FORMER Ipswich skipper David Norris has tipped his old club to be in the promotion shake-up following his return to Portman Road.

The tenacious midfielder admitted he was “bitterly disappointed” by new club Portsmouth’s 1-0 defeat by Town on Tuesday night - a rather fortunate victory, but one that pushed the Blues into the play-off places.

And ‘Chuck’ Norris, who almost grabbed a dramatic equaliser at the death but saw his header well saved by David Stockdale, saw enough from the 90 minutes to convince him to back his one-time employers.

“They have got good players, they are a great team on paper and they are on a good run,” said Norris. “I think it is a good sign when you win and don’t play that well, like they did against us. They have a chance of being in and around the play-offs and I wish them all the best now.”

The midfielder, who turned down a new contract at Town to sign what manager Paul Jewell called an “unbelievable” deal with Pompey, was largely given warm applause as his name was read out before Tuesday’s kick-off.

And he said: “I wasn’t too sure about what reception I would get. But overall a lot of people gave me a nice applause and cheers and I appreciated that.

“I did my all when I was here, I had some good times even though it didn’t go as I planned. I wish everyone all the best for the rest of the season.”

Norris, who was hailed by Jewell as a model professional before the game, will now look to help Portsmouth move up the Championship with the south coast side still searching for a new manager.

But the unlucky manner in which they lost in Suffolk still grates with the midfielder, who said: “We were very unlucky. We took the game to them, created a lot of chances and we are bitterly disappointed not to have won.”