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Mclean Out to Win Long-Standing Bet
Saturday, 19th Jan 2013 06:02

Ipswich new boy Aaron Mclean has a special reason for wanting to mark his Portman Road debut with a goal.

The on-loan Hull striker was in the starting line-up as Town travelled to Wales last weekend and held Championship leaders Cardiff to a 0-0 draw.

And he is anxious, not only to retain his place for today’s visit of lowly Barnsley, but to mark the occasion by finding the net to finally settle a long-standing bet with former partner Sapphire Main.

Mclean, 29, said: “Sapphire and her family are from Ipswich and just down the road at Claydon. We were together when I was playing non-league with Grays and when we drove past the Ipswich stadium I used to always say ‘I want to play there one day’.

“She would say ‘You’re not good enough to play there’ and I used to tell her that one day I would prove her wrong. We even struck up a bit of a bet and I think the big moment to settle it has finally arrived.”

Mclean and Sapphire have both moved on, she to live and work in London, but they remain on good terms and Mclean, who is in a new relationship, is still in touch with members of her family.

He laughed: “Obviously I progressed my career when I moved to Peterborough but even when I came to Ipswich with them and scored she still didn’t think I had proved anything.

“Even though being on loan at Ipswich shows I’m good enough to play for them, only when I score will I feel I have fully proved the point I was trying to make all those years ago.

“I’ve been desperate to win this bet for a long, long time. It’s not about money but pride. There’s no cash involved — I just want her to admit she was wrong and I was right. That will do for me.”

Mclean is also keen to impress manager Mick McCarthy, one of the main reasons why he chose Ipswich ahead of the many other Championship clubs who wanted to recruit him on a temporary basis.

He added: “Mick said to me ‘Come in, work hard, score goals and you’ll play’. I can’t ask for any more than that.”


Photo: Action Images



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ScottCandage added 06:39 - Jan 19
Down with Sapphire! Up with Aaron! I want Aaron to put in a shift like Wayne Rooney - be all over the field and get stuck in everywhere. Goals will come when you do that.
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ip5w1ch added 07:28 - Jan 19
Sapphire! did her parent know she'd grow up to be a wag?
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John_Portman added 07:55 - Jan 19
flirtatious :p
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masetheace added 08:04 - Jan 19
Glad I read on . From the headline thought it might have been with Chopra !!!
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Karlosfandangal added 08:33 - Jan 19
Hope he proves Sapphire wrong three times against Barnsley
Lets hope McGoldrick and McLean can be the next Kqui and Bent
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howdonblue added 08:44 - Jan 19
good luck aaron and welcome to itfc.

IN MICK WE TRUST ...
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petermorris added 09:59 - Jan 19
I hope he does score - and that we keep a Mclean sheet.
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DutchTownFan added 10:09 - Jan 19
so that's why he signed...
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TimmyH added 10:37 - Jan 19
God not another gambler! :)
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Michael11 added 14:00 - Jan 19
Not being funny but if that was 10 years ago we'd have been in the premier league and uefa cup not 19th in the championship so Mclean's mrs was right, he wouldn't have been good enough back then! Glad to have him now though, hope he can bang some goals in and get us back to the team we were 10 years ago!
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