Town midfielder Luke Hyam is back from injury and has quickly set his sights set on promotion back to the Premier League with his hometown club.

Hyam marked his return to action for Town after almost a year out with a knee injury when he appeared as a replacement for Kevin Bru within eight minutes of the restart in the 1-0 win at promotion rivals Brighton on Tuesday.

Now his focus is very much on trying to re-establish himself in manager Mick McCarthy’s team as they seek to build on an excellent recent run that has taken them into sixth place in the Championship table, four points better off than nearest rivals Sheffield Wednesday and just one adrift of fifth-placed Burnley, their opponents at Turf Moor tomorrow.

Hyam has returned to McCarthy’s squad alongside several new faces who arrived in the summer as he took his first tentative steps following surgery to repair a knee first injured in January when Southampton won an FA Cup replay at Portman Road.

He said: “I’ve obviously met all the new guys and got to know them, mainly when they’ve had to pay a visit to the treatment room! But it’s difficult to bond with them when you’re not able to be out on the pitch alongside them.

“In my view the squad here is different class and I see no reason why we can’t finish at least in the play-offs.

“I believe we’re also capable of pushing for an automatic promotion place and I would say it’s all looking very positive right now.

“I’ve got to know Luke Varney really well after he was injured in the play-off game at Norwich.

“We were working closely together and he’s a top guy. We got on really well, helping and motivating each other to push on.

“It can only help both of us and it was good that we both came back around the same time. There we were on Tuesday, back on the pitch together again at Brighton, which was special for both of us.

“I have every confidence in my knee. When you are recovering from an operation you feel your confidence returning gradually with each and every day that passes, and it is still growing on a daily basis.

“I’ve come back to find that the team spirit here is still definitely one of the best I’ve seen and the victories against QPR and Brighton have helped to push us on even more. Long may it continue.”

Hyam was asked to compare the confidence that currently prevails at Portman Road with that he experienced at loan club Rotherham, where retaining their Championship status is the number one priority, and he added: “Obviously, it’s going to be different.

“The confidence here is a lot higher than when I was at Rotherham but as a group of lads up there they are really good.

“The team spirit is also good and I think they will stay up if they keep the squad together. They need to get a couple of results on the bounce, which will see them push up the league.

“As for here, the lads have been flying and if we can keep the momentum going I can see us at least making the play-offs.”

Hyam was also asked how he felt after his first 90 minutes of football, which was during his loan stint in South Yorkshire.

He explained: “I’m quite lucky in that I’m generally a very fit person but when you come back from a long period of time on the sidelines it is truly nerve-racking.

“I was blowing a bit when I first returned to playing and even on Tuesday at Brighton the first five or 10 minutes were about getting up to match speed. It’s hard but then you get your second wind and you go again.

“Being back from injury and playing again means everything to me. I like to look after myself and go to the gym regularly but for a while I couldn’t do any of that.

“It was a hard time mentally but I’m glad I went through the experience because I’m a stronger person as a result of it.

“My girlfriend, my family, my friends, I’m really close to all of them, and I’m really thankful that they were there for me.”

Photo: Action Images

Pilgrimblue added 15:06 - Jan 1 Welcome back Luke. Hoping you'll make big impact from bench while you get up to speed and then help the team into top two
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