Fit again Norwich skipper Mark Fotheringham is ready to take his derby frustrations out on Championship title favourites West Brom at Carrow Road this weekend.

Fit again Norwich skipper Mark Fotheringham is ready to take his derby frustrations out on Championship title favourites West Brom at Carrow Road this weekend.

The 24-year-old suffered a freak neck injury in the build up to Ipswich's 2-1 cruise on Sunday but Fotheringham confirmed yesterday he plans a swift return against the promotion hunting Baggies.

“Basically I just ran out of time,” said the Scot, forced into a watching Portman Road brief. “I went up for a header and think it might have been the way I landed. I just got a shooting pain through my left shoulder blade. I couldn't get any movement in it and I was in a lot of pain down my left hand side. I went up to see the osteopath with the physio and he manipulated it and made it a lot better. I'm sure I'll be ready for West Brom.

“I was absolutely gutted to miss Sunday to be honest. I knew straight away. I missed a week with a back injury last season and it was the same thing again. I knew I'd done something and would be struggling. In a game of that magnitude if you are not 100% it shows.”

Fotheringham insists Glenn Roeder's squad should relish the chance to put things right against the FA Cup semi finalists.

“They're a good side but at the same time they're not Man United or Arsenal or anything like that,” City's captain told the club's official site. “They're in our league and we've got to go and compete. On our day we've showed we are good enough and I think we've done that against the better sides in the Championship. Look at Bristol City and Charlton are another side where we passed it well.

“For me as a footballer these are the ones where you have got to be confident to keep the ball and keep your composure. Maybe we didn't do that enough in the derby.

“We know they've got good players and threats. Jonathan Greening is a good player but we have to prove we are more than capable of competing with these lads who have Premiership experience. All over the park we have to be able to say after the game, 'I did well against Kevin Phillips,' or 'I did well against Ishmael Miller.' If you do then you come up with your reputation intact.”

Fotheringham accepts City still need points as much an opportunity to restore battered pride with the scramble for the final relegation slot hotting up.

“We have got to get the points to put this thing to bed,” he said. “We should've done so a month ago and we are dragging it out. Obviously we know the situation with the other clubs. We sit here (in the canteen) and have lunch. There's a 42 inch plasma screen with Skysports News on all the time so we know exactly what other teams are doing. But the thing is we just have to concentrate on our job. We need to prepare 110% for West Brom.”