LEE Marshall could save Norwich a small fortune if his partnership with Iwan Roberts continues to bear fruit.
The hard-working Marshall has earned rave reviews from Canaries' boss Bryan Hamilton after partnering the top scoring Wales international in the last three games, despite never having played as an out-and-out striker before.
In fact, when he first arrived at Carrow Road for £10,000 from Enfield in March 1997, he was a full-back. Since then he has shown his versatility, playing at the centre of the defence and in the heart of the midfield.
But it was his performances as an attacking midfield player towards the end of last season that, when Hamilton was struggling to find a player to link up with Roberts, he realised Marshall could be the answer.
Now he's using the England U-21 man ahead of specialist strikers Paul Dalglish, Adrian Coote and Paul McVeigh. And to good effect. Marshall scored one and made the second for Scott Parker in Saturday's 3-2 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday - a game Norwich felt they were unfortunate to lose.
"We're working at his game," Hamilton says. "We're helping him improve and we're hoping he can save us going out to look for other players. It's a big advantage to Lee that he can perform for the team in a number of positions."
Parker, currently on loan from Charlton, and Manchester City's Danny Granville have bolstered Hamilton's squad in recent weeks, helping Norwich produce an impressive home run to stabilise their season after a rocky start.
They have been further boosted by the return to fitness of skipper Matt Jackson, who missed 13 games with a hamstring problem before returning as substitute at Hillsborough. Malky Mackay is tipped to drop out if Hamilton opts to start with Jackson tomorrow.
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