Janoi Donacien extended his stay at Portman Road last week and the faith in him has given the right-back a boost in Ipswich Town's push to break into the top six.

The 28-year-old signed from Accrington Stanley in January 2019 and in what has been a turbulent couple of years in Suffolk, Donacien has been able to prove himself as a valuable squad member amid intense competition for places.

Donacien was a key performer through some tricky times at the start of the season under Paul Cook and he spoke of his delight to earn a new contract in conversation with Twtd.co.uk.

He said: "As a professional footballer, and probably anyone in any job, you are always looking for when the next deal is going to be done.

"In the back of my head I felt like I just had to keep on playing well and hopefully it would catch their attention and give them a reminder of what I have to offer."

With the 19 summer signings that arrived at Portman Road, Donacien has done well to remain part of Cook's plans and despite not being one of the most high profile names on the team sheet he has found a way to contribute in both attack and defence.

The Verdict

Kane Vincent-Young has been the first choice right back when fit at Ipswich but with Donacien ready to slot in and fully apply himself when that is not the case is a huge strength.

With the summer business, it looked like the St Lucian could be one of the players to fall by the wayside so it is a credit to Donacien's professionalism that he has been able to assert himself to command a new contract.

It is judgement time with some difficult fixtures coming in the next few weeks, there is a lot of pressure and expectation from the stands for the Tractor Boys to deliver promotion and Donacien could have a key role to play in achieving that.