Town keeper Bartosz Bialkowski has been confirmed in the Poland squad for this summer’s World Cup in Russia. The 30-year-old will be one of two Blues players at the finals, left-back Jonas Knudsen having been named in the Danish travelling party yesterday.

Bialkowski will be the third-choice keeper in the 23-man party behind Lukasz Fabianski (Swansea) and Wojciech Szczesny (Juventus).

Roma's Lukasz Skorupski, 27, was the fourth keeper in the 27-man larger squad which trained in Arlamowa last week but picked up a hip injury which although not a serious problem was adjudged to be enough to rule him out of the finals.

Bialkowski, whose last words to his late father were a promise to get a Poland call-up, became Town's first-ever Polish international when he made his debut and currently only international appearance in the 1-0 friendly defeat to Nigeria in March.

“It was my biggest dream come true,” he said after that match. “Now, I need to do everything to stay in the team as long as possible.”

The Poles have been drawn in World Cup Group H along with Senegal, Colombia and Japan.

Prior to travelling to the finals they play Chile in a friendly in Poznań on Friday and Lithuania in Warsaw a week on Tuesday.

Bialkowski, Town's Player of the Year for the third season running in 2017/18, is still to sign the new contract which former manager Mick McCarthy said had been agreed in January but a one-year extension to his current deal, which was up this summer, has been triggered.

Nine Blues players have previously won caps at a World Cup finals. John Wark and Alan Brazil represented Scotland in 1982 when Mick Mills was England’s captain with Paul Mariner and Terry Butcher also in Ron Greenwood’s side.

Bontcho Guentchev featured for Bulgaria in 1994, Matt Holland was in Mick McCarthy’s Republic of Ireland team in 2002, Slovenian defender Amir Karic was still a Town player at the same tournament - the last time two Blues were at the same finals - and most recently Tommy Smith played for New Zealand in 2010.

George Burley was in the Scotland squad in 1982 but didn't play, while John Elsworthy was named in the Wales 22 for the 1958 World Cup in Sweden but the FAW couldn't afford to send a full squad and the left-half remained at home.

All the squads for the finals have now been confirmed and can be found here. Bialkowski will wear Poland's number 12 shirt and Knudsen is Denmark's five.

Photo: TWTD

Edmundo added 15:03 - Jun 4 Big Pole in the goal! Chuffed for him. Definitely following Poland if he gets picked...
3

woohoo added 15:39 - Jun 4 Great stuff. Well done Bartman. I really hope that we can hold on to him for next season at least.
3

jas0999 added 15:43 - Jun 4 Great news and well deserved. Whether he'll get game time above the other two is very debatable. Knudsen has more chance of game time I'd have thought.
2

BlueandTruesince82 added 15:48 - Jun 4 How about we all do the Bartman next year? I'm here today to introduce the next phase, The next step in the big Bart craze. I've got a dance real easy to do; I learned it with no rhythm, and so can you. So move your body if you've got the notion, Front to back in a rock-like motion. Now that you've got it, if you think you can, Do it to the music -- that's the Bartman We must be able to make something out of that

0

TR11BLU added 16:01 - Jun 4 Well done big man. See, stay with the Town and your dreams will come true, you wouldn't have got the call sitting on a Prem bench!!
4

martin587 added 16:10 - Jun 4 Fully deserved.Should be the Number One.Bart has been outstanding all season so his inclusion in the squad is a testament to his ability of a top class keeper.🙌
3

therein61 added 16:11 - Jun 4 Your promise to you Dad is done I just hope he can look down and see you between the sticks!! good luck Bart you really deserve this.
3

Osbourne_One_Nil added 16:21 - Jun 4 Under normal circumstances hard to see him getting a game in Russia but a great acknowledgement for an outstanding talent who have saved our blushes on a number of occasions in recent seasons.
2

howdonblue added 16:27 - Jun 4 Go bart man
3

Adnamsfarter added 16:55 - Jun 4 NIce one super Bart!
3

TrueBlueRich added 17:01 - Jun 4 Congratulations Bart, hope you stay for one more season at least.
3

not_a_witty_name added 17:24 - Jun 4 Well there goes my chance of Senegal winning the sweepstake :-D
2

Churchman75 added 17:28 - Jun 4 Another 1m on his tee Fingers crossed it doesn't happen this summer
2

LWNR2013 added 17:31 - Jun 4 Brill !
3

Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 18:13 - Jun 4 Well deserved. When I saw him in a friendly at Colchester early on I knew he was the man, but Mick continued to play Gerkin (who is not a bad keeper) for ages. Congratulations Bart! Now I've got four teams to cheer on: England, Sweden, Denmark, and Poland. Could get complicated.
3

BillyBaxterwasbest added 18:41 - Jun 4 Great news Bart look forward to watching you
3

LegendofthePhoenix added 19:15 - Jun 4 Fantastic news and richly deserved for a player who has been very loyal to ITFC. Good luck Bart.
4

Kingfisher49 added 20:09 - Jun 4 John Hurst only been Manager a week and already has two players from his squad going to the World Cup. Good times ahead for all concerned and good luck to Bart and Jonas.
2

jas0999 added 20:17 - Jun 4 Kingfisher49 - John Hurst? Who is he?
2

sh123 added 20:19 - Jun 4 Most certainly deserved. With some of the names that premier league clubs are looking at I can't believe that more aren't interested in him
3

magnus68 added 20:49 - Jun 4 Did you know Town will recieve quite a substantial fee from FIFA for Jonas and Bart ?
2

Kingfisher49 added 22:09 - Jun 4 Paul Hurst apologies lol
2

harlingblue added 01:34 - Jun 5 Congratulations to Bart and Jonas on making your respective countries World Cup squads, and well done Ipswich Town for giving them the platform to achieve this status.
3

fatboyakasha added 07:47 - Jun 5 Come on Bart! I've got Poland in my work sweepstake!
1

essextractorboy93 added 09:30 - Jun 5 Congratulations Bart! Fully deserved after a brilliant few seasons
1

Blogs 295 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls