David Cuffley City boss Glenn Roeder insists he will trust his own judgment - and his alone - when he decides whether to offer Darren Huckerby a new deal. The 32-year-old fans' favourite is out of contract at the end of the season, but after Saturday's 3-0 win over Queen's Park Rangers, sections of the home crowd were calling on the manager to re-sign Huckerby.

David Cuffley

City boss Glenn Roeder insists he will trust his own judgment - and his alone - when he decides whether to offer Darren Huckerby a new deal.

The 32-year-old fans' favourite is out of contract at the end of the season, but after Saturday's 3-0 win over Queen's Park Rangers, sections of the home crowd were calling on the manager to re-sign Huckerby.

Roeder, however, will not be swayed by public opinion.

“Do you know the only advice I take? My own. They were offering it and they're entitled to,” he said. But he was not prepared to divulge his plans for Huckerby, nor skipper Mark Fotheringham or defender Gary Doherty, all three of them out of contract.

“It would be completely wrong to discuss any players whose contracts are up, their futures, before I have spoken to the individual player,” he said.

“Darren or any player out of contract does not want to be picking up a paper and finding out about his future. I would be mortified if that happened to me and I wouldn't do something to somebody else I wouldn't want done to me. There has to be some respect and dignity shown.

“There are a few weeks to go now, when we can find time. I guess his agent will want to come and have a chat. We will sit down and talk. But I'm not giving any clues away one way or the other. Be patient, Darren will be the first to know.”

Huckerby, for his part, said he would not automatically sign any deal just to stay with City.

“At the end of the day I have to sit down with my family and I will decide. Even if Norwich offer me a contract, it doesn't mean I will sign it. That doesn't mean I don't want to play for Norwich, but there are a lot of factors I have to consider.

“This is my home now, but everything has to be right for me to stay. I am not going to stay on to make up numbers. We will have to sit down and whatever the manager wants to do he will do. Either way I am happy with what I have achieved here. There will be no hard feelings whatever is sorted out.”

But Huckerby said he did not wish to play against the Canaries.

“I have made a conscious decision that I don't want to play against Norwich City, so that kills a lot of clubs and a lot of potential teams I could go to.

“It wouldn't mean anything to me to play against Norwich. It means everything to me to play for Norwich and for another team it wouldn't mean anything. It would be a job, and I don't want that.

“I want to remember this place as a great place and I want the fans to remember me as someone who did great things for them. I can't - I won't - be coming back here to play against them.

“I haven't spoken to him about it at all and I haven't spoken to the club. I am not trying to put pressure on, not at all. Whatever happens happens, that's the honest truth. I won't be short of work, I know that already.”