City midfielder Mark Fotheringham admitted he felt manager Glenn Roeder had “lost faith” in him after he was substituted after an hour of the depressing defeat by Swansea.

City midfielder Mark Fotheringham admitted he felt manager Glenn Roeder had “lost faith” in him after he was substituted after an hour of the depressing defeat by Swansea.

After beginning the season as captain, the 25-year-old Scot has started just two of the Canaries' last eight games and has been taken off in both. For Saturday's clash with the Swans, Fotheringham regained the skipper's armband when he was recalled for the suspended Darel Russell, but it was passed to Gary Doherty with half an hour of the game remaining when he made way for Wes Hoolahan.

“I came off at Burnley and I came off today and it's got nothing to do with my injuries or anything like that,” said Fotheringham. “I'm fit and ready to play, but the manager's got his opinions and if he wants to take me off and put Wes on, then I've just got to respect that and I've got to be professional.

“But it's never nice when you're taken off at home, especially when the team is losing - the same at Burnley as well. It's been a difficult few months for me because I've been left out of the squad and I can't really get a run of games going again. I played a lot at the start of the season. But it's just the way football is. You've got to be strong and try to do the things you're good at doing.

“In the first half I felt fine. I just tried to go out there and play my normal game but I think the boss has lost a bit of faith in me at the moment and he's shown that by leaving me out of the squad - and also in the fact that he's taken me off in games when he probably feels I'm not having an impact on the game.”

Fotheringham is not about to rock the boat over his lack of games but knows he faces a battle to regain a regular place in central midfield with Sammy Clingan and Russell currently the preferred pairing.

He said: “The manager's got Sammy who does a similar job and Rusty when he's back so I've just got to take it on the chin. He (Roeder) has not told me his reasons for dropping me and I don't expect to be either, because I've got a lot of respect for him, Lee Clark and Paul Stephenson and I'm not the type of player to be walking around moaning.”