David Cuffley UEFA Cup hero Jeremy Goss has spoken of his delight at putting on his boots again to help out the Norwich City coaching team. Two months after taking redundancy at Carrow Road when the club dispensed with the role of community ambassador, Goss, who once worked as an Academy coach at Colney, has been invited to assist reserve team boss Ian Crook.

David Cuffley

UEFA Cup hero Jeremy Goss has spoken of his delight at putting on his boots again to help out the Norwich City coaching team.

Two months after taking redundancy at Carrow Road when the club dispensed with the role of community ambassador, Goss, who once worked as an Academy coach at Colney, has been invited to assist reserve team boss Ian Crook.

His first stint on duty was in the Totesport.com Combination match against Southend at Roots Hall on Tuesday, which the Canaries won 1-0.

Goss, 44, said: “Paul Lambert approached me to help Ian Crook with the reserves and naturally I was delighted to accept. I'm very appreciative that the manager has given me this opportunity to put my boots back on and work alongside Ian, who is a good friend of mine and was a fantastic player.

“We had a game at Southend on Tuesday and I really enjoyed getting back into it.”

City say the move will boost the coaching support available to the reserves and free up more time for assistant manager Ian Culverhouse and football operations manager Gary Karsa to focus on first team matters with Lambert in the crucial final weeks of the League One campaign. “It will involve helping prepare the squad for reserve games. I imagine each week will be different. It's just a case of going in when Ian wants me to,” said Goss.

“There were a lot of senior players at Southend with people such as Paul McVeigh, Adam Drury, Owain Tudur Jones, Matthew Gill and Stephen Hughes all involved. If it lasts a day, a week or a month or more, I'm pleased I can offer my experience to that group of players. I have the club very much at heart and I know a thing or two about reserve team football - I must have played hundreds of reserve games.”

Goss, who has spent all but three of the last 27 years with the club - scoring 23 goals in 238 senior games - is delighted to see the Canaries so well placed to regain Championship status. “The atmosphere is absolutely terrific and to be so many points clear at this stage is an ideal situation to be in. There is a buzz about the place and a confidence and belief.”