Dominic Thompson is pleased with his start to life at Ipswich Town - but has stressed the Blues are yet to see the best of him.
Thompson, signed on loan from Brentford during the January transfer window, has played twice for Town, making his debut in the 1-0 loss at Sheffield Wednesday and then in Saturday’s single-goal victory over Gillingham.
He’s the latest in a long line of players to start a game at left wing-back for Ipswich this season but, while happy enough with what he’s been able to show so far, is insistent there is much more to come.
“My first game was after one day of training but I thought I gave a decent account of myself and then built on that against Gillingham on Saturday,” Thompson said.
“But I still feel like that’s only 60% of what I can bring. It takes some time to get to know the team, gel with the players and get on the same wavelength before it’s completely fluid.
“That comes with games. I’ve made some progression and I have no doubt I can continue in an upwards direction.
“I’ve played wing-back a fair bit for Brentford this season and also at Swindon (on loan) last season, so it’s something I’m familiar with but still learning, especially in an attacking sense.
“Getting forward is part of the game but I hope and know I can contribute more. As a wing back you have the whole line to work with by yourself and you’re expected to do both.
“I need to develop but the only way I’m going to do that is by playing games consistently. I felt I had more opportunity to do that here, which Brentford agreed with. Hopefully I can play as much as possible.
“I need to use this time here to come out of my shell on the pitch and be more of a presence and play with a lot more confidence. That’s what I want to do here at Town.”
Thompson is a likely starter again tomorrow night when the Blues go to Doncaster, with the loanee well aware of just how important taking three points against the League One basement boys is for his new club’s promotion hopes.
“It’s a must win,” he agreed. “We’re pushing for promotion so you’ll say that about every game.
“To take three points from every game will be great. We have to stay patient like we did against Gillingham, who sat deep and were hard to break down.
“Doncaster are bottom of the table but are coming off a win against a top League One side (Sunderland) so we can’t underestimate them and we need to stick to our plan, our tactics and our preparation.”
The 21-year-old is instantly recognisable on the field for the flashes of red hair as he moves up and down the left flank.
There is a scenario where he could swap Brentford red for Ipswich blue, though.
“We’ll have to see,” he smiled, discussing his hair situation.
“I had a chat with a lovely set of fans on the day I signed here, and we kind of came to an agreement that if we reached the play-offs then we would both dye our hair blue.
“I hope we see it.”
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