The 18-year-old joined the Black Cats from Ipswich during the summer for an initial £8.1million which could eventually rise to £12million as manager Steve Bruce invested in his rich potential. Wickham's blossoming talent had prompted a series of top flight clubs to sit up and take notice after he burst into the Ipswich first-team at the age of just 16 years and 11 days, and Sunderland had to fight off serious competition to land him. However, he has had to remain patient on Wearside with Bruce refusing to pitch him into the intensity of Premier League football too soon, and he so far has five appearances as a substitute to his name. Wickham said: "Obviously, it's been quite frustrating. I just want to play football and when we are not doing so well, I feel and want to go on and show everyone what I can do and what I am capable of doing. "But I have just got to do the best I can every time I get on to the pitch. I have got to do enough in those 15, 20, 35 minutes that I am capable of doing what I have done before. "Every day and in every game, you need to do your best and when you do your best, it builds your confidence. "Confidence is key to any footballer and I have got confidence at the moment, so I just want to be playing football." Wickham will hope for another chance on familiar territory on Monday night when the Black Cats travel to promoted Norwich. The Canaries, of course, are Ipswich's fierce local rivals and the England Under-21s striker's last meeting with them in April ended in a humiliating 5-1 npower Championship defeat at Portman Road. However, while the Colchester-born frontman retains a great fondness for the Suffolk club, revenge will not be the only thing on his mind at Carrow Road. He said: "Ipswich was a great club and they taught me everything I know - I had been there since I was 11 years old. "What they did for me was brilliant, all the coaches and all the boys, and I still speak to some of the boys now. "But I have moved on, I am at Sunderland, I am in the Premier League and I have just got to show what I can do in the Premier League now." Wickham was one of three strikers to arrive at the Stadium of Light during the summer transfer window, and Asamoah Gyan's shock departure for United Arab Emirates club Al-Ain on loan means that he, South Korea international Ji Dong-won and loanee Nicklas Bendtner are the only fit specialists currently in the squad. Ji opened his goal account in the 2-1 home defeat by Chelsea on September 10, and midfielder Craig Gardner followed suit on Sunday as Sunderland claimed their opening victory of the campaign at the sixth attempt with a 4-0 demolition of Stoke. Now Wickham is hoping a chance will come his way so he too can get off the mark. He said: "I hope so, I hope that's how it goes. "I have just got to be in the right place at the right time and keep working hard in training, and hopefully I will get my time on the pitch and the goals will start coming soon."
