SIMON Charlton looked forward to renewing old Reebok acquaintances, despite having to console himself with a place on the Norwich bench.

Canaries boss Nigel Worthington told the former Wanderers favourite he can find no place for him in his starting line-up, preferring Adam Drury at left-back and Jason Shackell at centre-back.

Charlton, who left Wanderers for Carrow Road in a £250,000 move last summer, said: "It's obviously not something I'm happy about, because this game is like a homecoming for me.

"I've not been back since I left, so after four very happy and successful years there it will be devastating not to play.

"But it will still be great to go back to the Reebok and see everyone again because my four years there were undoubtedly the best four years of my career.

"To win the player of the year award in the club's first season back in the Premiership was the crowning moment and I feel immensely proud of what we achieved under Sam."

Norwich need a first away victory of the season to ease their relegation fears but Charlton knows they will have their work cut out if they are to complete an unlikely Premiership double, having beaten Wanderers 3-2 in December.

"They will want to beat us after what happened at Carrow Road," he said.

"We need to go there and try and keep a clean sheet because that is where we have fallen down.

"As Sam would always say, we are not here to entertain - we are here to win games."