Parkin Interview

[Paul30]

Sam Parkin - Ipswich

At one stage midway through last season, Ipswich put an impressive run together to give themselves an outside chance of gatecrashing the play-off party, however, a dismal end to the campaign eventually saw the Tractor Boys finish in a disappointing 15th place. It will be all change at Portman Road next term, with long-serving midfielder Jim Magilton replacing departed manager Joe Royle and Ipswich fans will be optimistic for a significant improvement next season. Certainly, injuries to key players didn't help their cause, with strikers Alan Lee, Nicky Forster and Sam Parkin enduring lengthy spells on the sidelines. Givemefootball's Mark Shail caught up with Parkin, who was restricted to just 17 appearances foe the club after suffering a broken leg in November.

Q WHAT'S THE LATEST ON YOUR INJURY?

A It feels fine now. I actually played a couple of reserve games at the end of last season and came on as a substitute in the final league game at Plymouth. I've done a lot of work over the summer and will return to training a week before the rest of the squad to try and improve my general fitness. I think the extra month's rest will have done it a lot of good and I'm just looking forward to playing again.

Q UP UNTIL YOUR INJURY, HOW WERE YOU ENJOYING YOUR FIRST SEASON IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP?

A I didn't have the best of starts in terms of goalscoring but I felt I was playing okay, I just didn't have the goals to go with the rest of my game. And then the injury came along at a bad time and it really put paid to my season.

Q AT ONE STAGE IPSWICH LOOKED AS THOUGH THEY MIGHT MOUNT A PROMOTION CHARGE?

A I think a lot of Ipswich fans thought it was going to be a season of consolidation but then we put a decent run together to get on the fringe of the top six. But, to be honest, it would have been a miracle if we'd managed to get into the play-offs because the team was just decimated by injury.

Q LIKE YOU, FELLOW NEW SIGNING AND STRIKE PARTNER, ALAN LEE ALSO HAD A NUMBER OF INJURY PROBLEMS AFTER SIGNING FROM CARDIFF?

A Yes he did, and that was very unfortunate, but of course there was Nicky Forster as well – he had two or three separate operations last season and his absence certainly didn’t help our cause.

Q WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION TO JIM MAGILTON BEING GIVEN THE MANAGER'S JOB?

A I think it's a very good appointment. Jim was the senior player at the club and the voice in the dressing room – I always thought he would be in the running when Joe decided to leave. I suppose moving into management at this level may have come sooner than he expected, but he knows all the players in the squad and has all the experience in the world - so from that point of view the appointment makes complete sense. I didn't get the chance to play with him as much as I'd have liked last season but it's great that he’s still going to be at the club and I'm looking forward to working under him.

Q WHAT ARE THE MAIN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PLAYING IN LEAGUE ONE AND THE CHAMPIONSHIP?

A I suppose the biggest difference is that you don't get as many clear-cut goalscoring opportunities in the Championship in comparison to League One. Defenders are that little bit better – which you would expect. But I'm certainly enjoying the challenge and it's great to play in some of the bigger stadiums on a bigger stage.

Q YOU MUST HAVE BEEN DISAPPOINTED THAT YOUR FORMER CLUB SWINDON WERE RELEGATED LAST SEASON?

A Yes, that was disappointing and there have been a lot of changes there, in fact there are only two or three players left from my time at the County Ground. Dennis Wise, who I know from my time at Chelsea, has taken over the managerial role and there is a lot of belief they can bounce back next season.