A regular place in Mick McCarthy’s starting XI would be the icing on the cake, but David October is content and happy to bide his time.

Nineteen next week, the rookie defender displays the kind of maturity that should be used as an example for all young professionals, hoping to make a career out of the game.

Having scored for the Blues in pre-season at Gillingham, and signed his first professional deal months earlier, some fans suggested the Cambridgeshire-born teenager would be pushing Aaron Cresswell and Tyrone Mings this season.

Mick McCarthy obviously felt it was too early but, having had enough faith in the defender to hand him a one-year deal, has certainly earmarked the teenager as one for the future and agreed for him to go on loan to Conference North side Histon.

The move is paying dividends for October who is due to play his last game for the Stutes at Leamington this Saturday.

“I came back and trained with the first-team recently and Mick McCarthy brought me to one side,” October said.

“He told me how he could notice how playing games had improved me and could see a change in how I train.

“I look at that as positive feedback and that can only benefit me.”

He added: “My long-term aim is winning a place in the first team at Ipswich and realistically I would like to go back on loan to another side, preferably in the Football League.

“I would like the (loan) experience again but you can’t say what is going to happen.”

October left Histon to take up a scholarship at Portman Road but feels his temporary move back to Bridge Road has come at the right time.

“I was offered the move earlier on in the season but I chose to stay with the under-21s,” he explained.

“It came up again and I felt it was the right time to get the best I could from the experience.

“I enjoy playing under-21s football but it’s very difficult to get the competitive element from a game.

“Non-league is very intense and I have learned how to use that to my benefit in games.

“It was a bit of a shock to see how physical the league was and it took me a while to get to grips with how to approach it. You have to learn quick otherwise you will get found out and I have adapted to it.”

He added: “I would definitely recommend non-league to any young player who is not in the first team and you only have to speak Jack (Marriott) who is doing well at Woking to see discover how it is benefiting him.”

October has been able to glean knowledge from Marriott on a regular basis – the duo live together along with fellow first-year professionals Tom Winter and Jon Leddy.

“We’ve created a really good spirit. Mark Timlin was going to join us too but he bottled it!” joked October.

“Living in digs is great and I had a good time as a scholar for two years.

“But you get to the stage where you want to take more responsibility and have more independence.

“The club have noticed that it has benefited us and realise we are all mature lads.

“They know we have our heads screwed on, and we are going to give it our all.”