BE warned - don't label Nick Colgan the Blues' number two keeper.The Irishman, who signed for Town after his contract was terminated by mutual consent at Barnsley, knows he was brought in after Stephen Bywater who will start in goal at Sheffield Wednesday today.

Derek Davis

BE warned - don't label Nick Colgan the Blues' number two keeper.

The Irishman, who signed for Town after his contract was terminated by mutual consent at Barnsley, knows he was brought in after Stephen Bywater who will start in goal at Sheffield Wednesday today. However, he insists he is not content to just make up numbers.

Colgan showed his fighting spirit and bristled when asked if he come to town just to be Bywater's understudy.

The 34-year-old said: “It would be pretty sad if you joined somewhere to sit on the bench week in week out. You have to show some ambition and mine is to get into the team as quickly a possible.

“I have spent too many games already this season sitting watching from the sidelines.

“I have not come here to sit on the bench until the end of the season. I have not moved four hours away from my family just to have a jolly. I'm here to work hard and win a contract.

“Healthy competition all over the pitch is a good thing.

“I understand Neil (Alexander) did very well and moved to Rangers and Shane (Supple) went out on loan for experience. Now the manager has brought in two new keepers and I see it as a challenge.

“I don't see Stephen (Bywater) as the outright number one. Yes, he has played a few game sin the Premier League and the manger sees him as number one right now but it is up to me to show in training that I can play in this football club.”

Colgan started his career at Chelsea, playing one game in the top flight, before a string of loan moves.

The Republic of Ireland international went to Bournemouth and then played in the SPL with Hibernian.

He then helped Barnsley win promotion from League One by saving a penalty in the play-off final at the Millennium Stadium and went up with Colchester United.

Colgan was the Tykes' player of the Year in 2006 after keeping 20 clean sheets and was saddened at being released.

He said: “I'm gutted with the way it has finished at Barnsley but I will look back at my time there with happy memories. I played in the play-off final, saved a penalty to help them get promoted and then played 44 out of 46 league games last season in the Championship.

“I have moved on now and I'm here to play.

“I agreed with Barnsley on Tuesday about terminating my contract but the situation changed when Heinz Muller got injured against Colchester and Simon Davey needed to get a new keeper in before he could let me leave.

“I'm very disappointed with the way things have gone at Barnsley this year. The manager is entitled to his opinion and bring in who he wants and he now has a squad he seems happy with.”

Colgan had hoped Town would be training at Barnsley as they have done in the past when they played around Sheffield but instead made a late night dash to sign for Town on Thursday night before heading back to Yorkshire with the team last night.

Ipswich will be Colgan's 12th club but he is not surprised at ending up at Portman Road.

He said: “I first played here for Chelsea's youth team when we played on the pitch behind the main stand. It always struck me as a very professional, family oriented club. My wife always said she could see me at a club like this and seeing the facilities at the training ground and all the memorabilia on the alls at Portman Road shows what a massive club with a great tradition it has.”

With Magilton adding another Irishman to his squad it should be quite a St Patrick's Night and Colgan still harbours hopes of winning his tenth cap for the Republic, although accepts he has Shay Given and Paddy Kenny ahead of him at the moment.

He added: The Irish situation is up in the air at the moment with not having a manager but I would love to be involved again. First though my priority is to get in the Ipswich team and win a contract here.”

Fighting talk indeed.