Martyn Waghorn’s inspiration to succeed with Town has been provided by a previous holder of the number nine shirt who made a similar journey from Glasgow.

But while new recruit Waghorn departed Rangers three days ago to join up at Portman Road it was from the other half of the Old Firm, Celtic, that Daryl Murphy headed south to Suffolk to score goals.

The record books show that Murphy netted a total of 50 goals for Town, all in the league, to add to the 17 he scored during three loan spells at the club — and that in the 2014/15 season he hit the net 27 times to help Mick McCarthy’s team qualify for the play-offs.

Waghorn smiled: “I know Daryl had a very good time down here and if I can resemble that it will be brilliant. Coming away from Glasgow I will just be focusing on my football.

“It’s part and parcel of playing for a big club like Rangers or Celtic that you have to deal with all the off-the-field attention that goes with it.

“You can go to the shops, for example, and you bump into fans who want to stop and have a chat. It was good to have their support and they were really good to me but the most important thing for me right now is to be able to focus on my football.”

Waghorn has no regrets about swapping the intensity of life as a footballer in a hot-bed like Glasgow for the more tranquil lifestyle on offer locally, adding: “When I was speaking to my agent and the family it was important that I was going to a good place to play some football.

“That was the main attraction of coming here. I hear it’s quiet but I’m looking forward to it, cracking on with my life, going about my everyday business and being who I am.

“It’s nice to go home from work and switch off. I was just glad to get down here with the prospect of being involved with the boys and getting on with playing football, which is the most important thing.

“We returned quite early to pre-season training at Rangers and I’ve had eight weeks or so now. I’m feeling good and I started a lot of the early games in pre-season, although I wasn’t involved as much in recent weeks.

“There’s been a lot of change at Rangers with a new manager, new style of play and several new players so maybe I just need a couple of games to get going again. But I’m as fit as I can be, looking forward to my time with Ipswich and ready, hopefully, to hit the ground running.

“I wasn’t really expecting to leave Rangers in the transfer window. I had another year on my contract there but I knew I was going to be a part-time player, in the squad but not starting as regularly as I’d have liked.

“When the interest came in from Ipswich I was delighted. I know a lot of the history of the club and there was also the chance to link up with Garns [Joe Garner] again. I spoke to Huwsy [Emyr Huws] — we were together at Wigan — and it’s good to have a bit of a connection with some of the players when you join a new club.

“It’s good to see a couple of familiar places when you arrive at a new club because it makes it a little bit easier to adjust and crack on. Ipswich are a club that has had a lot of success in the past and I want to be a part of their success going forward.”

Almost inevitably, Waghorn was asked about the difference in standard between the Premiership north of the border and the Championship down south. He responded: “It’s brilliant here, a very competitive group of lads as they showed with the way they played on Tuesday at Luton.

“The desire is there, they are hungry and the training this morning was at a right good tempo. The first few days might be a bit difficult while I settle in and learn how the boys play but I thoroughly enjoyed it and I’m delighted to be down here.

“I loved it in Scotland. Rangers are obviously a huge club but it’s been a difficult few years for them for obvious reasons, a real transitional period as they looked to return to the top level.

“They wanted to get back to the Premier League up there and stabilise themselves before kicking on again. They have a great history and I’m a small part of it but I’m delighted to be here and I’m looking to help create some more history at Ipswich.”

The only thing Waghorn is dreading now he is an Ipswich player is his initiation ceremony, which will require him to perform a song of his choice to an audience comprising the management, players and backroom staff.

He laughed: “I haven’t done it yet, maybe I will do it tomorrow night at the hotel before we play Barnsley. It never gets any easier, that part of moving to a new club, and I haven’t a clue what I’ll do. I don’t even want to start thinking about it.

“It’s been great so far, coming down to a new club, going away with them for the game at Luton on Tuesday, spending time in a hotel and then playing. There’s been some good craic, plenty of laughs and banter, and it all helps to bring us all closer together.”

But if the thought of belting out a number fills him with trepidation, Waghorn’s eyes light up at the prospect of scoring his first Town goal.

He admitted: “As a striker you just want to get it as soon as you can and then crack on from there. I’m not going to lie, the earlier the better, because I want to get into the rhythm of scoring.

“But ultimately it’s about picking up the three points and it’s great the way the boys have started the new season.

"We’re looking to take the momentum we have built up by beating Birmingham and then Luton into Saturday’s game at Barnsley. It will be a difficult fixture but we’re going there in good spirits.”

Photo: TWTD

runningout added 19:28 - Aug 10 Hopefully Waghorn is himself and scores more than Murphy
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dirtydingusmagee added 10:14 - Aug 12 FRICKIN HELL McCarthy has got to him already ! Garns and Huwsy, there is no hope .Seriously I think he will do well at least I can see goals coming,providing the service is there, last season we lacked both .
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