AMBITIOUS Stephen Henderson has targeted helping Ipswich Town move away from the relegation drop-zone – and into the top-six of the Championship.

The West Ham keeper might be joining a side low on confidence and wins. But after tieing up a loan deal for three months, Henderson hasn’t come to Suffolk to struggle.

He said: “Anyone who knows me will tell you I’m not the type of player who wants to sit on the bench and pick up his wages.

“So when I got told I could go out on loan and I knew Ipswich were keen, it was an easy decision for me. I spoke to the manager (Paul Jewell) on Saturday and was here for training on Monday morning.

“It’s a fantastic club, Ipswich, and I’m really looking forward to showing people what I can do. I know the results have not gone as well as the club would have hoped but seeing the players work on the training ground and the squad that is here, I’m sure things will turn around very quickly.

“With the squad here, on paper, I could see Ipswich competing in the top six and hopefully I can play my part in helping the club move up the table.”

Henderson admitted that he would be interested in a longer loan deal while also answering claims that he turned down a move to Portman Road in January.

“I need to play games,” he said. “That’s why I’m here and if the opportunity is there to stay beyond January and everyone is happy with that, I’d definitely want to do it.

“I heard rumours about me coming here but it never got anywhere near that. I was told by Portsmouth in January that two clubs had come in for me - Newcastle and West Ham.

“Portsmouth were in a bit of a mess at the time and we were never sure what was going on but I was never told that Ipswich was a possibility for me.

“If I’d known that, then I would have had a massive decision to make but it didn’t get anywhere near that.”