Canaries defender Adam Drury says he owes a special debt to veteran striker Dion Dublin - for helping lead City on the pitch. Dublin has been praised by boss Peter Grant for his influence on an off the pitch - and Drury admits he's a fully paid-up member of the 37-year-old's fan club.

Canaries defender Adam Drury says he owes a special debt to veteran striker Dion Dublin - for helping lead City on the pitch.

Dublin has been praised by boss Peter Grant for his influence on an off the pitch - and Drury admits he's a full paid-up member of the 37-year-old's fan club.

"He is unbelievable," said Drury. "He has been brilliant for me personally since he has come into the club. If I have got any queries or anything I can go to him and he can talk to me.

"Although I am captain, he talks to me and he's a leader and he helps me along. To be honest we haven't got that many people in the dressing room who are like that, the Dion sort of character, and when he comes onto the pitch he is first class.

"He is a great character, a great bloke and a great player."

Dublin's two goals helped put Tamworth to the sword on Saturday, but while some see it as the swansong in a highly successful career, Drury isn't so sure.

"I thought he was brilliant against Tamworth, but who's to say this will be his last season?" said Drury. "I think he brings that much to the team, and not just the team the dressing room. The experience he has got you can't get unless you have played the games and done what he has done."

It was Dublin and two-goal Darren Huckerby who got the goals that ended Tamworth's Cup dream - two players with a wealth of experience behind them on a day when City were in something of a no-win situation.

"They produced the goods - but the way the conditions were it was never going to be a game where we could get it down and play it," said Drury.

"It wasn't pretty, it was going out of play, down the sides, in the corners - it wasn't great to watch, but it was all about winning. That's obviously why the BBC were there, to see an upset, and we're glad we did a professional job and it is on to the next round and on to the league."

Huckerby's goals showed his value as an attacking force - and Drury admitted the wide man is getting to grips with his the art of helping out in defence.

"I am a bit of a decoy a lot of times," said Drury. "I wind him up about it, I tell him I make plenty of runs - but he does his own thing and he's brilliant about it. We sacrifice a little bit defensively, I have known that for the last three or four years that he isn't going to come back too often. He is trying to add that to his game and he has done it a bit better.

"I don't mind doing the extra defensive work because he does so much going the other way. He admits he doesn't really know what he is doing when he gets back there, but at least he's getting back there. He's getting better at it - he's trying to add it to his game and certainly the gaffer is trying to get it into him, otherwise it ends up a lot of the time that I'm two against one.

"But at the same time when we clear the ball and get a break he can get on the ball and he's straight on their full-back and not many defenders like playing against players like that.

"You have to find that happy medium. It is not his game just to sit in front of me and defend and shut up shop, he wants to be further up the pitch where he can cause problems and that's what he's so good at.

"If we have to put a bit more work on me so be it, I'm not bothered about it and obviously he can be a match winner for you."