Ipswich Town star Conor Chaplin has recently become a dad. He’s been speaking about that, and the team’s fantastic form. Mark Heath brings you more.
We often forget that footballers, just like the rest of us, have lives off the pitch.
All the usual issues and challenges that we all face in day to day life are there for them too.
And, as with the rest of us, life’s best moments usually come away from the working grind.
That’s certainly the case for Conor Chaplin. While the 26-year-old has had plenty of highs on the pitch for Town over the past couple of seasons, he’s just become a father for the first time, welcoming a baby boy into the world.
“It has been amazing, really, really good and I’m loving it,” he grinned.
“I’m a hands-on dad, changing nappies and all the rest of it. I love all of it, to be fair, and I’ve been getting some good sleep, so he’s been a good boy so far.”
Just like his dad, Chaplin junior even timed his arrival perfectly, deciding to make his debut appearance during the recent international break.
“It was good timing by my girlfriend,” Chaplin said. “It couldn’t have been any better really because I didn’t miss any games and he was all healthy, the perfect birth with no problems.
“The manager and all the staff have been amazing, allowing me to come in for training when it suits me.
“I went in a couple of days after he was born because I wanted to get going again and there wasn’t much more that I could do to help.
“For the first few days, I just made sure I went into the training ground as late as possible and then left as soon as I could to get home. It has all been very smooth.”
So, with a new arrival to look after and the day job going well, does Chaplin – who’s under contract until 2026 – plan to be in Suffolk for the long term?
“That was the plan anyway,” he stressed. “It hasn’t changed my thought process.
“It’s a special place for us with the success we’ve had at the club and it just means that we’re going to stay as long as we can here.”
That success on the pitch is continuing this season, with Town having won 10 of their first 12 games back in the Championship, having stormed to promotion last term.
And Chaplin’s plundered goals galore this calendar year – five already this season to add to the 17 he fired after the turn of the year.
“It has been a great year and I put it down to playing in such a good team under a very good manager,” Chaplin said, reflecting on his stellar 2023 thus far.
“We play a good system, one that really suits me, while confidence is a big thing as well.
“We’ve been winning games and everything has sort of come together. It’s the best I’ve ever felt playing football.”
Of this season’s rip-roaring start, he added: “It has obviously been very good.
“We’re all going well and we’re in a really confident and good rhythm at the moment, so long may that continue.
“It’s not just been plain sailing this season and we’re not naïve enough to think that, but we’re about a quarter of the way through the season and we’ve made a good start.
“But that’s all it is at this stage and we have to make sure we continue in the same way.”
Asked if the Championship table was starting to reflect what we’ll see at the end of the season, he replied: “Probably not yet, really.
“It’s important to get points on the board, no matter where we are in the season, ideally at the start and the back end.
“In terms of the table taking shape, I think it will be a little bit longer before that happens.
“We’ve not long had the summer transfer window and we’ve got the January transfer window still to come. That, along with many other factors, can play a major part in who finishes where.
“It can sometimes take 20 or so games for players to settle in and gel as a team, so there is plenty of time for teams who have maybe made a slower start to climb the table.
“We’re very fortunate that we’ve had an excellent time with our manager since he came in more than 18 months ago now.
“We’ve been doing the same things from one week to the next in training and from one game to another, and that’s what has put us in a good place.”
One of the foundation’s of Town’s success has been the character and culture in the squad – a band of brothers who share a common goal and push each other to excel.
In a team full of strong friendships, Chaplin’s bond with mercurial Welsh winger Wes Burns appears to be one of the tightest.
Burns, of course, is currently out injured after suffering a shoulder injury while on international duty with Wales two weeks ago.
Asked how his mate is doing, Chaplin revealed: “He’s good. There’s not too much Wes can do at the moment. He’s just trying to get the swelling down and stuff like that.
“But Wes is a bubbly character and he’s still the same around the place. Everybody loves him and it’s good that we have still seen a lot of him.
“It’s not an injury that means he has to be resting at home, or anything like that. He’s been at the training ground getting his treatment and doing his work in the gym and on the bike. He’s still in really good spirits.
“He’ll be missed, of course he will, because he’s been a constant in the team for a long time and has so many useful qualities.
“But the reason we have a squad is to have players ready for this sort of thing and while he’s out it will be someone else’s responsibility to step up. That’s what it’s all about.
“We stressed that throughout the whole of last season and it’s the same this season – it’s a squad game and it will be a squad that will get us over the line.”