Cole Skuse believes he still has plenty left in the tank after passing 400 Championship appearances recently.
Skuse, who has played in eight of Paul Hurst’s first 10 games as Ipswich manager, reached the league landmark in last Tuesday’s draw with Brentford and, following Saturday’s game with Bolton, has now appeared 523 times in all competitions during his spells at Bristol City and at Portman Road.
More than half of the 32-year-old’s second tier appearances have come alongside Ipswich captain Luke Chambers, who has made 421 of his own out of a total of 667 career games in all competitions, with the duo now the leading outfield appearance-makers since the Championship was reformed in 2004.
And Skuse hopes there is plenty more to come from the two old stagers.
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“Chambo showed me a stat the other day that we were the two highest appearance makers in the Championship of all time. I didn’t realise that,” said Skuse, who joined in Ipswich in 2013.
“At this current moment I look at that and go, ‘yeah that’s nice’ but I don’t give it too much thought.
“My wife - and especially my dad - they look at those stats and are proud,” he continued.
“Chambo sent them over on the phone and my wife has probably now sent them on to everyone – her friends; my friends; all the family.
“But when I have finished playing I will look back on the games I have played - 500 now - hopefully another 100 or so to come - and I think to play that many is a big achievement.
“It is a source of pride. I would probably say I’m a rare case in the football world in that I’ve had a steady incline through my career.
“I wouldn’t say (600 appearances) is a target. I’m 32 and I’d like to think I have plenty of life in me.
“I just want to play as many games as I can.”
Skuse puts his durability down to good luck in avoiding injuries and hard work, particularly in more recent times.
“When I speak to a lot of lads, they have had ups and downs, probably had to recover from something,” he said.
“I’ve been lucky that since the age of 10 I have always played games and I’ve not had too many injuries.
“I have never taken it for granted that I will be in the team though, never ever and as you get older, you have to do that extra bit on and off the field to give you the best chance of playing games and I think I have done that.”
LEADING CHAMPIONSHIP APPEARANCE MAKERS SINCE 2004/05 SEASON
Lee Camp * (Derby, Norwich, QPR, Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth, Rotherham, Sunderland, Birmingham) - 456
Luke Chambers * (Notts Forest, Ipswich Town) - 421
Cole Skuse * (Bristol City, Ipswich Town) - 401
Peter Whittingham (Burnley, Derby, Cardiff) - 399
Chris Gunter * (Cardiff, Nottingham Forest, Reading) -398
Mark Hudson (Crystal Palace, Charlton, Cardiff, Huddersfield) - 394
Jason Shackell (Norwich, Wolves, Derby, Barnsley, Burnley, Donacaster, Millwall) - 392
David Nugent * (Preston, Portsmouth, Leicester, Middlesbrough, Derby) - 376
Richard Keogh * (Coventry, Derby) - 369
Grant Leadbitter * (Sunderland, Ipswich Town, Middlesbrough) - 362
*still playing in the Championship
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