Aaron Cresswell admits it will be somewhat strange to line up against his former side Ipswich Town in a competitive match for the first time since swapping Suffolk for east London over a decade ago, when the Tractor Boys visit the capital in the Premier League.
The now 34-year enjoyed a productive three-year spell at Portman Road between 2011 and 2014, scoring seven goals in 138 appearances for the-then EFL Championship outfit following an earlier switch from Tranmere Rovers, where he made his professional breakthrough.
As a result of their absence from the top-flight between 2002 and the start of this term, West Ham haven’t come up against Ipswich since the 2011/12 second-tier season, while today’s game will mark their first ever outing at London Stadium.
Pre-season clashes between the teams in summers 2014, 2018, 2020 and 2022 have kept Cresswell partially acquainted with Ipswich over recent years, and having watched their back-to-back promotion success from afar, he is looking forward to being reunited with some familiar faces.
“We’ve played them a few times in friendlies since I left to join West Ham, and it was strange because the first time was actually just a week or two after I made that move,” said Cresswell, in an exclusive interview with the Official Programme.
“It will be a little bit weird playing them for the first time competitively - Ipswich will always hold a special place in my heart because they gave me the chance to kick on to where I’ve got to now.
“At the time I signed for them [in July 2011], I was only 21 and had only played in League One for Tranmere. It was a big step up for me on and off the pitch, because I was obviously moving away from Liverpool for the first time as well.
“The current Ipswich physio - Matt Byard - was there when I was there, David Martin’s there now as a player-coach, and Ben Johnson and Kalvin Phillips both signed for them in the summer. I’m still really close to Johno in particular, but I’ll have my gameface on today until that final whistle is blown!
“They’ve done brilliantly to get into the Premier League and have impressed so far, so we know it’s going to be a tough game, but hopefully we can get the three points we’re after.”
Having fallen to three defeats in their three Premier League outings at home so far in 2024/25, Cresswell stresses the importance of the Irons building on their three-game unbeaten away run and signing off for the October international break in the right way.
And after a summer of transition, which involved the arrival of Head Coach Julen Lopetegui and nine first-team signings, he is enjoying the responsibility of helping the squad settle and gel as vice-captain, and is confident things will soon properly click into place.
“It’s been a mixed start to the season in terms of results, but we’ve all really enjoyed working for the Head Coach since he came in and we’ve all been really impressed with the players that have joined the dressing room,” added Cresswell, who became just the 26th player to pull on the famous Claret and Blue jersey for the 350th time against Crystal Palace in August.
“At this point we’d obviously like to be further up the table, but we’re progressing behind the scenes and working hard, we’re staying positive and together, and we believe results will soon start to follow.
“As a senior member of the squad, and now as vice-captain, it’s definitely my responsibility to aid that process, and that’s something I’m enjoying doing. The older you get, the more experience you get, and if I can help anyone then I will.
“My role at the Club has changed slightly as time has gone on, but it was amazing to make my 350th appearance for West Ham, and I’m still loving playing. I’ve been here ten years now, which is mad, but I’m excited to see what else we can achieve. Ultimately we all want to be back in Europe, and we’re all going to work really hard to get there.”
