CHRIS LAKEY Lee Croft goes “home” tonight - hoping that the impressive City of Manchester Stadium will help lift the gloom surrounding the Norwich City camp. The Canaries winger left Manchester City a year ago, when Nigel Worthington paid £600,000 to bring him to Carrow Road.

CHRIS LAKEY

Lee Croft goes “home” tonight - hoping that the impressive City of Manchester Stadium will help lift the gloom surrounding the Norwich City camp.

The Canaries winger left Manchester City a year ago, when Nigel Worthington paid £600,000 to bring him to Carrow Road.

Croft has started just two Championship games this season and was a frustrated spectator at Molineux on Saturday and City slumped to a miserable 2-0 defeat.

But he believes they could get an unexpected lift when they run out at City's £110m home for the last four years for a Carling Cup third round tie - against a team flying high in the Premiership and managed by former England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson.

“I think that does happen, that you get a lift, and we have to hope that it happens on the night,” said the 22-year-old. “I'm sure we will go there and the lads will see the stadium and go out on the pitch and I am sure that's will give everyone a lift and a boost and we will go out there and give a good account of ourselves.”

Croft admits it's a tall order given the Canaries' current form, especially against some of his old pals.

“I stil have a lot of mates up there,” he said. “I've spoken to Micah (Richards), Nedum (Onuoha), Steve Ireland - all the lads I grew up with at Man City, so I will be looking forward to going back to play against them.

“I am glad they are doing so well at the moment as well, so it's a good time to go and play them - but not on the back of the result for us at Wolves.

“Obviously it is not the greatest thing to go there with, but I will go there looking forward to it.”

Croft shared the mood in the camp after Saturday's defeat just as much as the other players, even though his hopes of even coming on as a sub were dashed when skipper Jason Shackell was shown a red card just past the hour mark.

“It is difficult,” he said. “The lads are disappointed - they don't go out there trying to perform like that, but it has happened and it is not good enough, from the first man to the 11th man it is not good enough.

“The manager said things can only get better - but there is nothing to look at positively from that game. Things can only get better and we will be striving towards that.”