear from the Welshman, who joined from Everton for an initial fee of £1.5 million, gained valuable experience with loan spells at Burton Albion, Sunderland and Wigan Athletic, and has enhanced his reputation during his time in Suffolk.
Town go into tomorrow’s home clash with Blackburn Rovers having won six of their seven league games so far, so maybe it wasn’t a shock that Broadhead was asked if such an impressive start to life back in the Championship had perhaps taken them by surprise.
"I don’t think so,” said Broadhead. "We’ve always had great belief in ourselves, especially last season when we won promotion, and it has just carried on from there really.
"We have just got stronger and stronger together, the way the manager wants us to play. I think it’s great for us and hopefully we can get promoted again this season.
"That’s the aim and we go out trying to win every game. I think everyone wants promotion and that includes the fans, and as long as we’re winning games, we could have a chance.
"Don’t get me wrong, there is still a very long way to go, but let’s just say it’s an encouraging start. We don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves this early in the season.
"I came into the season having played in the Championship before and I think I’ve done alright. But I’m always looking to improve and the way the manager wants us to play here is different to how other managers have wanted to play.
"It’s more intense off the ball, as well as on the ball, so you need to be fitter and stronger to play that way. I think the games so far have given me a good platform to do that.”
Successive away wins at Sheffield Wednesday and Southampton leave Ipswich as one of only two of the 72 EFL clubs to boast a 100 per cent away record; Championship rivals Leicester, who sit second in the table thanks to a goal difference two better than Town’s, are the others.
Broadhead scored against Blackburn last season, the only goal in a win for loan club Wigan, and he would settle for a similar outcome tomorrow.
"I actually remember that goal,” he smiled. "Will Keane [the ex-Town striker now playing for league leaders Preston] tried to chip the keeper and I scored on the rebound. It was a bit lucky but I’ll take it. I was playing as a striker in that game and they all count.”
They certainly do and Broadhead has scored three times this season, probably the most important goal being the one that launched the team’s magnificent comeback against Cardiff, who were 2-0 ahead at the time.
He said: "It was an important goal, that one, because we were trailing by the two goals. They are all tough games in the Championship but to come back and win 3-2, I think we did a good job.”
Broadhead is following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Tony Broadhead, who gained legendary status at his hometown club Bangor City.
After first starting out as a free-scoring striker at Oswestry Town, he then joined Bangor for £2,000 and in 1971 moved to Altrincham, who at the time were one of the giants of non-league football in this country.
His first season in Greater Manchester saw him score 20 goals in the same number of games and, despite being dogged by injury problems, he remained a consistent marksman, also renowned for his strength and pace, throughout his time at Moss Lane.
By the time he departed early in the 1974/75 campaign he had scored a total of 52 times in his 160 appearances and when he returned to Bangor he continued to score regularly for them into the 1980s.
Broadhead, who played schoolboy football for Bangor before moving on to the youth set-ups at Wrexham and then Everton, said: "I haven’t really seen him play. He was a semi-professional and apparently, he was very good.
"People still talk about him and I’ve had them come up to me a few times and ask me if I’m related to him.”