Chris Lakey Jamie Cureton has the evidence to back his case for a start against Southampton tonight - all he needs now is to convince Judge Glenn Roeder. The Canaries striker hasn't scored in 15 games since a hat-trick against his old club Colchester at Carrow Road in March.

Chris Lakey

Jamie Cureton has the evidence to back his case for a start against Southampton tonight - all he needs now is to convince Judge Glenn Roeder.

The Canaries striker hasn't scored in 15 games since a hat-trick against his old club Colchester at Carrow Road in March. And since he put a penalty wide at Cardiff last month, he hasn't started a game for the Canaries.

But his strike rate against Southampton is impressive - in his last three starts against the Saints he has score five goals.

Two of those came on his "second" debut for the Canaries at the start of last season, which followed three the previous season for Colchester.

"I've thought about it and it might be a nice team to play against," admitted Cureton. But does Roeder know of his hex on the Saints?

"I don't know if he has looked back at that," admitted the striker. "Things have gone well against them but I think he knows I am one of those players that, once I start scoring, I tend to go on good runs. It is just a case of getting that first one.

"I just keep doing my best and the best chance of me doing that is by starting. Since I have been left out that has been my main aim, to get back in the 11. Once you are in it you have to do your best to stay in it but at the moment my focus is to stay in it."

Cureton is clearly frustrated, but admits his current barren run does him no favours when the manager decides on his attacking options.

"I suppose not," he said. "It's down to whether he feels I am looking sharp in training and whether he feels I can come in and do a job for the team. And that goes for the people who are playing as well - if he feels he is maybe not getting the best out of what he wants then he has got to and I am the next in line.

"I have sat out my time like every player does and all you wait for is your chance again. It is down to him whether he feels you have done well enough to get in.

"He gives me 20 minutes to half an hour in most games at the moment and I feel I've done as much as I can do in those games bar score. It's the longest period I have had for a long time of not playing so it's been very frustrating. All you want to do is play football. I don't think anyone wants to sit on the bench.

"It's difficult but you just keep your head down and hope you get picked, which obviously means we are either going to have to lose or people are going to have to play badly so you are in a Catch 22 because you want the team to do well and be winning games and you obviously want to be part of that."

Recalling missed opportunities comes all too easily for strikers desperate for a goal, and Cureton is no exception - with the penalty miss at the forefront.

"A lot of has been made of it," he said. "Up until that penalty I don't think I really had many chances. I had the one against Blackpool, which I should have scored, and I think after that it was just the penalty so as in chances this season, I have not been too disappointed really. My form I felt had been okay in the two games prior to Cardiff, so it must be the penalty miss - and Arturo Lupoli coming on and scoring two."