Paddy Davitt Norwich City striker Jamie Cureton has one big regret over his premature Carrow Road exit - missing the chance to say farewell to the fans. The former City trainee moved to League Two promotion hopefuls Shrewsbury last week on an emergency loan ahead of his current City deal expiring in the summer.

Paddy Davitt

Norwich City striker Jamie Cureton has one big regret over his premature Carrow Road exit - missing the chance to say farewell to the fans.

The former City trainee moved to League Two promotion hopefuls Shrewsbury last week on an emergency loan ahead of his current City deal expiring in the summer.

The 34-year-old admitted yesterday there was definitely no way back after failing out-of-favour with Canaries' boss Paul Lambert.

"I guess at the time I was left out people probably didn't think it would be my last appearance but the fans were one of the reasons I came back again," he said.

"They have been great to me throughout my career and it is a bit frustrating that I won't get the opportunity to say thank you for all their support.

"They've been good to me so that is a shame but football is funny so I wouldn't be surprised if I come back at some point in the future and hopefully they would give me a good reception.

"That is me done now. I won't be renewing my contract and it's the end of the road at Norwich which is why I felt I had to get out and get some games to prove to someone else I can still do a job.

"I feel fit and I'm still hungry to play so I'll get to the summer and assess my options. I want to play as long as I can and while I am enjoying it I will carry on.

"I'm not one of those who would say they don't want to drop down the leagues."

Cureton was frozen out of Lambert's League One plans after scoring a winning penalty in November's Johnstone's Paint Trophy success at Swindon.

"By the time the next round came I was well out of the picture," he said. "We had a few chats and he explained he didn't think I would be part of his squad. That is fair enough as every manager has his own opinions but I think it got a bit silly - I wasntraining with the first team and I wasn't being selected for reserve games either.

"I was just kicking my heels for two months. I'm one of those who just tries to keep his head down, come into training, and work hard but it was tough.

I scored twice in two games against Bristol Rovers and Orient when I got about 10 minutes in each game at the end. I thought I showed enough to get a chance although I had no arguments when the side was playing well.

"But when the opportunity did come around it was Cody (McDonald) or someone else who would get the nod and you know then you probably don't feature."

Cureton has already featured twice for the Shrews and believes New Meadow is an ideal staging post for the next phase of his long career.

"They've been in and around the play-offs three or four years in a row and the club is geared up to League One with the stadium, the training facilities and some tidy players here," he said.

"The top three is still not out of the question but there are some decent sides. I was impressed with Bury in my first game and it's not a bad standard.

"I wouldn't be able to play in the play-off final because my emergency loan does not extend that far. I could play in the two legs of the semi so that would be tough to take but if I can play my part in helping the club go up that is the main thing. I'm confident if I get my match fitness back I'll score goals - but I have always felt that at whatever level I play."