IVAR Ingimarsson can’t wait to finally show Ipswich Town fans what he’s capable of.

The laid-back Icelander admits he has been a frustrated man over the last few months after a thigh injury curtailed his start to life in Suffolk.

However, it looks as though the centre-back will return to the Blues starting line-up for tomorrow’s Championship visit of Doncaster as both Ibrahima Sonko (hamstring) and Damien Delaney (foot) have been ruled out.

“Injuries are no fun – no fun at all,” said the 34-year-old, whose calm authority is exuded on and off the pitch.

“When you move to a new club you want to be involved and show people you can play.

“It’s not nice when people start saying you are always injured and this and that. All you can do is try to get fit again and show people what you can do because it’s no good to be talking and talking.

“If I get given a chance this weekend I know I have to grab it with both hands.”

Snapped up on a free transfer by Paul Jewell this summer following eight successful years at Reading, a minor thigh problem saw the centre-back miss a crucial part of pre-season.

And after working hard to get himself ready for the opening day of the season – the defender doing superbly alongside Delaney in a 3-0 away win at Bristol City – his injury struck again.

“I worked very hard with the fitness department at the back end of pre-season doing loads of running to catch up and I felt fine in the first game,” said the Icelander. “It swelled up though, turned out to be a tear and the rest is history.

“To come to a new club, play the first game of the season and then be out for five weeks is not really ideal.

“It’s almost been cat and mouse trying to get my fitness to the same level of those who have been playing while I was injured. It’s been frustrating but I feel I am getting close to the right fitness now.”

Ingimarsson replaced Delaney in the 48th minute of the 1-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace and Sonko in the 40th minute of last weekend’s 4-1 loss at Millwall.

Blues boss Jewell named the same starting XI for six games in a row recently, but has now been forced into using eight different defenders over the course of the last two games alone – Mark Kennedy, Aaron Cresswell, Danny Collins, Carlos Edwards, Reece Wabara, Sonko, Delaney and Ingimarsson all featuring.

“It’s not ideal,” admitted Ingimarsson. “I am sure if you ask any manager then not many of them will change the back four if they don’t have to.

“Too many changes can be upsetting, but throughout the season things change. Personnel, systems – it very rarely stays the same throughout.

“The results in the last two games haven’t been good. Losing matches is never nice, I just hope that the team – from the goalkeeper all the way through – can improve and start getting the results again.

“We had a very good spell, we’ve had three which were difficult but hopefully now a better time is around the corner.”

– For full match preview, see tomorrow’s EADT and Evening Star.