Town have signed former Tottenham, Derby and San Jose Earthquakes attacking midfielder Simon Dawkins on a short-term deal until the end of the season with the club having an option for a further year.

Dawkins, who was 31 last month, has been training with the club for five weeks, as TWTD revealed at the end of last month, and impressed as the U23s defeated their Bristol City counterparts 4-2 on Monday, a result that keeps them on top of the Professional Development League Two South table.

“This is a massive club and I want to do everything I can to help get it back to where it should be,” he told iFollow Ipswich.

“I've enjoyed my time here so far and the lads have been brilliant. Everybody is very much together and it’s probably one of the only dressing rooms I’ve been in where that is the case.

"Everyone gets along and we definitely have the foundations to get out of this situation.

“And new additions can give a club that lift and experience that it needs. Hopefully that’s what we need to turn the good performances into results.

“This is an opportunity for me as well. I like the manager and the style of football here and I’m looking forward to it.

“I’ve had a good five weeks training and played a game for the U23s on Monday so I’m ready to go when the gaffer needs me.”

The 19-cap Jamaican international, who will wear the Town number 49 shirt, was born in Edgware and joined the Tottenham academy, going out on loan to Leyton Orient, the Earthquakes, Aston Villa — where Town boss Paul Lambert was in charge at the time — and Derby while on the books at White Hart Lane.

Dawkins failed to make the breakthrough with Spurs and was sold to Derby for £500,000 five years ago before moving on a permanent basis to San Jose in January 2016.

He was close to joining Minnesota United before leaving the States in February last year and after time on trial at League One sides Charlton and Luton in the summer he failed to land a full-time deal at either club.

Missing out on target Anthony Pilkington — the 30-year-old Cardiff winger opted instead for Wigan Athletic for family reasons — saw Lambert turn his attention to Dawkins, who will go straight into the squad for Saturday’s home clash with Rotherham.

Meanwhile, Blues centre-back Luke Woolfenden is back training with the Blues squad at Playford Road this week with manager Paul Lambert taking his first look at the 20-year-old.

Woolfenden is on loan at Swindon for the season, although the Blues are able to cut the stint short in January. However, Lambert has previously played down the likelihood of youngsters such as Woolfenden and Josh Emmanuel, who is at Shrewsbury, being in his plans for the second half of the season.

Elsewhere, ex-Blue Jay Emmanuel-Thomas has joined Thai club PTT Rayong having been released by QPR at the end of last season.

Photos: ITFC

MrTown added 16:28 - Jan 9 Luton and Charlton turned him down in the summer. But fear not, we'll take him.
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Moriarty added 16:28 - Jan 9 Welcome and good luck.
18

Scottie9 added 16:30 - Jan 9 Welcome Simon. After hearing how well you played for the U23's, would be nice to see you do well for the first team. Good luck with the town :)
15

ForeverBlueSince1996 added 16:33 - Jan 9 Welcome Simon! Already seen people writing him off as per always. Fingers crossed will be a good signing.
19

brittaniaman added 16:34 - Jan 9 Let us hope that these newcomers can gel together by Sat. to get our Must Win Game on its way !!!
6

blueblood_soldier added 16:35 - Jan 9 EADT reporter said that he will have To do more than he did in that game to earn a contract, saying he went missing for large spells.. Anybody else see him play and have a different opinion?
1

MrTown added 16:37 - Jan 9 After hearing how he played in the 23's. He was bang average. Looked unfit, incredibly slow and was second fiddle to Morris, Folami and McKendry.
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Churchman75 added 16:38 - Jan 9 MrTown Lambert would NOT have signed him if he wasnt better than we already have! Good Luck Simon, become a legend in the next 4 month's.
9

MrTown added 16:38 - Jan 9 BlueBlood - I was there, and did nothing, how he has earned a contract is scandalous. If this is what we are going for then we are becoming a bang average league 1 team every transfer window that goes by.
-8

Northstander_Blue added 16:40 - Jan 9 The so called fans knocking him already did you go and watch him on Monday? I did and he looked very usefull
11

ArnieM added 16:40 - Jan 9 2nd choice to Pilkington I suspect .
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floridaboy added 16:41 - Jan 9 About time Lambert asked the experts on here before he signs anyone as there seems many who know more about the game than he does! Hope the lad shuts a few up!!
38

fergalsharkey added 16:42 - Jan 9 Good god
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Mingochutney added 16:43 - Jan 9 Rowe may as well pack his bags if someone who failed trials at Charlton and luton comes in to play ahead of him
2

geminimustang added 16:43 - Jan 9 Welcome and hope you're able to do enough to get a contract extension.We need you!
6

ITFC_Singapore added 16:44 - Jan 9 I am not a doom and gloom merchant, but i have watched quite a bit of him at my local club the earthquakes and he was consistently awful. I fear one half decent game in an U23s fixture when he's trying to win a contract is not a great indicator that he will be a good addition. Though of course PL has seen him in training too. I hope of course to be proved wrong, but can still hear the groans in San Jose every time his name was announced in the team.

4

Suffolkboy added 16:44 - Jan 9 Lots of truly educated opinion here: but nothing to rely upon I fear .PL is nobody's Fool and let's hope his judgement on the ‘risk ‘ for a few months is proved correct !
6

MrTown added 16:46 - Jan 9 Northstander - I did watch him indeed, and if you thought he was useful, you know less about the game than I thought,
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blue2357 added 16:46 - Jan 9 Hope he does well for us. Good luck to him.
6

tractorboybig added 16:48 - Jan 9 lambert the drowning man is clutching to any straw.
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inghamspur added 16:49 - Jan 9 The must win games have long since been & gone I'm afraid.
-4

karls_dad added 16:54 - Jan 9 Hang on! Let's give the lad a chance! He looks big and strong, something we lack! We are very lightweight that has proven to be true! We were bullied by Millwall as an example! So come on give these fellas a chance, surely cannot be worse than hurst spent millions on!
13

TimmyH added 16:56 - Jan 9 Wish him all the best but if you have low expectations in the first place you can't really be disappointed, can you? Welcome all the same.
1

Tractastic added 16:59 - Jan 9 Panning out to be another underwhelming transfer window. I may well be wrong (and hope so) but all the new arrivals look bang average at best and no better than what Hurst brought in. I believe in PL and just hope he can still bring in some quality before the window closes. I don't care if its premier league loans we just need a couple of players to give the club a lift and some hope......and this includes the players. My concern is that if Evans doesn't show some support and backing Lambert will walk and then we will really be in trouble. What are your plans Mr Evans...talk to us!

1

wiggy71 added 17:01 - Jan 9 Condemning him already. Maybe he can be a future boo boy because nothing says you love your club like booing the confidence out of a player. And we wonder why no players want to come here. Hope he proves you all wrong. Good luck Simon
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