IPSWICH can definitely feature in next season's Championship promotion race, key defender Jason De Vos insisted today.And the vice-captain also turned his thoughts to undecided skipper Jim Magilton, adding: “We all want Jim to stay."

IPSWICH can definitely feature in next season's Championship promotion race, key defender Jason De Vos insisted today.

And the vice-captain also turned his thoughts to undecided skipper Jim Magilton, adding: “We all want Jim to stay.”

De Vos, 31, is convinced that his second season as a Town player will once again see the club pushing for a Premiership return.

He said: “Obviously, we have lost a few players, but that's the nature of football. Because we failed at the final hurdle last season, some of the players decided to move on for an opportunity to play at a higher level.

“But the manager has done a great job to bring in strikers Nicky Forster and Sam Parkin, two players who had plenty of options to move elsewhere if they had wanted to.

“They clearly believe that coming to Ipswich is the best move they could have made and the manager is also working hard to add other new players in the coming weeks.

“All things considered, I firmly believe we can be up there pushing for promotion all over again. Ipswich have had two near-misses in quick succession now and I would love to see us make it next season.”

The thought of veteran midfielder Magilton moving on to pastures new is something that De Vos would rather not consider.

But he knows the 36-year-old is currently weighing up his options, whether to accept Town's offer of a 12-month extension or to take up a player-coach post elsewhere.

De Vos added: “Jim is a massive influence at the club, both on and off the field. He's such a lively character that he really does boost the morale in the camp when he's around.

“Jim has a tricky decision to make but we all definitely hope that he is with us in the new season. We would definitely miss him if he moved on.”

It has been a vastly different summer for the towering defender in that he and his family have not moved out of Suffolk.

“Normally we would get back to Canada,” he said. “But with my son Jake being only 11 weeks old we decided that wouldn't be a good idea.

“If we had taken him on a transatlantic plane journey I think we would have needed a holiday when we got back.

“So we have let our family and friends come to us. From a professional point of view it hasn't done me any harm.

“I feel great. I've had a good rest - it's the first time I've had the whole summer off - and it has given my body a chance to recover.

“I put in a bit of work ahead of the official return to training on Friday and I felt the benefit. That first run wasn't as painful as it might have been!”

Town's first pre-season game is on Wednesday week, when they travel to take on Cambridge United at the Abbey Stadium.