CHRIS LAKEY Chris Brown made way for goal hero David Strihavka at the weekend - but manager Peter Grant is happy with his striker despite his lack of goals for the Canaries.

CHRIS LAKEY

Chris Brown made way for goal hero David Strihavka at the weekend - but manager Peter Grant is happy with his striker despite his lack of goals for the Canaries.

Brown hasn't scored a senior goal for City in a dozen league and cup starts since his loan move from Sunderland was made permanent in January and was taken off moments after missing a good opportunity on Saturday.

But Grant is satisfied the 22-year-old is making a valuable contribution to the cause.

“Probably the disappointing thing for him is he is desperate to score,” said Grant. “You can see that in the way he plays, but he does a lot of good things for us.

“We are trying to say to him that he has got to hit the ball quicker, because he will take things and take another touch and we are saying to him he has to hit it earlier; good strikers, in the box, and the keepers don't get to move their feet.”

Ironically, Grant believes that had Brown not tried to take just one touch he would have put away the opportunity that came his way.

“I think that is what he has tried to do with his last one - whereas if it was probably the usual Chris Brown he would probably have taken a touch and then finished it,” Grant added. “That's sod's law, but there is no doubt he is going to be a big plus for us. He never makes it easy for the defenders and I think Jamie (Cureton) would say he does a lot of spadework for him and knocks people about.

“We have that difference mix with Chris being able to do it with legs, we have Dion Dublin who can do it and just be more powerful, we have David Strihavka, who is technically good and bright and quick over the ground, so I definitely think we have a different mix in there who can help us through the season.”

“If we are organised everywhere else I definitely think we have match winners further up the pitch.”

Grant made changes in midfield, with Simon Lappin joining Darel Russell in the centre and Darren Huckerby starting his first league game of the season wide left. That meant Julien Brellier was dropped to the bench, where there was no place for teenager Chris Martin.

“I just felt in the games we have had we have not had enough passes and I just thought Simon would give us a different balance with his left foot and also the fact that Hucks is on that side - I think a natural left-sider automatically drifts over there if Hucks is caught out of position,” said Grant. “Then Julien comes on for a small period and shows what he is about. I have said to the boys I will mix the teams - there are definitely game I will have to change and there will be different types of players in there.

“We have lost two playmakers who we thought we were going to have in Jimmy Smith and Mark Fotheringham so we went with two guys who are probably similar in many ways, probably better when the opposition have the ball, so I just felt I had to change that a little bit, and I thought the two of them worked well in there. Julien has a big part to play in it, no doubt of that, but it offers us a different mix - you can play three in there, you can play two in there and you can have a different two in there - and I'm pleased with that.”