JON Walters today insisted that the race can be won, and that Ipswich Town can still play Premier League football next season.The 24-year-old came back from injury in double quick time to climb off the bench and play his part in the 2-1 “thrashing” of Norwich City at Portman Road yesterday.

Elvin King

JON Walters today insisted that the race can be won, and that Ipswich Town can still play Premier League football next season.

The 24-year-old came back from injury in double quick time to climb off the bench and play his part in the 2-1 “thrashing” of Norwich City at Portman Road yesterday.

He said today: “The incentive is so great for us all. It is a life-changing one. The match at Wolves is huge now on Saturday as we are both battling for the same play-off spot.

“If we gain a result then Preston away becomes the next huge game.

“And the belief is there, particularly after this game.

“We made Norwich look poor. To come back from a goal down shows character - and this is what we have got in our changing room. We should have won by a lot more.”

Walters talked for the first time about the pain he was under before having a cartilage operation less than a month ago.

“I first suffered the problem against Preston in October, and only played on thanks to painkillers,” he revealed. “I often only trained on Fridays and then played Saturdays.

“My knee pain was kept under control, and we thought we could manage it without doing any damage.

“But it got to the stage where I could not extend my knee. We left it two weeks to see if it would settle down but I then had to have a cartilage operation.

“Our physios have been fantastic and so has surgeon Mark Bowditch at Nuffield Hospital. My legs had gone completely by the final

whistle.

“I was maybe expecting to play 30 minutes, but, if you are fit enough to be on the bench, you are fit enough to be called on at any time.

“I felt a few aches and pains overnight but nothing to worry about.

“Now I need to build the muscle around the knee up. Perhaps the team has missed Pablo (Counago), Shefki (Kuqi) and me, but it is all ifs and buts and Ipswich scored two perfectly good goals in the last minute of their two previous home draws. That's four extra points we should have had.”