Paddy Davitt Axed Norwich skipper Mark Fotheringham yesterday vowed to lead the Canaries' Championship revival. Glenn Roeder dropped the 24-year-old ever-present ahead of City's disappointing 2-1 weekend home defeat to Derby in a desperate bid to kick start the club's faltering league campaign.

Paddy Davitt

Axed Norwich skipper Mark Fotheringham yesterday vowed to lead the Canaries' Championship revival.

Glenn Roeder dropped the 24-year-old ever-present ahead of City's disappointing 2-1 weekend home defeat to Derby in a desperate bid to kick start the club's faltering league campaign.

But Fotheringham is now promising to help drag Roeder's injury-ravaged squad in the right direction after one Championship win in four ahead of the international shutdown.

“Obviously with me being the skipper and that, I'm the leader of the team and I think I've been taking a bit of criticism at the moment,” said the straight-talking Scot at City's annual charity golf day. “But, in all honesty, I'll accept any criticism that comes my way because I'm the figurehead of the team. If the team's not winning and we're sitting fourth from the bottom in the league, then the buck stops with me. It's my responsibility to make sure that we're winning games and the boys are playing well.

“And I'll help them as much as I can - and if that means me being left out of the team due to a dip in form then I need to do everything I can to get back playing at my best. To get back to the way that Fozzy - Mark Fotheringham plays - and that's getting on the ball and making the team play.”

The former Celtic midfielder revealed his personal fight back had already started after Derby disappointment.

“It is never nice to be dropped from the team,” he said. “I'm a professional and I'm always looking to play in the game, but I respect the manager's decision. He's the manager and he does what's best for the team. But it is hurtful when you're left out.

“I'm going to be fighting for my position - and I proved that in training. The gaffer came round and said that you were the best player in training today and you need to keep that going. And that's the only way that I can show him that I want back in the team.

“I'm an honest person and I just need to get back to what I'm good at - dominating the midfield. Maybe in the last few games I've not done that. But, in saying that, I don't think the team has been playing as well as what they could have been.”

Fotheringham is targeting a timely win at Bristol City in ten days time to get Roeder's men upwardly mobile.

“We've got some good players at the club and we're all disappointed where we are in the league at the moment,” he said. “But, as I say, there's good players there and I'm sure we'll climb up the table sooner rather than later.

“I don't know what it is, to be honest with you. I just think that we're not really taking our chances at the moment and we're not killing teams off. That is the main thing - when you create chances, you need to score goals. And we're not scoring enough goals.

“We've not had a lot of wins just now, so it's nice to just get out and take your mind off football for a day or two. We've got two weeks now to re-group before a massive game at Bristol City. It's good to switch off for a little bit, but in this situation you never stop thinking about the games.”