Chris Lakey His footballing CV is as long as a goalkeeper's arm - but Paul Crichton admits he has caught the "Norfolk" bug. Crichton has returned to Carrow Road as goalkeeping coach - four and a half years after leaving the club as a player.

Chris Lakey

His footballing CV is as long as a goalkeeper's arm - but Paul Crichton admits he has caught the "Norfolk" bug.

Crichton has returned to Carrow Road as goalkeeping coach - four and a half years after leaving the club as a player. The opportunity to return has come with the departure of Tommy Wright, and Crichton admits there was only ever going to be one answer when Bryan Gunn called.

"There was never really any question about not going back," he said. "Someone once told me that once I joined Norwich I wouldn't want to leave, and I know now what they mean. They were right - it draws you in. My wife and our family miss Norwich."

Crichton has left a similar role at Brighton to head back to Norwich.

"We'd just started to get settled in Eastbourne," he said. "The manager, Mickey Adams, and the backroom staff have been fantastic and I'm sad to leave. But I had three great years here, ending in the Championship winning season. I didn't play many games, but I just wanted to return - it's a great place.

"The club is in a false position at present, and if I can help support the gaffer, support the goalkeepers, support the club as a whole, then I want to do so. I want the club to be back where it belongs."

What the 40-year-old Crichton does have is a good stock of keepers to work with, from first team regular David Marshall, back-up Stuart Nelson, to promising youngsters Declan Rudd and Jed Steer.

"There are some good keepers here," he said. "Marshy's a good keeper who has just made a couple of mistakes recently. It's unfortunate, but we'll sort it out, no problem. I haven't seen much of the young lads but that will happen this week."

City manager Gunn said: "I'm delighted to bring Paul to my backroom staff. I've known him from his time at the club when he was understudy for Robert Green.

"He like the rest of the coaching team, knows the club and I think that's important.

"We want someone to continue to develop not only the first team goalkeepers but those in the Academy and I know he's looking forward to putting a development programme in place, which is important as we've had a good record in this position in recent years."

Crichton has played more than 500 matches during his career, during which time he has represented more than 20 clubs.