Adam Drury has more reason than most to want three points against Fulham at Carrow Road this afternoon.

City's long-serving defender is the only senior player left on the books from the class of 2005 who exited the top flight on a miserable last day of that Premier League season at Craven Cottage.

'Revenge' however was one word laudably absent from Drury's vocabulary yesterday. All media requests for his recollections of that dark day in the club's recent history met with a polite refusal. Drury is a man who prefers to look forward rather than over his shoulder after making his first Premier League appearance since that previous trip to west London in Tuesday's festive defeat against Tottenham.

'It's that long ago now. It's a different type of game, it's not the same sort of game. We're just going to treat it like any other match,' he said. 'They've been in the Premier League a while now, going back to that time and what happened then. They've gone on from there and played in Europe, so we know it's going to be a tough game – in this league there are no easy games.

'We just have to take it a game at a time and see how we get on. There have been some lean times (for the club), but you enjoy the good times when they come around as well.

'There's no point worrying about what happened in the past and looking at when things weren't great. You have to look at the good stuff. Don't be negative about it, be positive.'

A mantra that must have been sorely tested since Marc Tierney's arrival at the club. The tough-tackling left-back had been the Canaries' only ever-present starter until suffering a groin problem prior to Tottenham's visit.

'Yes, I thought I did all right,' said Drury. 'You prepare every week as if you are going to be involved and sometimes you get that chance so you go out and do the best you can. That's all you can do.

'You get a second wind when you get into a game, but it's tough going to start off with. You start to get a bit tired quicker than some of the other lads but it's just one of those things. The lads around me did fantastic, keeping me in the game and talking to me, and that's a big part of it. Thursday was the day I felt the worse but you come in the staff here look after you brilliantly, with diet and stuff like that. I feel all right now.

'You have to be ready if the gaffer needs you to play. You play – as simple as that. You have to make sure you're as fit and as well as you can be.'

The 33-year-old could be in line to retain his place this afternoon with Tierney still a major injury doubt. Kyle Naughton is also available to return on the opposite flank after missing the midweek game against his parent club.

Drury was a key component of a settled backline that carried Norwich into the Premier League under Nigel Worthington, and the former Peterborough man knows the value of continuity.

'You like to keep things settled as much as you can, but with the pace of the game nowadays, the injuries people pick up, it's very hard for people to stay fit all the time,' he said. 'You work in training on different things and different people are going to play at different times. That comes down to the manager and the people they think are going to be best for certain games.'