JON Stead knows what it feels like to be sold by Roy Keane.

Carl Marston

By Carl Marston

JON Stead knows what it feels like to be sold by Roy Keane.

And the Ipswich Town marksman realises that the same thing could happen again, if he doesn't start playing some games and scoring a few goals.

Stead was sold by Keane when the duo were together at Sunderland. The Irishman allowed his striker to sign for Sheffield United for a �750,000 fee during the January transfer window in 2007.

To date, Stead has started just four games this season, and is still searching for his first goal, so he knows that there is a possibility of him suffering a similar fate at the start of next year.

However, the 26-year-old target man is feeling settled at Portman Road, and he predicts better things both for him and the team over the next few weeks.

He certainly has no plans to leave.

“He's (Keane's) sold me before, so it's been on my mind!” admitted Stead.

“It's his decision in January. If that's the case then I would have to look at my options. But I like the area, so that's not an issue. I just want to play some games.

“I am no different to any striker. I want to score goals, and to do that I must get back into the team and start playing regularly again.

“I've only had four starts so far this season, and I've been taken off at half-time in some of them, so it's not been ideal.

“I haven't played as well as last season, and I'm not going to pull the wool over my eyes and say any different. Very few of us have played well, week in, week out.

“If the manager does not pick me from now until January, then I think we'd both be speaking from the same hymn sheet. But I'm certainly not looking to get away.

“However, he's got rid of me before, and he might do it again,” added Stead.

Responding to reports, from earlier in the season, that he was destined not to play for Ipswich again, Stead insisted that this was never the case.

The big man continued: “It was a shock for me to read that I wasn't going to play for Ipswich again.

“I had personally spoken to the manager, so I knew that this was not the case, and is still not the case.

“Therefore the story didn't affect me because I knew it wasn't true.

“I'm still very much involved, and I'm still in the frame. I'm still in the squads, week in, week out,” concluded Stead.