IPSWICH Town manager Paul Jewell won’t use the loan window for the sake of it.

The Blues boss only managed to bring in two players during the January transfer window in the form of keeper Alex McCarthy (loan from Reading) and midfielder Ryan Stevenson (�50,000 from Hearts).

He wanted more though and missed out on a long list of players, including Portsmouth trio Jason Pearce, Stephen Henderson and Joel Ward – a deal for the latter two falling through on deadline day due to what Jewell perceived to be excessive wage demands.

The ‘emergency’ loan window is now open, with Football League clubs able to sign players on loan for a maximum of 93 days. Many often start off as temporary deals with provision to make the moves permanent come the summer.

“You’re always looking to strengthen if you can,” said Jewell.

“We’ve had two real good results, but if there is a player out there that we think would improve us – and we think we could get – then we’d try and do it.

“We have to be very careful not to make signings just because the window is open again though.

“We’re trying to look long-term, for next year and the year after. If one or two loans become available that would suit us we would be interested though, yeah.”

Asked if he would go back in for players at cash-strapped Portsmouth, Jewell said: “I don’t know really. I had a conversation with Mike (Appleton) a couple of weeks ago about players there and it didn’t happen.

“I don’t know what the situation is there. I think they’ve got some good players, but whether we can afford them, whether deals can be done – either now or in the future – remains to be seen.”

Town had centre-back Danny Collins on loan from Stoke earlier in the season. The defender looked set to move clubs in January, but ended up remaining at his Premier League employers where he is well down the pecking order.

“At one time he was going to go to Southampton, so I don’t know what happened there,” said Jewell.

“I don’t think it’s right for me to talk about individual players at other clubs, but like all teams we’re on the look out to try and improve if we can. We’re not sat here after two good results thinking everything in the garden is rosey – we know we’ve got to get better.”