New Town signing Jonas Knudsen revealed that his father was the inspiration for his long throws which were one of the main talking points following the Blues’ 1-1 home draw with Utrecht in their final friendly on Saturday. The Danish international made his first appearance for Town as a half-time sub having signed from hometown club Esbjerg on Friday.
"In Denmark sometimes they call me the new Rory Delap!” the left-back said after Saturday’s match.
"My dad also did that when he played football and you know when you’re a kid you look up to your dad and that’s what I did.
"When he played football I saw him make the throw-in, so from when I was a little kid I made the throw-ins and it’s one of the good things about my game.”
He says that his father played local football in Denmark and that his throws were a big threat: "He made so many good goals with his throw-ins and he was encouraging me.”
Having caused a fair amount of discomfort to the Utrecht defence with his throws at the weekend, Knudsen is aiming to claim a number of assists during the season ahead: "I hope so.”
The 22-year-old reflected on what was a whirlwind week for him: "The move came about very quickly and it’s nice to be here and I’m very happy to have played my first game.
"I heard about [Ipswich’s] interest around three weeks ago and they came to see me in games. I played the two first games for my old club Esbjerg and I think they liked what they saw.
"I think I heard [the move was on] on Wednesday and there were talks and then we talked again on Thursday and then I came here Friday, and now it’s Saturday and everything is perfect.”
Knudsen had previously been linked with Marseille and had interested Dutch sides PSV and AZ Alkmaar but he says he’s always wanted a move to England.
"I always had a dream about coming to play in English football,” he added. "I love to see the football and the style I think is very good for me and I like it.
"I’m a player that can run a lot and I’m good at defending, I love to defend well and that’s important to me.
"I know in England they love players who like to keep the clean sheet and love to defend. I also love to come up the line and make some good crosses.”
Having been at his local club since he was 11 years old, he admits it’s a big move for him, but believes now is the right time to move on.
"I have been at Esbjerg my whole life,” he continued. "I made my debut at Esbjerg very early, I was only 17 years old.
"In my first season I only played 10 games [in the Superliga, the Danish top flight] and then [two years later] we went into the first division and it was good for me and and I played 13 games a level down.
"Then we came back into the Superliga and we won the [Danish Cup] and then went into the Europa League.
"Then I got my debut in the national team as well as the U21s, so I think I was ready to take the next step in my career.
"As I said, I was only 17 years old when I got my debut and I’m only 22 years old now and I feel ready to take the next step.”
Knudsen, capped twice at full level by Denmark, says he enjoyed his first foray into English football: "I think we played well but Utrecht is also a good team, a very good footballing team, they play quick and the same maybe as a Danish team, more technical.
"But I think we played very well in the second, made good pressure and I don’t think they had a chance and I think we had a lot and it was nice to score and get the draw.”
He says he’s been looked after very well by the rest of the squad during his brief time at Portman Road: "My team-mates have taken me in very well and I’m very happy for this. I thank them a lot for this because I perform when I feel good and they have given me a good feeling.”
In addition to the long throw, a quick look at YouTube reveals some notable strikes from distance and Knudsen says he wasn’t far away with an effort on Saturday.
"I hit it very well but today they blocked my shot,” he said. "If they hadn’t blocked it I think it was going in because I hit it very well.”
Amongst Knudsen’s close friends is one-time Town defender Thomas Gaardsøe, who ended his career playing at Esbjerg.
"He’s a very good friend and on Wednesday I saw that he played at Ipswich,” Knudsen said. "He played at Esbjerg as well when I was a young kid and he was an older player and he took me under his wing.
"He said ‘I think you have to go to the Championship in England to play one day’ and now I’m standing here and it’s so fantastic.
"I have to talk with him again about my move but the last few days have been so intense, I only talked to him for five minutes and we said we’d talk a little bit more in the next few days.”
Having made his first appearance in a blue shirt against Utrecht he says he can’t wait for the season proper to start at Griffin Park next Saturday when Town take on Brentford.
"I’m looking forward to the game. I know they have got a lot of good players at Brentford, I think they’re a good team but, as I saw today, we have a very good team so I think we can do well in this game and I’m looking forward to starting the season.”
Photo: ITFC