CARLOS Edwards might be too stubborn to go asking manager Paul Jewell for the new Ipswich Town deal he wants – but he’s humble enough to tell a group of schoolchildren that he let them down.

The 33-year-old is currently visiting senior schools around the town as part of his 200 hours of community service, a punishment handed out by the South Suffolk Magistrates’ Court – as well as a suspended jail sentence, extended driving ban and �2,500 fine – for a string of motoring offences last month.

“I’m obviously a role model to some of them and I know I’ve let them down a bit,” admitted the Trinidadian right-back, who should line-up against Reading at Portman Road this afternoon.

“I’ve not made any excuses, it was silly of me what I did and I’ve told them that.

“We all make mistakes in life but it’s how you respond to them. Hopefully I’m redeeming myself a bit doing this (school visits) – it’s nice seeing a reaction from some of them, knowing you’ve given them a bit of belief.”

Edwards has also had to deal with his wife giving birth very prematurely to twins recently – the fragile pair having spent the first few weeks of their life in hospital – but he insists that he has never found it difficult to concentrate on football.

And after admitting to being ‘shocked and disappointed’ at Jewell’s decision to drop him for the 3-2 home defeat to Doncaster recently, he says he is now fired up to earn the new contract he feels he deserves.

“I just don’t want to go knocking on the (manager’s) door like any headless chicken,” said Edwards, who is one of numerous Ipswich players in the final year of their contracts.

“They did offer me something at the end of last season, I could have just taken that, but I wanted to show to them what I was worth. I just have to try and do my talking on the pitch.

“Of course I would like to stay; it’s a good club and it will be going places. Hopefully we’ll get things sorted sooner rather than later.”

– For full Ipswich v Reading match preview, see today’s EADT and Evening Star.