Ipswich Town boss Mick McCarthy, and his assistant Terry Connor, have signed new contracts – until the summer of 2018, while performance-related clauses could see that extended until 2020.

McCarthy, who turns 57 next month, has been in charge at Portman Road for three years and 81 days and is already the 12th longest-serving boss in the Premier League and Football League.

The Town boss and his assistant have overseen steady progress since arriving at Portman Road in November 2012. They guided the Blues clear of a Championship relegation scrap in their first season, then masterminded a ninth-place finish in 2013/14 and a sixth-place finish last term – the club’s first involvement in the play-offs for a decade.

McCarthy and Connor were rewarded with new three-year deals in the summer of 2014 and, with the Blues once again in the promotion mix, owner Marcus Evans has moved to reward them again before they entered what would have been the final year of their previous deals.

“TC and I are obviously delighted to have extended our contracts,” McCarthy told the club website.

“We are really enjoying the job here and the results on the pitch have improved year-on-year. In a relentless and tough league that the Championship is, that is testament to the hard work the players have put in.

“I think we have a team we can all be proud of and it’s mine and TC’s job to make sure that continues.”

Town managing director Ian Milne added: “It’s obviously great news that Mick and Terry have agreed contract extensions at the football club.

“We have also signed up a number of our players on long-term contracts over the past year or so who have been at the core of the team and with Terry and Mick in charge of that team we will continue to have a stable foundation to build on over the coming seasons.”