FOR many Ipswich Town followers the season's end cannot come quick enough, but for in-form Nicky Forster the finale is all too sudden.While the Blues look to regroup in the summer and come back stronger, fit-again Forster goes to Plymouth on Sunday looking for his fourth goal in as many games and is not even back to peak fitness yet.

By Derek Davis

FOR many Ipswich Town followers the season's end cannot come quick enough, but for in-form Nicky Forster the finale is all too sudden.

While the Blues look to regroup in the summer and come back stronger, fit-again Forster goes to Plymouth on Sunday looking for his fourth goal in as many games and is not even back to peak fitness yet.

Forster said: “Perhaps I was thrown in a bit quicker than expected. I only played 70 minutes for the reserves before coming back, which is unusual, but circumstances have dictated that.

“It might have been different if we had more options striker-wise.

“I'm possibly the only person at the club who doesn't want the season to end. Understandably many are looking forward to having some time off after a long hard season, but I can't get enough of training or games at the moment.”

The 31-year-old has twice before hit three in three, in the final trio of matches for Birmingham City in 1997, then for Reading in September 2003.

But Forster's hottest streak came in January 2002, when he banged in seven goals in four matches within a fortnight.

After scoring against Huddersfield, Forster hit a hat-trick against Blackpool before finding the winner at Wigan and scored twice in a 3-0 win over Colchester United, with a certain Phil Parkinson playing in the Royals' midfield.

So he could equal his run of scoring four in a row, but would need four goals to equal that tally.

The striker, who has missed out on a large part of this season through two separate knee operations, will settle for one and a high so the team can finish the season smiling.

Forster said: “I do try to score a goal a game and get shots in and, of course, enjoy scoring. More so on Saturday because we got the result and that was important for the team because results have not gone our way.

“Plymouth is a game where we want to go and give a good account of ourselves. We want to go out on a high and after beating Derby a win at Plymouth would give us something to work on. It is a long summer and if you lose the last game it is an even longer summer waiting to win again.”

The free-signing from Reading was pleased that the Blues could send the fans home happy on Saturday with the 2-0 win over Derby, especially after recent performances.

He said: “With all due respect to Brighton we need to be beating teams like them if we have aspirations of pushing on next season.

“It was good to give the fans something to cheer about and with Jim going as well it was a good day. We have not given the fans an awful lot to cheer about this season so it was nice to thank them. For 24,000 to turn up again, with nothing on the match was incredible and speaks volumes for the supporters here.”

Forster's early-season strike-partner Sam Parkin has also suffered from injury, but could make a return from his broken ankle, which has been compounded by an Achilles problem, with a run out at Leiston tomorrow night.

Ian Westlake is also down to play after training with the first-team squad following his recovery from a knee injury.

The game, which will also include a number of Town reserve and top Academy players, is to mark Leiston's 125th celebrations.

The club are raffling a signed Town shirt and have also organised a disco for Friday night.