Ipswich Town: Vaclav Hladky on contract and promotion push

The Czech custodian warmed the bench for much of his first two seasons at the club, but a pre-season foot injury sustained by Christian Walton opened the door for him heading into a Championship campaign.

Hladky certainly took that chance, a string of important saves and some impressive play with his feet meaning he has kept his place all season as Kieran McKenna's men have maintained an unlikely push for back-to-back promotions.

The 33-year-old's three-year deal at Portman Road is set to expire this summer, with there having been no mention of the club holding an extension option.

Vaclav Hladky's ability with the ball at his feet has allowed Ipswich Town to play out from the back more this season. (Image: Ross Halls)

Celtic are reportedly interested in bringing the former St Mirren man back north of the border, but Hladky's agent stated at the end of December that 'the priority is to agree on an extension and advance to the Premier League'.

Asked for an update on that situation, Hladky said: “There is not much I can say. Obviously, there are negotiations but they can take some time and there is nothing done yet.

“I’m in my ‘tunnel’ and all I want to do is focus on the next game, which is natural for a player. The stuff around me, I have people to deal with.

“In terms of the quality of the competition, there is no doubt this is my best season in football in terms of my performances.

Vaclav Hladky says Kieran McKenna has been a 'dream manager' for him to play under. (Image: PA)

“There have been other seasons where I was enjoying myself, for sure, but this is Championship level and I am happy to help the team and prove my quality.

“Kieran is a dream manager for me and I so appreciate being here."

A big part of the reason Hladky has kept Walton out of the team has been his ability to operate like an extra outfield player. McKenna is big on his players baiting the press and then playing their way out of the back to find the spare man.

It's a high risk strategy that, thanks to constant repetition on the training field, has brought plenty of reward. It's not been without its hiccups though, with Town going 3-0 down at Preston last month when Sam Morsy was caught on the ball after receiving a short pass from Hladky.

Ipswich Town keeper Vaclav Hladky and centre-back Luke Woolfenden have an in-game discussion. (Image: PA)

"It's important that you are on the same page as your team-mates and with the manager," said Hladky.

"We are all in it together, trying to help each other, so if something happens playing this way we just basically have to reset and go for another one.

“I wouldn’t say it is easy, but we are working on it. We have obviously given away a few, but nothing that we have to be too concerned by.

"December, January and February are not the easiest of months to play out from the back, especially away from home where the pitches and conditions are not always great. But we work on it every day in training, even in the heavy rain and when there are puddles, so that we are ready for the games.

Vaclav Hladky says there is 'massive belief' in the Ipswich Town ranks. (Image: Ross Halls)

“This is the way we want to carry on and you have to stick with your style of football. If you don’t, it’s not you, and you lose your confidence and you can lose the game. So, basically, we have to play through the difficulties. If you stick with your plan, you can get the reward.”

After a superb start to the life in the second-tier, Town won one league game in nine over a tricky set of fixtures either side of Christmas. The Blues kicked on again, six straight victories lifting them back up into second spot, but Saturday's galling 2-1 defeat at Cardiff, in which two stoppage-time goals were conceded, sees McKenna's men back in third.

To have picked up 78 points from 37 games as a newly-promoted club is quite remarkable. What the final table looks like remains to be seen, but, whatever happens over these final nine matches, it will have been an exciting season to be proud of. 

“We can’t hide ourselves from it," said Hladky, on the huge reward that is now almost within touching distance.

"We know where we are, but that's more for the media and for the fans.

“I’m being 100 per cent honest when I say we only focus on the next game. That’s always the biggest challenge we face because if we look too far ahead that's not going to work.”

He continued: “It’s been an unbelievable season. We are enjoying the journey.

“We spoke at the start of the season that it wouldn’t be easy and it was a new challenge for us. We just wanted to be prepared for every game and to improve ourselves throughout the season.

“What you are seeing now is the impact of really hard work in training. Our mindset is that we can win every game and that we can be successful at any stage of the season and any stage of any game. There’s just massive belief.”