David Cuffley Midfielder Andrew Crofts has set himself no scoring target for Norwich City this season and admits: "Goals are just a bonus."The 26-year-old summer signing from Brighton has scored twice in the Canaries' first six Championship games and was desperately close to chalking up a third when his effort was cleared off the line in the second half of Tuesday's 3-1 defeat at Doncaster.

David Cuffley

Midfielder Andrew Crofts has set himself no scoring target for Norwich City this season and admits: “Goals are just a bonus.”

The 26-year-old summer signing from Brighton has scored twice in the Canaries' first six Championship games and was desperately close to chalking up a third when his effort was cleared off the line in the second half of Tuesday's 3-1 defeat at Doncaster.

Defender Mustapha Dumbuya rescued Rovers with the all-important clearance after Crofts met Anthony McNamee's corner with a powerful header.

But the Wales international is losing no sleep over the one that got away.

Crofts, set to make the 250th Football League appearance of his career when City visit Preston North End on Saturday, has 25 league goals to his name since his first in 2004 - a neat ratio of one in every 10 matches - and while he will strive for a better strike rate than that, he insists the team's results take priority.

“I've got a couple this season and maybe I was unlucky not to get one tonight,” he said after the game at the Keepmoat Stadium.

“I like to chip in with a few goals but other parts of my game are more important. If I can chip in with a few goals here and there it's a bonus to the team.”

Crofts scored nine times in all competitions for Gillingham in 2006-07 and bagged seven for Brighton last term, a valuable addition to the energy and drive - not to mention crunching tackles - that have already endeared him to City followers.

And he believes the Canaries were worth at least a point at Doncaster, where Russell Martin scored his first goal for the club.

He said: “I think we were desperately unlucky. We were in the ascendancy for most of the second half.

“I had one off the line, Russ scored and we looked like scoring the equaliser. They had a bit of luck with the deflection from the free-kick for the third goal, but that's football.

“The boys can't wait for Saturday now and we're raring to go.

“Team morale is really high even though we've lost.

“The next game is the most important.”

Crofts did not see any cause for concern in City's display at Doncaster, where they conceded three goals for the third time in eight league and cup games.

He said: “I couldn't see much wrong with the performance - sometimes it goes for you, sometimes it goes against you. Most teams will get passed off the pitch here and I don't think we got that at all. We've just got to keep doing what we're doing and I'm sure we'll keep winning games.

“It's a great league to be involved in. It's wide open.”