PABLO Counago today urged Spain boss Inaki Saez to keep him in mind.Counago's 13-goal haul for Ipswich Town so far this season must surely have alerted his international manager.

By Dave Allard

PABLO Counago today urged Spain boss Inaki Saez to keep him in mind.

Counago's 13-goal haul for Ipswich Town so far this season must surely have alerted his international

manager.

But the 23-year-old former Celta Vigo man said: "You never know what he (Saez) may be thinking. I just hope that one day I play for the full Spain team.

"It may be a bit early at the moment, but I'm hoping for it to happen in a year or so.

"I have many Under-21 caps and dream of going to the senior side."

Counago first came to light for Town thanks to his goalscoring exploits for Spain Under-21s.

Ex-Blues chief George Burley saw him hit two goals as the young Spanish invaders trounced England 4-0 at Birmingham City's St Andrew's ground in 2001.

He arrived duly arrived in Suffolk on a free transfer under the Bosman ruling and last season cut his teeth in the Premiership, mainly as a substitute.

This term, in the Nationwide League First Division, Counago has really come of age and his 13 goals have all come at home.

But the Town number nine is at a loss to explain why he has yet to find the net in an away fixture.

"I don't know, but that's the way it is," she said.

"I work hard away from home just as much. I've had chances, especially at Portsmouth, but they've not gone in. Hopefully that can change."

The subtle skilled attacker from the sunshine nation has warmed more and more to English football.

"It is non-stop," he said. "You go, go, go all the time. In Spain you can take it a bit slower and get away with it for a while. Here you can't.

"I'm getting used to it and would love to be a Premiership player with Ipswich again."

Counago loves scoring in front of the Portman Road fans.

"We need to win all our home games from now on and make every team scared to come here," he said. "We have to make Portman Road a frightening place for our opponents to visit.

"If we are strong at home and consistent, then we can make good progress."

And Counago paid tribute to the Ipswich fans.

"They've been fantastic to the team, even when we've not been doing as well as we can," he said. "And they've always been brilliant to me personally.

"We're all determined to work harder and harder to reach the play-offs.

Next week Counago will be spending two days back in Spain with his mother and family. They regularly keep tabs on his blossoming career by reading The Evening Star website.