DAVID CUFFLEY Striker Jamie Cureton today insisted he had no regrets about his summer return to Norwich City - despite finding himself in the thick of a relegation battle.

DAVID CUFFLEY

Striker Jamie Cureton today insisted he had no regrets about his summer return to Norwich City - despite finding himself in the thick of a relegation battle.

The 32-year-old goal getter goes into tomorrow's Coca-Cola Championship home match against Coventry City (3pm) as desperate as anyone at Carrow Road to end the bottom-of-the-table Canaries' awful run of 11 matches without a win.

After topping the Championship charts by scoring 23 times for Colchester in 2006-07, Cureton has just three league goals under his belt for City this term - albeit each one an absolute beauty - since his £800,000 move from Layer Road.

But he will not be caught taking a backward glance at the decision to rejoin the club where he began his career, even if his hopes of helping to mount a promotion challenge have been cruelly dashed.

He said: “No, not at all. I had the opportunity to come back here and I made a decision to commit myself to the club. You don't think 'I could have gone somewhere else'.

“I'd like to be in a better position, higher in the league and not down there, but that's football and you never know what's round the corner.”

Two weeks on the training ground since the 3-0 defeat at Plymouth, coupled with the introduction of three new loan signings, have helped the City squad recover from an awful afternoon in Devon.

“Plymouth is probably best forgotten,” said Cureton. “It was not one of our greatest performances - another game to put to the back of our minds.

“The mood's been good - everyone's been training hard since Plymouth. It's been very good, high tempo and everyone has enjoyed the last two weeks. The dressing room is still upbeat.”

The arrival of Matty Pattison, Mo Camara and Ched Evans should help City's cause, he said.

“They have that freshness because they haven't been caught up in everything that's gone on - and that's a good thing - and players are looking to see if their places are under threat.

“I've played against Mo Camara quite a lot. He's got good experience, has played at a high level, and should be a good signing.”

The onus was on City's players to get their own game right and not worry about the opposition, said Cureton.

“We haven't talked a lot about Coventry, perhaps nearer the game. I think it's all about us and if we do things right. The main thing is not to worry about other teams and to put our house in order and perform.

“We'll go into the game confident but we have to keep our performance at a high level for 90 minutes. We've dropped off in periods and it has cost us. Then if we go a goal down we find it hard to get back into games.

“The fans have been brilliant. We've got the second highest average gate in the Championship, which tells you what the club is about. They deserve a lot better than they're getting and it's time we gave them something to cheer about.”

It remains to be seen whether ex-Canary goalkeeper Andy Marshall, a team-mate of Cureton during his first spell with the club, will be in action tomorrow, but the striker is hoping he plays.

He said: “I bumped into him last year and we keep in contact. I dare say he'll get a bit of stick if he plays but we have to wait and see. It would be nice if he does, and to score against him would be great.”