Janoi Donacien immediately felt a sense of togetherness following his arrival at Ipswich Town.
The defender, currently on loan from Accrington Stanley but due to make the move permanent for £750,000 once work permit issues are resolved, put in his best display yet as he kept Albert Adomah quiet in the Blues’ 1-1 draw with Aston Villa on Saturday.
The game was played out in front of an excellent Portman Road atmosphere, with Donacien feeling like everyone at the club is singing from the same hymnsheet.
“It was a good battling display,” the defender said. “It took a lot for us to come back, especially from a goal down against a good team that should be up there this year. We just stuck at our jobs and kept going to the end.
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“We had to react quickly and get our heads back in the game (after Tayo Edun’s red card). If you let yourself down and don’t concentrate, a team like that will punish you straightaway.
“To be fair, in the first game of the season against Blackburn I felt like the fans were all the way behind us. At the end, we were signing autographs for the fans and they were just happy to see us. Everyone seems to be gelling well together.
“Everyone at the ground and the club is really nice. Everyone just wants to see you do well. Everyone’s behind you. It helps when you have really good people behind you, especially if you have a bad day.
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“I’m not sure what’s possible for us this season so we’ll just keep going game by game and keep working hard. Who knows what can happen. It’s a bit early to say where we can get to in the table or we can do this or that. We’ll just keep working hard together and that should take us through.”
Donacien was part of the Accrington side which won the League Two title last season, along with new Ipswich striker Kayden Jackson, with the Saint Lucian defender delighted to have made the step up to the Championship.
“It’s completely different,” he said. “Coming out in front of these stands and massive, massive crowds, that’s what I want to do and what I look forward to. I want to play in front of big crowds here.
“John Coleman has done a lot for Accrington during his time as manager and he did a lot for me. The gaffer here seems like he’s got the same work ethic and he wants to get the best of his group of players.”
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Stanley players were bought McDonald’s ‘or the like’ by Accrington owner Andy Holt last season as reward for victories, which landed the club in hot water with the EFL due to the fact the ‘win bonuses’ were not specified in the players’ contract.
McDonald’s is no longer on the menu for Donacien, though.
“No, absolutely not,” he said. “I haven’t had McDonald’s in ages. I’m off McDonald’s now. Absolutely put off.”
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