Ipswich Town star Conor Chaplin has just signed a new three-year deal at the club after promotion to the Championship. He's been speaking about that, and the challenge ahead...
Conor Chaplin knows that he and Ipswich Town will be marked men in next season's Championship - but insists he can't wait for the challenge.
The 26-year-old is coming off a remarkable season which saw him plunder 29 goals and win League One's Golden Boot, all without playing as a striker.
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Those strikes fired Town to promotion, plus a record points and goals haul, and a 19-game unbeaten run to end the season.
Such eye-popping stats have caught the attention of many in the second tier - and Chaplin is cognisant of the challenge that brings.
“I think naturally, after the season we’ve had, people will be looking forward to seeing how we do," he said.
“It’s up to us to put a lot of hard work in – and we’re under no illusions. It’s going to be a tough, tough league.
“We’re going to have to be firing and ready to go straight away.”
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He added: "I can’t wait (to play in the Championship again). It’s going to be a tough Championship.
"If you look at the size and stature of the clubs, it’s going to probably be one of the best there’s been in terms of quality for a number of years.
"I’m really looking forward to it, there’s going to be some great away days and some greats teams coming to this ground as well.
"I can’t wait to get started."
Getting started first means getting the team back together from their various holidays and ready to put the work in, with pre-season preparations starting from June 26.
That will be followed by Town's first friendly, at local side Felixstowe & Walton United, on July 1.
Asked if he was ready for the grind of pre-season, Chaplin laughed: "I don’t think you’re ever ready, it’s tough no matter what you do!
"There’s not long now – the break goes so quick – but to be fair the closer we get to it the more excited I am to get back in and stuck into pre-season and the routine.
“Everyone’s at their happiest when they’re playing football, so I can’t wait.”
He continued: "I want to carry on and be better than the 2022/23 season – that's always been my mantra in terms of season after season.
"I always want to beat the last one, which isn’t always possible and isn’t something I’ve always been able to do during my career, of course, but it has to be the aim.
"As well as we did last season – which we reflected on after the season finished – it's time to park that and focus on the upcoming campaign and the future.
"Memories are good but they don’t last forever. We need to focus and we need to be ready to go in the Championship, which is going to be a tough league.”
Off the pitch Chaplin, like many of Town's players, has really bought into the community ethos at the club - he's a trustee of the Blues Foundation and is a regular at all manner of events around the county. He's also an ambassador for the Rainbow Tractors, Town's LGBTQ+ supporters group.
“I think it’s massive," he said, asked about the Foundation. "The lifeblood of the football club.
"I think the community and the football club has been brilliant in the last two seasons, working on such a great relationship.
"Now they go hand in hand and we’re all lucky to see it and be a part of it.
"As players we know our roles, we know the impact that we can have on the community and I think everyone in the changing room buys into it.
"Overall it’s been a really, really positive couple of seasons.”
Back on the pitch, Chaplin knows he's in Suffolk for the forseeable future, and says committing himself to Town was an easy call.
“It’s amazing. There is nowhere else I would rather be because this club is so ambitious in the way it thinks and the way it is run," he enthused.
"It’s an exciting place to be. I am delighted and grateful.
"It was an easy decision to make because I am very lucky to have had a really good connection with my teammates and the staff, as well as the fans. I never thought of anything else so I’m delighted it’s sorted.
"This is probably the most comfortable I have been at a football club and it feels like it’s home. I was fortunate to get a lovely house straight away, which probably helps you settle down, and I love where I live.
"I love Suffolk in general because it suits me as a person, there’s a lot of places to go for dog walks and stuff like that, so it’s perfect.”
And that future starts back in the second tier next season. Asked what he's most looking forward to about it, Chaplin's enthusiasm was infectious.
"The first game, I love that first game feel," he smiled. "The first game of any season is the most exciting of any season.
"I just can’t wait – I don’t want to look too far ahead, but obviously there’s a couple of things to look forward to in terms of derbies and things like that.
"That will be nice for the fans and nice for us players to be involved in, for sure.
"I can’t wait for the first game."
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