Injuries mount up for Canaries

23 July 2010 11:01
Norwich boss Paul Lambert was left counting the cost of injuries following his side's 1-0 friendly defeat at Dagenham. Zak Whitbread was withdrawn before kick-off after picking up a calf problem in the warm-up, while fellow defender Korey Smith sustained a shin injury following a heavy challenge. Grant Holt (thigh) and Steven Smith (ankle ligaments) missed the clash against the League One new boys, but there was some positive news for the Canaries with Elliott Ward returning from an Achilles problem with a first-half cameo. "I don't think any of the lads who didn't feature here will be ready for the weekend," Lambert told the Eastern Daily Press. "Grant has done his thigh and we just have to monitor it and see how it feels. "Steven has picked up some ankle ligament damage and it will be the same situation with him. Zak just had a bit of tightness in his calf so it was `safety first' and Korey got a bit of a bang but hopefully it settles down. "It was certainly a hard challenge and the lad's trailing leg has caught his left leg but I want these sort of games - I want us to earn the right to play. You just can't turn up and think it is going to happen."

Source: PA