Chris Lakey Luke Chadwick says he has finally got over his long-standing shoulder injury and is ready to join Norwich City's end-of-season battle against relegation.

Chris Lakey

Luke Chadwick says he has finally got over his long-standing shoulder injury and is ready to join Norwich City's end-of-season battle against relegation.

The Canaries midfielder played an hour of a behind-closed-doors reserve team friendly against Cambridge United on Tuesday - and reported no ill effects.

“It was good to get the game in,” said Chadwick yesterday. “Everything felt fine, there were no side effects, but I didn't really think there would be.

“The surgeon who performed the operation said I need three months between surgery and playing again and that time has passed.”

Chadwick, 27, says he's ready for the fray, but admits that his opinion might not be shared by City's management team, who have been without him for more than four months.

“I have been doing a lot of strengthening work and a lot of running and I feel fine,” he said. “But whether the physios and the coaching staff feel the same way I don't know. All I know is I'm ready if they want me.

“As well as all the running I've been dumped on the grass a few times in training and I've got up with no side effects - it doesn't worry me any more, whereas it used to be so bad I could wake up in the middle of the night and just put my shoulder out like that.

“It was loose when I ran, but the surgeon has done a terrific job and it feels so strong. It's so much tighter now.”

Chadwick has made just nine starts for the Canaries this season, having missed most of his first season after suffering a serious knee injury on his goal-scoring debut at Ipswich in November, 2006. Then, against Ipswich Reserves, in December last year, the shoulder finally gave way for the final time.

In total, he has clocked up only 10 Championship starts in almost 18 months at Carrow Road.

“I have never really got my career going since I got here,” Chadwick said. “What happened at Ipswich was a disaster for me personally.

“This season I was in and out of the team and then the shoulder just got too much. I've had the problem for years and it only began to cause me real problems when I was at Stoke, but something had to be done.

“But I don't intend to look back any more. There's no point. I am fit and I want to stay that way.

“Obviously I'm delighted to have got through an hour on Tuesday - there were a few good tackles as well - and now I'm ready for the battle.”