Departing Town number three Jamie Clapham says it was difficult to leave Portman Road after almost five years with the Blues. Clapham agreed terms with Birmingham City today after the two clubs agreed a £1.5 million fee on Monday.

Clapham says he feels Town are on the way back: "Ipswich are heading in the right direction and there is a real feeling amongst the players that the team has turned the corner," he told the club site.

"That is one of the reasons why it has been such a hard decision to make.

"Ipswich is a lovely part of the world to live in, I have a lot of friends at the club and in the area and I have really been enjoying my football.

Clapham paid tribute to new manager Joe Royle who moved him into the centre of the midfield from his more usual wide positions: "I would say I have been playing the best football of my career since Joe Royle arrived at Portman Road.

"I did not play as regularly as I had hoped under George Burley last season and when you are out of the side your confidence takes a knock. But Joe, and Tony Mowbray as well when he was in charge, really filled me with confidence.

"It would have been an easier decision to make say six or seven weeks ago when the team was not doing well but now everything is on the up."

The 27-year-old says that the lure of Premiership football again was simply too strong: "Promotion is not guaranteed at Ipswich and the prospect of returning to the Premiership and playing under Steve Bruce at Birmingham was just too good an opportunity to turn down at this stage of my career."

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