Dean Marney is hoping to avoid a Norwich City backlash when he makes his first return to Carrow Road this weekend. The Hull City midfielder played just a dozen games for the Canaries last season before an Achilles injury ended his year-long loan from Spurs.

Dean Marney is hoping to avoid a Norwich City backlash when he makes his first return to Carrow Road this weekend.

The Hull City midfielder played just a dozen games for the Canaries last season before an Achilles injury ended his year-long loan from Spurs.

He's back on Saturday - but admits the timing could have been better.

“We will be going to Norwich thinking we can get a result,” he said. “Obviously Norwich still have a Premiership look about them, they're a good team, but I think the result at Ipswich wasn't that good for us.

“They will have a point to prove, especially in front of their own fans, and that's going to make it more difficult for us.”

Marney, 22, moved to Hull in the summer, admitting that his chances of breaking into Tottenham's first team were slim.

But he could well have been wearing the yellow and green this season, had his stay in Norfolk not ended so abruptly when he went down in a heap during the home match against Sheffield Wednesday at the end of October.

“I was absolutely delighted to get the move and for it to finish the way it did was devastating,” he said. “When I originally signed I thought it was what I wanted - if I couldn't play in the Premiership with Spurs I wanted to play for a big club in the Championship, and that was what Norwich were, and still are.

“I was over the moon when it happened and, yes, I could well have stayed if things had gone right.

“I'm really looking forward to it - it's probably the one game I have really been looking forward to more than any other this season.”

Marney is hoping to come up against a player who joined the Carrow Road set-up at about the same time, midfielder Andy Hughes.

“I'm still very lose to Hughsey, and Ian Henderson as well,” he said. “I speak to them most days. Hughesy was one of my best mates when I started there. He had only just signed and he helped me settle in, I often went round to dinner with him and his wife and he really looked after me so I'm hoping he'll be starting on Saturday - and me as well.”

Marney has played a dozen games for Hull this season in a team which has included former Canaries defender Danny Mills - now back at Manchester City after a loan spell was cut short by injury - and Jason Jarrett, another former Norwich player who is on loan from Preston.

“Danny was good to have in the team because of his experience and it was a shame that he had to go back, a big blow,” said Marney. “Jason has come in for the last few games and done really well.

“It's true that we didn't start the season very well and the gaffer started to make a few changes, which meant I was out of the side for two or three games. That was very disappointing, but I worked hard to try and get back in and it has worked. We had a good little run of three games when we won a couple, but then we lost against Stoke last week.

“Stoke are a good team, with a lot of experience and big physical players and we couldn't break them down. I thought we were the better team on the day without getting the win.

“We're in a position where we have to win games to avoid getting sucked in at the bottom of the table and it will be difficult - but if we can get a good result at Carrow Road last week's blip will be forgotten.”