Town boss Mick McCarthy admits that he has been surprised by striker Brett Pitman’s technical ability and has praised the summer signing from Bournemouth for his selfless approach to the game.
The 27-year-old, who has scored five goals in 12 starts and eight sub appearances for the Blues, opted to leave the Cherries on a free transfer in the summer having helped them to the Championship title last season, believing he wouldn’t have got too many chances in the Premier League.
Asked whether he thought the Channel Islander might have made an impression in the top flight, McCarthy said: "Let’s hope he gets the opportunity!
"I’ve said to Brett that he’s a much better player having turned up here than I ever thought he was.
"He was a good player but he’s surprised me with the technical ability that he has. He’s a very good player.”
Reflecting on two incidents in recent games where Pitman dummied just outside opposition areas, he added: "Against Wolves he let one go at the edge of the box, they nicked it and it ended up in the back of our net from a corner.
"[Then at Charlton] he let it go, Dougie helps it on, we scored the third and it was a thing of beauty.
"It shows you, thin margins between being good and bad. But he’s a good player, Brett. He’s very selfless in the way he plays.
"I asked him to sit on Alou Diarra at Charlton last week because he was causing us problems, we changed the shape and matched them up.
"It probably messed his game up, his own game, but he messed the other fella’s game up which sometimes is what you have to do.
"If you’re 2-0 up, you don’t have to do anything else, just win the game. He went and did it without any complaints.”
Pitman has partnered Daryl Murphy up front in recent weeks with Freddie Sears often in a role wide on the left.
The ex-Colchester man went 10 league games without a goal and McCarthy says he was relieved to see the 26-year-old get back on the scoresheet in the 3-0 win at the Valley.
"I knew a goal would come,” McCarthy said. "I said I was more relieved than he was because he’d been playing so well. I think he’s been brilliant, outstanding since he walked through the door.
"He’s got better and better and playing on the left, sort of playing a bit of a loose role on the left, he’s caused all sorts of damage.
"And every game he could have had a goal, maybe two goals. And every week I’m saying ‘Freddie, you’re brilliant, it’s great mate, you’re doing a great job, you’re playing well, it’s great for the team’.
"But ultimately he’s a goalscorer and he wants to score. So, I was relieved for him but I was more relieved for me because I was running out of rhetoric. You can’t keep saying the same things.
"He’s got to believe he can score from there and get his goals. He knows he can because he’s had his chances. He’s probably had more chances playing there than he has when he’s been playing up front.
"But you’ve got to score them then to believe in it and he did at Charlton. He’s been great, I’ve been delighted with him.”