David Cuffley Mo Camara is desperate to avoid chalking up an unwanted double - of both his clubs being relegated in the same season.The 32-year-old full-back, on loan to Norwich City from Derby County since November, has had to watch from afar as the Rams have stumbled from one defeat to the next in their painful exit from the Premier League.

David Cuffley

Mo Camara is desperate to avoid chalking up an unwanted double - of both his clubs being relegated in the same season.

The 32-year-old full-back, on loan to Norwich City from Derby County since November, has had to watch from afar as the Rams have stumbled from one defeat to the next in their painful exit from the Premier League.

Camara, part of Derby's promotion-winning squad a year ago, made just two appearances for the Midlands club this season before his temporary switch to Carrow Road as one of manager Glenn Roeder's first signings.

He played in all but one of the 13 games in the unbeaten run that lifted the Canaries from rock bottom of the Championship to mid-table, missing only the last match of that sequence, the 1-1 draw against Hull.

Camara has largely had to play second fiddle to Ryan Bertrand at left-back over the past two months, but was on standby for a recall against leaders West Bromwich Albion at Carrow Road today, as the 18-year-old battled to recover from a hamstring problem.

And the man from Guinea is putting thoughts of his own future to the back of his mind to concentrate on the immediate goal of City's survival, determined that they will not suffer the same fate as the team from Pride Park.

“We need these three points for staying in the Championship, mathematically,” said Camara, ahead of today's match.

“I don't have any clue about next season at the moment. I need to go back to Derby at the end of the season and see what's happening. I hope when I go back next season Paul Jewell will give me my chance. But at the moment I'm just focusing on this, because I really want Norwich in the Championship.

“When we've taken these three points perhaps we can relax and I can think about my future after that.”

Camara admitted he was frustrated at being left out of Roeder's starting line-up for the last five matches.

“Of course, that's football life,” he said. “I've not been in the team in the last four or five games. There's hardly any footballer who doesn't want to play every single weekend.

“But at the end of the day you're only thinking about your club and any decision the gaffer has taken has been for benefit of the club.

“That's what he's paid for, taking decisions. Everything he's done at the moment is working good for us, so I hope after the West Brom game we're going to stay in the Championship. We don't deserve to be where we are at the moment.

“Every single weekend I make myself ready and if I'm in the team I have to do my best to help Norwich.

“That's my job. That's what I'm paid for. Every single player in the club has days when they don't play, and mine came last month.

“I need to show the manager I'm a strong guy and a good player. I need to carry on working hard. It's very hard because you want to play every single game.”

Camara tipped Chelsea youngster Bertrand for a bright future, saying; “He's a young lad, he's quick. He's a good left-back with a good left foot - a good future, definitely. At the moment, the manager's giving him the chance to play. Sometimes you'll have good days, sometimes bad days, that's all about learning the game.

“If he's playing in my place, or I'm playing left-back and he's winger, it's all about Norwich City football club. I think the manager and staff do every single thing so Norwich can win at the weekend. Sometimes they think Ryan is playing better than me.”

Camara played the final 18 minutes of last Sunday's 2-1 defeat at Ipswich after Bertrand was taken off.

“I've played a lot of derby games at different clubs and when you've lost it's not easy. We lost and we didn't play well, to be honest, it was not like Bristol City away or Stoke at home. We need to forget it and think about West Brom and Queen's Park Rangers.”

The severity of Derby's plight, with just one Premier League victory and only 11 points from 34 games before today's trip to West Ham, has surprised Camara.

“I'm really sad because, to be honest. I never thought it was going to be like that,” he said. “I knew it was going to be hard when I started the season there, but never thought we would be going down early.

“I have one more year left and I hope I will get me my chance and I will play next season - and perhaps I can come back with Derby and play for them in a game at Norwich next season. I can say that at Norwich I had an unbelievable season.”

Roeder said he was happy with Camara's contribution during his loan spell, in which he has made 22 appearances.

“Mo didn't let us down at all and he's back in contention if Ryan doesn't make it, along with one or two others,” he said.