Loan winger Jordan Graham is buzzing at the thought of possibly making his second Town debut in the heat of Sunday’s first East Anglian derby of the new campaign at Portman Road.

Signed on a season-long loan from Wolves, the 23-year-old is over an injury-plagued few seasons and desperate to make an impact with Town, starting if possible at the weekend when Paul Hurst’s new-look team will not only be looking to secure their first win of the season but their first over the Canaries in 10 attempts going back a decade.

Graham said: “I had a really good pre-season and played four or five games, as well as training pretty much every day.

“I feel in pretty good shape. The boys here are in very good physical condition and have clearly had a good pre-season.

“Coming into a team like this, where the boys are so fit and train at such a high intensity, is really good for me as well. It keeps me at a high level and hopefully, when I get some game time, I can fit right in.

“I feel quite strong now. It has taken quite a while after my knee injury, which was quite severe.

“I had a little setback about eight months into my rehab and that put me back longer than I wanted, but my knee now feels as good as my other one, if not better. Now it’s about excitement more than anything and I can’t wait to get involved here.

“To be honest I feel in better physical condition now than I was the last time I was here. I feel stronger, quicker, fitter and bigger.

“I’m also hungrier because it was such a long lay-off. I can’t wait to get back out there playing week in, week out, in front of loads of fans and doing my bit.

“I’m ready if required against Norwich. I think the plan at Wolves was always to get me into the best possible physical condition so I’m ready to hit the ground running and get involved straight away.

“There’s no better fixture to get involved in than the one on Sunday. It’s really exciting and it’s been on my mind since I arrived here on Monday.

“It’s obviously a massive one for the fans and for the club, and especially with the position we are in right now.

“There’s no better time to get a win than against Norwich on Sunday. I’ve already had a few comments on Twitter about that — they are saying I will never have to buy a drink again — so I know what’s at stake.

“If I can get on the pitch and get some game time that’s what I’ll be looking to do.

“This is definitely the sort of game you want to be a part of as a player. They don’t come much bigger in the Championship than Ipswich against Norwich and there’s also the added pressure of our position in the league table.

“I think a win would do the club the world of good. The boys know that, as do the staff and everybody else, and it’s going to add to the excitement of the game on Sunday.

“I don’t have much experience of derby fixtures but I like pressure and excitement because I tend to thrive on it. The bigger the occasion, the bigger it is to play in. When you’re a kid growing up that’s what you want to get stuck into and try to make your mark.”

Graham sought the advice of his Wolves colleague, defender Dominic Iorfa, who scored once in 25 league and cup appearances during his season-long loan with the Blues last season, before committing himself to a similar move.

He added: “Dominic’s been staying at my place for the last five or six weeks so when I first heard about the move we were speaking about it quite a lot. He only had good things to say about Ipswich and the people here.

“It has changed quite a bit since he was here but there are still a few familiar faces.

“Even I remember a couple of them from when I was last here. He only had positive things to say and felt it would be a great move for me to hopefully get some football in and get back to doing what I was doing before.

“It’s always good to walk into a dressing room and know at least a couple of the boys.

“Obviously I remember Chambo and Skusey from the last time and I know quite a few others to be fair, like Tayo [Edun] at Fulham from when I was on loan there last season and Janoi [Donacien] from when we were together in the academy at Aston Villa. It’s quite easy to slot in when you know a few faces.”

Photo: TWTD

itfchorry added 18:19 - Aug 29 Welcome Back -
5

Bueller added 18:49 - Aug 29 Exactly what is needed. A player who just wants to play football and get on with it. Better himself and better us.
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Warkys_Tash added 21:25 - Aug 29 Saying all the right things and there area number of Wolves fans commenting on Twitter that we have get a very decent player here. lets hope he stays injury free.
2

martin587 added 21:50 - Aug 29 IF he can stay fit then I feel we have a real match winner here.🤞
2

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