New Town winger Luke Thomas is hoping to make his full debut in tomorrow night’s live-on-Sky League One clash with promotion rivals Sunderland at Portman Road.
The ninth-placed Blues take on a Black Cats side unbeaten on their league travels this season — played 10, won five, drawn five — and sitting seventh in the table, one point better off but having played a game more.
If Thomas, who is on loan from Barnsley for the remainder of the season, does feature in manager Paul Lambert’s starting line-up he will be going all out to impress, while also seeking his first goal in more than a year.
It was on January 5th 2020 that the lively winger last netted, rounding off the Tykes’ 3-1 FA Cup first round win at Crewe, and for his last league goal you have to go all the way back to August 2019 and the opening day of the season when he marked his debut for the Yorkshire club with the only goal of the game against Fulham in the Championship.
Thomas, who was one of three substitutes used by Lambert for the final 15 minutes of Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat by third-placed Peterborough, said: "There’s no better feeling in football than putting the ball in the back of the net. I’m hoping there will be opportunities on Tuesday. If I’m playing I will be chomping at the bit to score.”
The 21-year-old, who hails from Soudley, a small village in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, added: "It was very good to get on the pitch at the weekend and get a few minutes. It was a disappointing result, unfortunately, but from my own point of view it was definitely good to come off the bench and I’ll be looking to kick on over the coming weeks and months.
"I got quite involved and felt as if I did alright on the ball but I can definitely offer a lot more than what I showed in the short time I had. Hopefully, it will be a case of getting more minutes in the future to show what I can do.”
Before arriving in Suffolk last week, Thomas made 22 appearances for Barnsley this season. He started seven league games and came off the bench in a further 12, while he also had three cup outings — one start and two substitute appearances.
He continued: "I feel fully match fit after the games I had with Barnsley this season. I was coming on from the bench a lot so my aim is now to be a more regular starter. My fitness level is good and I’m ready and willing to go.
"I know it’s a hectic schedule but I’m fine with that. As far as I’m concerned there’s nothing better than playing games and I’m really looking forward to it.
"I hope to get in the starting line-up and after that I’ll be doing my best to make sure I stay in the team.
"You saw on Saturday what I’m all about. I like to get on the ball and give the opposition full-back as tough a time as I can and every time I’m playing that’s what I will be looking to do.
"I’ll always look to do my best for the team and what you saw against Peterborough was just a taste of what I can bring to the side.
"In the chats I have had with the manager he has referred to my loan spell at Coventry for the 2018/19 season and the way I played then.
"He has seen quite a lot of me in the past and he said he has also seen a lot of clips from other games I have played in.
"In the conversations we have had he has just asked me to be confident in my ability and show everyone what I can do.”
In his temporary stint with the Sky Blues from then-parent club Derby he started 41 league games and came off the bench in a further two, scoring four goals. He also played and scored in an FA Cup tie and it was his form that season that prompted Barnsley to sign him.
Thomas said: "That loan move worked very well for me. I played pretty much the whole season and it helped me to move up the pyramid a bit.
"I was a young lad, just 19, when I went to Coventry and it was my first-ever loan spell in the league. I played most of the games there and I’m looking to at least get back to the form I was in then, if not better, while I’m down here.”