Peter Thorne believes it is only a matter of time before Norwich City fans start seeing the very best of new striker Robert Earnshaw. The experienced front-man had a close up view of Earnshaw's ability in and around the box when he played alongside him at Cardiff in a partnership that yielded over 100 goals - and he is convinced he will be a huge hit at Carrow Road.

Peter Thorne believes it is only a matter of time before Norwich City fans start seeing the very best of new striker Robert Earnshaw.

The experienced front-man had a close up view of Earnshaw's ability in and around the box when he played alongside him at Cardiff in a partnership that yielded over 100 goals - and he is convinced he will be a huge hit at Carrow Road.

“Trust me, that lad is full of goals,” said Thorne, as he prepared for a potential reunion at Hull's KC Stadium this afternoon.

“It's a great signing for Norwich, there's no doubt about that. I couldn't really believe it when he turned up at the hotel before our game at Reading. I was in a state of shock when he walked through the door!

“I had heard the rumours like everyone else but you never really believe them until a player actually arrives. It was great to see him and give him a welcome hug.

“He has got a track record as a proven goal-scorer so the club didn't need any advice from me when they made their move. It's a great piece of business and once he has settle down I'm sure Earnie will start knocking them in on a regular basis again.”

The Welsh international failed to make much of an impression on his debut against Ipswich last Sunday when he was limited to just one half-chance. It will clearly take him a little time to find his feet at his new club, but having a familiar face alongside him would certainly help - and that's where Thorne might fit in today.

He missed the derby encounter through illness but is now fit and raring to go, and would relish the opportunity of resuming a successful goal-scoring partnership in a match City must win to maintain even the slenderest chance of making the end-of-season play-offs.

“I don't know whether the manager will pair us up on Saturday - but it's nice to back with Earnie again,” he said. “We had a good understanding at Cardiff and we had a couple of good seasons together. He was banging in goals for fun and I scored a few as well - although not nearly as many as him!

“It would be nice to get that partnership going again at Norwich, although that's obviously a decision for the manager.

“I don't know why it worked so well, to be honest. It was talked about a lot while we were at Cardiff and nobody was really able to put their finger on it. We just seemed to click.

“We both got to know each other's games very well and that obviously helped. I'm just looking forward to working with him again and it will be interesting to see what happens if we are given another chance together.

“It would be nice to get back but I am not taking anything for granted. We seem to have gone from a very small squad to quite a big one in recent weeks, with players coming back for injury and new ones coming in.

“I would never use it as an excuse but one of the main reasons we have struggled this season has been the number of injuries we have had to contend with. But the manager now has a few options to consider and that can only be a good thing.”

Thorne is just happy to be in a position to challenge again after being laid low with a bout of illness when City were taking on their East Anglian rivals at Carrow Road.

“I played at Reading, which was a disastrous game for us, and was looking forward to getting that one out of my system against Ipswich,” he said. “I wasn't able to do that and now I'd love to get another chance.

“I'm fine now - but I was a bit rough at the weekend. A couple of us went down with a virus and I spent a couple of days in bed, I felt that bad.

“It was a big blow to miss the derby game - but as it turned out I didn't even feel up to watching it. I was in bed listening to it on the radio - and it didn't make me feel any better, I can tell you.

“After what happened last Sunday this is a massive game for us, although they are all massive games now. It's going to be a mad scramble between now and the end of the season and we just need to stay positive and get out there and win some games.

“I hear nearly 2000 fans are going up there to support us and that's superb. It's a long way to travel and we really appreciate it. We'll definitely be going out there trying to make up for the last two performances.

“They could do with something to cheer about at the moment - and hopefully we will provide that on Saturday.”