Chris Lakey Canaries boss Glenn Roeder is unlikely to explore the emergency loan market to help solve his shortage of front-line troops.

Chris Lakey

Canaries boss Glenn Roeder is unlikely to explore the emergency loan market to help solve his shortage of front-line troops.

Roeder has been reduced to just two regular out-and-out strikers following the loss of Jamie Cureton to illness, but says he won't be trying to add to his numbers when the loan window re-opens this morning.

That decision may signal a return for Chris Martin as back-up to Dion Dublin and Ched Evans, but Roeder has warned the youngster he still has plenty of work to do.

“We are really operating with three strikers - this might give Chris Martin the opportunity to come in and see if he can stake a claim to play more regularly,” said Roeder, who hasn't called on Martin since the 1-1 draw at home to Bury in the FA Cup.

“It is up to him. I can only give them a stage to go out and play on and they have to produce a performance on the day that keeps them in the team.

“Chris would be the first to admit against Bury the last time he played he didn't play particularly well.

“We are on to him in training every day to increase his work rate for the team. He has to realise that it is not all about standing up through the middle. You have to work hard for the team when you're not in possession, and he finds that quite difficult.

“But we'll keep working on him and hopefully the penny will drop.”

Martin has staked his claim for the third man role with five goals for the reserves in the space of a week, but Roeder insists he needs more evidence to back up his case before opportunity knocks.

“He has got ability, he does know how to stick the ball in the back of the net, but if you are not running around enough you are not going to get those opportunities and I have to say that without doubt there is a massive difference between first team football and reserve team football,” Roeder told the club's official web site.

“Reserve team football nowadays is generally made up of a lot of youth team players and the standard is quite low.”

Roeder will have spoken to reserve team boss Paul Stephenson, who saw Martin ram home a hat-trick at Luton on Tuesday afternoon following a brace against Grays the previous week.

“I'll be telling Glenn about his performance, because it's not just his goals, it's his all-round performance as well,” said Stephenson.

“Obviously when he's playing at Championship level it's a really different test, you have to be a bit sharper. But I have to say he wasn't quite at it, and he scored two goals at Grays. But he was at it a bit more against Luton. That was much more like it. He was clinical with his finishing, which was pleasing, and his work rate went up a bit.

“We still need more in terms of that, but if he can keep scoring goals and taking chances like he did today he's going to put himself in the picture.”

Martin has started two games under Roeder, including the infamous 3-0 defeat at Plymouth back in November, which made up the manager's mind as far as a few of his inherited squad were concerned.

His last appearance was against Bury when he missed a sitter in the opening minute and was replaced by Ryan Jarvis at half-time.

And while Martin's star could rise again, the teenager isn't making any assumptions.

“We'll have to wait and see what the gaffer's selection is,” said Martin. “All I can do is keep scoring in the reserves and see what team he picks.”

Roeder's alternative would be to recall Darren Huckerby, who has played down the middle before, but after that the cupboard is bare, with Ryan Jarvis away on loan at Notts County with no recall clause.

He could extend himself to the maximum on loan players but already has seven on the books, and says one more is not an option.

“No, I don't think so,” he said. “We have seven loan players here at the moment and as everyone knows you can only use five in any one game and with seven that means every game there's going to be a couple that aren't involved and it will be disappointing for them, especially as all seven are very, very good players.

“I have been delighted from what I have seen from the four lads I took in last week. You can see they are Premiership standard and they've come from Premiership clubs so they have got to find a way of forcing themselves into the team. They're here to play, that's the reason I brought them here.

“I didn't bring them here not to play, but when they get their chance I am sure they will take it.”