Iorfa: We're Lucky to Have Bersant
Thursday, 18th Jan 2018 17:17

Dominic Iorfa has joined the chorus of praise for fellow Town loanee Bersant Celina after his match-winning display against Leeds last week.

The winger, who is on a season-long loan from Manchester City, scored the only goal to end a four-game winless league run for Mick McCarthy’s team and Iorfa knows more than most about the eight-goal Kosovan international’s ability to destroy opposing defenders.

Iorfa, who is with the Blues from Wolves for the season, smiled: “I know how good he is because we have some good battles in training.

“He’s a very good player, very creative, and in training you have to be on your toes because he can suddenly produce a ridiculous skill out of nowhere.

“It helps to come up against him in training because he has shown this season that in this league he is a very good winger and training with him will only improve me as a player.

“We were pressing for a goal and I was starting to think it might be one of those days and we wouldn’t score. But luckily we’ve got someone like Bersant in the team, a player who can do something out of nothing, and he scored a wonder goal.

“We saw it as a must-win game because we hadn’t had much a run before that. It was important that we won the game and luckily it was a good performance as well.”

The defeat over 10-man Leeds — Eunan O’Kane was dismissed for an off-the-ball clash with Jonas Knudsen eight minutes before half-time — moved Town to within just four points of the play-offs and Iorfa believes they must build on that result to keep their promotion dream alive.

The 22-year-old has so far clocked up 21 appearances in all competitions, just three of them from the bench, and added: “I think I’ve settled in well and I’m enjoying it here. I feel a part of it and all the lads, plus the staff, have helped me to settle in and I’m enjoying my football.

“If we’re serious about challenging for a top-six place we have to build on the win over Leeds and get something at Bolton this weekend. It will be a tough game — they all are in the Championship — and when they came down here they gave us a tough game. We’re going to have to be at our best to get a result up there.

“To an extent I think we are punching above our weight. When people are looking at the play-off picture, and the teams that could be in there at the end of the season, no one is really looking at Ipswich.

“But we’re not too far off and we just know that if we carry on doing our business and picking up results we’ll be right in it.

“In a tight league like the Championship, if you win two or three games you’re right back in the play-off picture.

“But if we’d lost to Leeds we would now be 10 points adrift and we’d be looking downwards at the bottom of the table. That’s why we knew it was a must-win game.”

Iorfa has benefited from the three-game ban imposed on Jordan Spence following his red card in the 4-1 defeat at Fulham. The suspension will be over following Saturday’s trip to Bolton and with Town’s next game at home to Wolves, Iorfa’s parent club, he will be forced to sit it out with Spence likely to reclaim his place.

“Luckily for me — not for Jordan obviously — his absence has given me a chance to get some game time,” said Iorfa. “I’ve got to take the chance when it comes. I was happy with my performance against Leeds and I’m looking to kick on from here.

“I thought I started the season well but I felt my performances did dip a bit. Now I’m back in the team I’ve got to try and replicate my form from earlier in the season.

“I like getting forward and it’s something the manager and TC encourage me to do. That’s what they want me to do to help the team so I just try to do my best.

“I know I’m not the finished article and that I have to improve the defensive side of my game. It’s something that I focus on a lot, as well as my attacking duties.”

Photo: TWTD

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happybeingblue added 17:55 - Jan 18 we are and its a shame mick took so long to play him in the league,he has proved to be a match winner and this is why fans were crying out for him early on, as he done more in 5 mins on the ball than others done in 90 mins, but a cautious approach meant he was not used
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ChestnutSe added 19:02 - Jan 18

It was a shame he came to us carrying a virus which laid low most of our squad, including him. I think MM was happy to play him once he was able to get fit and cope with 90 minutes. And I guess MM is due some credit for being able to get him for he season , just like Tom Lawrence and Ryan Frazer the previous 2 seasons. Their clubs obviously trust MM to develop them the right way. Credit to ME for funding those loans as well.