Jamie Cureton has issued a come and get me plea to Norwich City boss Peter Grant. The 31-year-old striker is desperate to leave Colchester United - and says he would be delighted to get a second chance at the club where he started his career.

By CHRIS LAKEY

Jamie Cureton has issued a come and get me plea to Norwich City boss Peter Grant.

The 31-year-old striker is desperate to leave Colchester United - and says he would be delighted to get a second chance at the club where he started his career.

“If Norwich are interested I would obviously be keen talk to them, definitely” said Cureton yesterday. “It's all down to Colchester and Norwich and whether or not they can do business.

“I have always said Norwich would be my preference because it is where I started as a kid and I owe them a lot and at the same time I probably did not do myself justice in the first team. If given the opportunity I would like to have another crack and do things differently.

“If the opportunity comes up I would be very interested. It is a club that is close to my heart and being a big club in the division is an added bonus. Career wise it would be very good I would be over the moon if I received a call - but it's speculation at the moment.”

Cureton came through the ranks at Norwich but, after impressive scoring feats for the youth and reserve teams, he was unable to take his touch into the first team and, after just six goals in 32 games left for Bristol Rovers in 1996, before moving on to Reading three years later.

His career went into limbo after an ill-fated spell in South Korea at the end of 2003, but he has rediscovered his goal-scoring touch at Layer Road, helping Colchester to promotion to the Championship during his initial loan spell and then a highly-respectable 10th place finish last season - when he was top Championship marksman with 23 goals - after signing on permanently.

But Cureton - who has seen strike partner Chris Iwelumo depart for Charlton on a free transfer - believes Colchester are failing to match his ambitions and has asked to leave.

Canaries boss Peter Grant is in the market for a new striker, but Cureton believes that Colchester - who have already turned down a £250,000 bid from Hull - are pricing him out of the market by demanding £750,000 for his services.

“I think £750,000 is too much,” he said. “If they got £500,000 I think they would have done very, very well. I went to Colchester on a free transfer and I think the club is in a position where they ought to come down on the fee.

“But I have always said you are only worth what another club is prepared to pay. It is now up to Colchester and what they really want, what they feel is a good price for me.

“We shall see what that is - I just hope the fee is not outrageous and a club can put a bid in and we can take it from there.”