Staff at an east Suffolk café were left starstruck after meeting one of Ipswich Town's heroes this week.

Blues forward Conor Chaplin was spotted at The Kitchen Thorpeness at Barn Hall in Thorpeness on Monday morning.

The forward, who came to the east Suffolk café for breakfast, was spotted by Ipswich Town fan Harvey Ling, 18.

READ MORE: Ipswich Town FC News

General manager Amanda Pearce said: "Harvey was way too shy to go up to him at first and we wanted to respect his privacy. So we waited until he came up to the counter to talk to him."

She added: "Then once we spoke to him he was just so nice and friendly to us. He just seemed like a really welcoming and kind young man."

Harvey Ling (left) with Conor Chaplin (right)Harvey Ling (left) with Conor Chaplin (right) (Image: The Kitchen Thorpeness)
Harvey, who has been watching Ipswich Town with his father since he was a child, said: "He is one my favourite players. I couldn't believe it at first as I just didn't think it could actually be him.

"And when I did speak to him, he was just really easy to talk to and seemed very down to earth. He even came back in to the café afterwards to say thank you to all of us".

READ MORE: Suffolk and Essex Leisure News

Chaplin, who played a big part in Ipswich Town's promotion into the Premier League with 13 goals and eight assists, signed for the club in July 2021 and has become a fan favourite. 

The attacker recently said that the club's promotion into the Premier League has "not fully hit home yet" and said "these are special days to saviour".

He added: "I know now it feels like a dream, but I want to do that again in the Premier League. I want to be fitter than I've ever been before. I want to be a better person, a better player than I've ever been before. That's something that I'm so excited for."