IPSWICH TOWN: Stephen Bywater was told what to expect before the start of Saturday’s Championship game at Cardiff City Stadium.

The former Blues loanee keeper joined the Blackbirds on loan from Derby County on Friday with the Welsh having all three keepers on their staff injured.

He had let in two goals against Ipswich in February the first when Jimmy Bullard scored with a 25-yard shot on his Blues debut after joining Ipswich on a season-long loan from Hull City.

“We were good mates when we were at West Ham earlier in our careers,” said Bullard.

“When we shook hands before the start I told him that he needed to have his hands sewn on as I was after him again.

“I managed to catch one and the ball flew into the net.

“Another one followed and that’s three against my old mate – that must be a few quid I owe him!

“I’d had a couple of horrors recently that should have been shots on goal, but if you don’t shoot then you don’t score.

“The gaffer says that I shouldn’t be claiming the second goal as the ball took a deflection.

“But I don’t score many so I’m certainly not giving it up – no way.”

Bullard is looking to carry on the good work against Reading at Portman Road tomorrow adding:

“We have been playing some great stuff at home and will be looking to repeat that again tomorrow.

“We were not at it first half at Cardiff and the gaffer gave us a bit of a dicking off.

“We thoroughly deserved it and he told us what to do.

“In our previous two games we were brilliant but didn’t get a point; this time we were not great in the first half but got three. It’s a funny game.

“Marton Fulop kept us in the game and deserves more praise than me and when your keeper is making blinding saves you always have a chance and I always felt that we would score.

“Our fitness really told in the final 30 minutes when we got on top of the game.”

Bullard, who had not played much football for some while before joining Ipswich, is revelling in life right now and he had members of his family in the corner of the ground where Town fans made their presence known.

“I would like to be playing five games a week right now,” he added.

“When you are enjoying playing it does bring the best out of you.

“We believe we can win ever game and we needed points on Saturday to stop us slipping down the table.

“The gaffer keeps drumming it into us that we have plenty to play for this season, and we know that we have.”