IPSWICH Town assistant manager John Gorman today welcomed the sight of �1million January window signing Luciano Civelli in a Blues shirt.

Elvin King

IPSWICH Town assistant manager John Gorman today welcomed the sight of �1million January window signing Luciano Civelli in a Blues shirt.

Wearing gloves and in miserable wet and windy conditions the lanky Argentinean had his first taste of English football as Town thrashed Colchester United 9-2 in a Combination fixture at Playford Road, Ipswich yesterday afternoon.

It was no dream debut for the 21-year-old in a game where Dean Bowditch scored four times and Danny Haynes twice.

“I was happy to see Luciano in an Ipswich shirt,“ said Gorman, who was reporting back to manager Jim Magilton who is in Northern Ireland.

“He has a game under his belt and it is still early days.

“Without having played a game for two months he is short of match fitness and needs to play in matches.

“Some players turn it on more on the big stage, and he has to adjust to a different style of football.

“Luciano can be pleased with his start, and a decision will be made after training tomorrow on whether he will be included in the squad for Saturday's home game against Blackpool.”

Watched by a handful of hardy souls, Civelli started slowly against a young U's side.

He was soon up and the down the left side eating up the ground with his long strides, and showing increasingly neat touches as the game progressed.

He looks as though he needs more games before he will be ready for a first team debut with Civelli playing for 61 minutes without really stamping any authority on to the game.

But his left-foot curling deliveries from right wing corners were spot on, and he was always looking to link up with his team mates - and also do his fair share of defending.

The enthusiastic Civelli was up against Colchester's most experienced player in Phil Ifill, and after the sun of Buenos Aires the cold conditions at Playford Road must have come as a bit of a culture shock