Defender Adam Drury is desperate to put an “absolute nightmare” behind him and play a full part in Norwich City's League One campaign. The 30-year-old full-back has suffered two wretched seasons, spent mostly on the sidelines, since suffering serious knee damage in October 2007.

Defender Adam Drury is desperate to put an “absolute nightmare” behind him and play a full part in Norwich City's League One campaign.

The 30-year-old full-back has suffered two wretched seasons, spent mostly on the sidelines, since suffering serious knee damage in October 2007.

But the Canaries' former captain and player of the year is hoping the knee operation he had at the end of last season has finally put an end to his injury woe.

Drury has not started more than two first team matches in a row since he picked up the injury in a 3-1 home defeat by Bristol City 20 months ago.

Now, however, after working on his rehabilitation programme at Colney, he is on course to start pre-season training with the rest of the senior squad in less than two weeks' time.

He said: “When I originally had the operation and came back from that I then pulled my hamstring and since then I've had a lot of problems with bits and pieces in my knee.

“A couple of months ago I had a clear-out operation and they found a couple of bits that they managed to tidy-up and sort out.

“It is feeling really good now. Hopefully, fingers crossed, that's the end of the problems because the last two years have been an absolute nightmare, to be honest.”

Drury told the club's official website: “I have been doing a lot of strength work. I'm not right-footed and it's been my right knee so I have had to do a lot of extra work to build up the muscle in my right leg. Generally I have had to get it moving again and have been getting used to bending it and using it again.

“I'm on course to join back in on the first day and do what everybody else is doing. I just want to be back and be a part of it again. I need to get a proper pre-season under my belt.”

After eight years at Carrow Road, Drury has more City appearances under his belt than any member of the current squad, but only 24 of his 284 outings have come in the past two seasons.

With another major overhaul of the squad under way, he will have yet more new faces to get to know before the big kick-off on August 8 - but at least one of manager Bryan Gunn's new recruits, Matthew Gill, is a former team-mate from his Peterborough days.

“It was a few years ago now that I played with Gilly but from what I can remember back then he was not afraid to get stuck in,” said Drury.

“He also likes to get on the ball and make teams play - I'm sure he'll be a great addition for us.

“He is a local lad and really happy to be coming here. I'm sure he'll soon settle in.

“He knows what the lower leagues are all about, as do a few of the lads we've got who have played lower league football.”

Posh were in the third flight of English football when Drury left them in a �500,000 move in 2001, but for City it is more of a culture shock after dropping out of the top two tiers for the first time in 49 years.

“We all know it is going to be tough and not easy for us but we've just got to get on with it,” he said, pleased to start the campaign at home to Colchester.

“It's a great first fixture but whoever we were playing we want to get off to a good start,” he said.

“To be at home is ideal because we need to sort out our home form. It has been a big problem in the last couple of years but if we can sort that out hopefully it will lead to better things.”