Darren Ambrose will line up against best pal Darren Bent in a competitive game for the very first time when Town take on Derby in the Championship’s match of the day at Portman Road on Saturday.

The pair struck up a friendship that remains as close today as when they first launched their careers at Ipswich, sharing digs during their youth team years before graduating to become first team regulars.

While Ambrose has returned and this week signed a deal through to the end of the season, Bent has joined the Rams on loan from Aston Villa and could make his debut as second meets third in the live-on-Sky clash that kicks off at 12.15pm.

It has been a big week for Ambrose, who marked his first start of the current campaign at Southampton on Sunday with his first Town goal in almost 12 years, to earn a money-spinning FA Cup third round replay at Portman Road on Wednesday.

That was followed by the news that he would be remaining at the club until the end of the season and he admitted: “The biggest aim for me was to get the new contract and I have done that. The goal was just a bonus to top it off.

“It came at quite a good time to be honest, with the negotiations going on. It was the perfect time for me so I’m delighted with how this week has gone for me.”

Ambrose, who has also made five Championship appearances from the bench, could not have asked for things to work out any better after he joined Town for pre-season training and then agreed a short-term deal that was due to expire this weekend.

He added: “As I’ve said before I would have liked to have played more but the team are on such a fantastic run and I’ve never been involved in a run like this in my whole career.

“It has been phenomenal, one defeat since I signed, after we played Derby away. It has been fantastic to be a part of it and there was nowhere else I wanted to be playing my football. I will try to contribute as much as I can when given the opportunities.”

Town’s target, of course, is to extend a run of just one defeat in 20 games stretching back to late August and capture one of the two automatic promotion places, thus regaining the top-flight status surrendered back in 2002.

Ambrose said: “That’s the aim and it’s the aim of every footballer. Everyone wants to get new contracts at their clubs and it will be nice to be in the Premier League and play in the Premier League for a club that you love playing for.”

Photo: Action Images

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