Sunday's derby defeat against Ipswich was an occasion to forget for most Norwich City players - but not Jason Shackell. The young defender made his first Championship appearance for over four months at the weekend and thoroughly enjoyed his second half run-out, even though a late Town winner obviously left him feeling more than a little deflated.

Sunday's derby defeat against Ipswich was an occasion to forget for most Norwich City players - but not Jason Shackell.

The young defender made his first Championship appearance for over four months at the weekend and thoroughly enjoyed his second half run-out, even though a late Town winner obviously left him feeling more than a little deflated.

Shackell is now hopeful that the ankle injury he sustained in a reserve fixture back in October is finally behind him, and will be hoping for another chance to impress on Saturday when the Canaries take on Hull at the KC Stadium.

"It was brilliant. I loved every second," said the big centre half, who got his taste of derby action when Craig Fleming picked up a hip injury midway through the second period.

"That's what I have been working towards for the past four or five months.

"It was a good 20 minutes. I was gutted about the result and it was horrible to concede, but we have got to bounce back and look forward to Hull."

Shackell will certainly be looking to make up for lost time after a frustrating spell on the sidelines which started a couple of weeks before he picked up the first serious injury of his career.

The arrival of Tottenham's Calum Davenport on a three-month loan saw him lose his place in the first team so he already faced a tough battle to regain his place in Nigel Worthington's team when he fell awkwardly in a reserve game against Watford on October 3 and damaged ankle ligaments.

Now he has a new temporary recruit to compete with in the shape of Zesh Rehman, but Shackell is clearly determined to push himself back into contention, after being a regular starter during the early months of the season.

"It has been a long time," he told the Canaries' official website. "We've had a few reserve games cancelled as well which has been frustrating.

"I need games under my belt. To get on the pitch was a big step for me and I'm looking to push on now."