Bialkowski joins Ipswich

Southampton's Polish goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski has joined fellow Championship side Ipswich Town on loan until the end of the season in a bid to get some first-team football under his belt.

The 21-year-old shot stopper has barely featured for the Saints this term, having made only three appearances all season, with all of those coming in the Carling Cup, as he helped the club into round three of the competition.

Although yet to play league football in the current campaign, Bialkowski has featured regularly on the bench as back-up to club captain Kelvin Davis, as well as playing six times for Saints Reserves.

He joins the Tractor Boys until the end of the season to challenge former Saints loanee Richard Wright for the no.1 shirt at Portman Road, with the move materialising after Town's other young Irish 'keeper Shane Supple joined League One side Oldham Athletic.

Bialkowski will be eligible for Ipswich should they reach the play-offs at the end of the season.

The move comes as a bit of a surprise to most Saints fans, but Head Coach Mark Wotte outlined the reasons for the move, and revealed that the club do have a re-call clause on the former Górnik Zabrze 'keeper.

Speaking to the club's official site, Wotte said, "We have a few goalkeepers in the squad at the moment with Kelvin Davis, Tommy Forecast, Michael Poke and Andrej Pernecky also in contention so I can't guarantee Bartosz any football at this moment.

"He was getting a little impatient so to be fair to him it will be good for him to go somewhere where he can be a little more involved and then if we need him we can re-call him."

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