Town defender Ben Johnson says he never considered leaving the Blues despite his reduced minutes at Portman Road this season.

After signing on a free transfer from West Ham United in the summer of 2024, Johnson has failed to nail down a place in Kieran McKenna’s side, starting only 18 of the Blues’ 68 league matches since his arrival at the club and subsequently being linked to Fulham.

The 26-year-old found game time easier to come by in the Premier League, with the full-back being handed just one Championship start since the end of August when filling in for the injured Leif Davis.

While he admits he would have liked more time on the pitch, Johnson is excited by the prospect of adding a promotion onto his CV and that he was never looking for a move away from Suffolk.

“Not at all,” he dismissed. “I feel that being at Ipswich, I really enjoy it. Off the back of a relegation, we’ve still held on to really good players.

“This could be the season that we get promoted and it’s what we want to do, we’re working so hard towards it as much as we can and it’s something I want to be a part of.

“I’ve been blessed enough to win things in my career and if I could get promoted with Ipswich at such a historic club, I’d definitely look back on that with a lot of joy and pride.

“I came back to pre-season wanting to stay and wanting to get Ipswich promoted back to the Premier League.”

Last summer, Ashley Young and Darnell Furlong were signed, the latter of whom has gone on to be a virtual ever-present at right-back.

“That’s the manager’s decision,” Johnson said. “His decision was he felt we needed strength in that position and ultimately that’s his decision.

“I’m here to work hard, train well, be professional, and when I get the opportunity to play, play well and perform.”

Johnson still maintains the belief that he has a big role to play and backs himself to perform whenever he is given the opportunity by McKenna, whether it be from the start or as a substitute.

The versatile wideman has featured predominantly as a left-back this season, but has played as both a right-back and a right winger for Town in the past.

He said: “It’s part of football, really. There’s going to be some seasons where you play regularly, and some seasons where you don’t. That’s probably the state of the season and how the team’s doing, there’s different variables that come into play.

“It’s been a season where I’ve had to be patient and I’ve not played as much as I would like, but I believe that if I come in to play I’ll do a good job and I want to do that if I get the chance to play.

“You see that at every team. I’m not going to be the first player or the last player to go through a spell where you don’t play and then you have a resurgence and you become a mainstay in the team.

“Christian [Walton]’s done that brilliantly, he’s had to be extremely patient with injuries in past seasons. He’s come in, taken his opportunity and done really well.

“You can see why it’s evident that he is one of the best keepers in the league. If I get my chance, I want to take it. I know I can, and if I get the chance to play, I’m going to look forward to it.

“My best position is just playing and enjoying. I’ve played right wing, I’ve played left-back, I’ve played right-back, and in all of those positions I feel like I’ve had good games and I’ve enjoyed playing in those positions and doing slightly different things tactically. I’m just here to enjoy my football, do the best I can and contribute to the team.”

The Blues’ January transfer business saw two new faces join the dressing room in Anis Mehmeti and Dan Neil.

Albania international forward Mehmeti arrived on a permanent deal from Bristol City and has already impressed in his short time at Portman Road, while midfielder Neil was brought in on loan from Sunderland.

“Really good additions as you can see,” Johnson said of his new teammates. “Both of them were very important in the Derby win.

“Anis created the first goal, I know it was an own goal but he put in a really dangerous ball and created a great chance for Wes in the second half.

“Dan came on and controlled the game when we needed it. He came on at a crucial time, controlled the game, and helped us get the win. They’ve been two great additions and they’re going to help us massively in the next few months.

“The manager knew that they were going to do that. We’ve made some good signings, we knew that they’ve got the pedigree for Ipswich Town and the level.

“Anis has performed so well for Bristol City over recent seasons, and Dan captained Sunderland back to the Premier League. To get those players in, we’re fortunate to have them.”

Photo: Matchday Images