DESPITE the wealth that moving to the Premiership and then to Crystal Palace has brought him, Shefki Kuqi still hankers for the wonderful times he had at Portman Road.

By Derek Davis

DESPITE the wealth that moving to the Premiership and then to Crystal Palace has brought him, Shefki Kuqi still hankers for the wonderful times he had at Portman Road.

The Finland striker admitted that he if the circumstances had been right, and Town could have afforded him, he would have loved to have returned to Ipswich.

Palace paid £2.5m to Blackburn Rovers last summer after he had joined Ewood Park as a free agent the previous year.

Kuqi said: “Ipswich are always in my thoughts. It is a time that I look back on with great fondness. It is a club I love and I loved the people I worked with there.

“I had a great season in the Premiership with Blackburn last year but the best time of my career was when I was with Ipswich. It is a time I will ever forget.”

The striker who hit 30 goals in 79 league game for Ipswich turned to applaud the Blues fans as he was substituted in Palace's 2-0 win on Saturday and was given a warm ovation by the 1,717 travelling supporters.

He said: “The Town fans showed me a lot of respect on Saturday as they did when I was there. I had a great time with them and I scored a few goals, which they enjoyed.

“It was always a pleasure to play in front of them.”

Kuqi even insisted he gets the same No. 32 shirt that brought him such good times and a final season partnership of 40 goals with Darren Bent.

He said: “I asked for that number when I came to Palace. It was my number at Ipswich and it remains my lucky number.”

Although Kuqi and current Town boss Jim Magilton clashed as team-mates on the pitch they were good mates off it and the Finn has backed the Irishman.

He said: “Jim has done very well, considering. For a player to step straight into being a manager is a massive change and as time goes on he will get even better.

“I didn't get much chance to speak to him as he was busy but no doubt we will. That said he was hard enough to get hold off when he was a player - now he is a manger there is no chance.

“Perhaps I will go into management but first I will try and enjoy my time as a player and in few years' time we will see.”