For now, it's more frustration than fulfilment for ex QPR man

Ashton Gate - the new home for former Rangers striker - whose stadium is graced by the statue of their most famous forward, John Atyeo (Picture: YTJourno)

He is the man QPR fans thought they were going to build their side around in the coming seasons.

He looked for all the world like a re-incarnation of Les Ferdinand - just waiting to have his moment in the sun.

The accent is Irish, but you'd have been forgiven for thinking that like Les, he was just a local lad from Goldhawk Road playing for his boyhood team. You could very easily forget he originated from Shamrock Rovers. Much hope was invested by the Loft End faithful.

But fate has decreed a different outcome and Sinclair Armstrong is now plotting his career rise 120 miles west at Bristol City. Another Championship side struggling to fulfil ambitions but one with a bigger stadium and support to impress.

He looks the part. The 21-year-old has the raw pace and strength to worry opponents and the Robins saw enough potential to sign him up in July for an undisclosed fee.

It was interesting, though, that Marti Cifuentes seemed not entirely convinced by the striker when he was under his charge. He did not seem to trust him fully in his search for a formula that would lift Rangers out of the slough he inherited. Armstrong was often granted only cameos and seen mainly as an impact sub.

A total of 39 of his 61 league appearances for the R's were from the bench and he made only 22 starts in three years at the club. Four goals seems a low return for a man possessed of such frightening armoury.

So far at City, he has scored just twice in 10 appearances - albeit netting vital goals in games which ended in home wins for the West Country side.

Sunday's the Severnside derby against Cardiff City at Ashton Gate offered a snapshot of his career so far. Pace, promise, desire, but, as yet, not quite crossing the Rubicon to reach the level he wants.

City boss Liam Manning does see him as a starter, but his position is far from nailed down. He faces competition from another newcomer, Frenchman Fally Mayulu, and another ex-Hoops man, Nahki Wells, among others.

He began well against the Bluebirds, displaying the kind of menace R's fans will have recognised. In the opening moments he was cutting in from the left flank and unleashing a thundering drive just over the bar, then slicing in from the left edge of the area to arrow an explosive low shot towards the far corner that was just kept out by the Cardiff keeper Jak Ainwick.

After that near-miss he turned to home fans in the main stand and waved his arms up and down in the way players do these days to inspire fans to raise the volume of support. He is not hiding.

In two other moments, he ticked the boxes for 'ideal target man qualities' by holding up play and chesting the ball down to a team-mate before accelerating into space to anticipate a return pass. And he moved well into the inside right channel to collect a pass from Scott Twine before scuffing a shot wide of the far post.

It seemed as if it could be his day, but there were hints of frustration bubbling under the surface - a sense that he is not quite (as yet) on the same wavelength as some of his team-mates, who are not always making the most of some intelligent runs. He began to look impatient and unhappy.

As Bristol's early promise faded, so too did Armstrong and after Cardiff had seized the lead early in the second half, the striker was hooked in favour of Mayulu. A vote of no confidence if ever there was one.

The fact the home side rallied to grab a 1-1 draw without him will not have improved his stock, but it is still early days and there is plenty of time for the Republic of Ireland international - who has one cap for his country - to start reaching the consistency he strives for.

Rangers fans may have mixed feelings about it all. They won't want him to turn out to be so successful that they are left ruing the one that got away even more than they already do. But at the same time, they know the germs of a great talent are there because they have seen it up close.

Armstrong's next steps are ones we will all be watching with interest.