One to Watch – Cameron Jerome

Name: Cameron Jerome
DOB: 14/08/1986
Previous clubs:Cardiff City, Birmingham City, Stoke City, Crystal Palace (L)
Apps (goals): 471 (112)

When you look down Norwich`s squad list, it`s not hard to see why the Canaries are one of the big favourites to secure an immediate return to the Premier League this season given the calibre of player manager Alex Neil has at his disposal.

Having started the season strongly, with just two defeats from their opening 12 league matches, Neil`s side head to Loftus Road on the back of a poor run of form, with no win in four, and three successive losses.

One player who will however be brimming with confidence is experienced striker Cameron Jerome, the club`s top scorer and player of the month for October, with the 30-year-old bagging six league goals so far this term, four of which have come on the club`s travels.

Jerome burst onto the scene after making his debut for Cardiff City in the second tier in October 2004, coming on as a substitute in a goalless draw against Leeds United, and didn`t take long to open his goalscoring account, netting on just his second appearance against Bournemouth in the League Cup.

He made 32 outings for the Bluebirds in his debut season, notching seven goals, and after twenty strikes from 47 matches in all competitions the following campaign, Birmingham City parted with a reported £3million to take him to St. Andrews following their relegation from the Premier League.

In his first season in the Midlands, he didn`t prove quite so prolific as he bagged nine goals, two of which came against the R`s, as Steve Bruce`s men bounced back to the Premier League at the first time of asking as they finished runners-up.

The forward made a strong start in his first season in the top-flight, providing seven league goals, but he was unable to help the side fight off a return to the Championship for the 2008/2009 season.

Jerome would have another promotion under his belt the following campaign, as Birmingham once again made a return to the Premier League at the first time of asking, again finishing in second place.

Two further seasons in the top flight with the Blues, which yielded another 15 goals in all competitions, eventually saw him leave the club, as fellow top-flight side Stoke City brought him to the Britannia Stadium for a fee in the region of £4million.

While life at the Potters got off to a dream start, as he netted on his debit for the club in a 1-1 draw away at Dynamo Kiev in the Europa League, his time under Tony Pulis would prove to be largely frustrating, as he was mainly used from the bench, clocking up just 15 league starts for the Potters over a three-year period.

Eager for the opportunity of regular first-team football, Jerome joined Crystal Palace on a season-long loan ahead of the 2013/2014, but it wouldn`t prove a particularly fruitful one for the striker, as he managed two find the net on just two occasions, albeit both being winning goals for the Eagles.

With just one more year remaining on his Stoke contract upon his return to the club, and seemingly out of new manager Mark Hughes` plans, Jerome dropped back down to the Championship to join current club Norwich for a reported fee of £1.5million, and he took no time at all to settle into his new surroundings.

After netting on his debut for the Norfolk club in a League Cup win against Crawley Town, Jerome would score 21 goals in all competitions for Neil`s men, as he helped the club to promotion via the play-offs, netting the opener in an impressive 2-0 victory over Middlesbrough at Wembley.

It was the third time in his career that he had gained promotion to the Premier League, but the Canaries` time in the top-flight would prove to be a short one, as they failed to beat the drop, making a return to the Championship for the current campaign.

A striker that is probably not quite up to the level to start week in week out for a Premier League club, he is one of the top end forwards in the Championship, and Neil will be desperate for Jerome to duplicate his goalscoring feats of two seasons ago to add another promotion to his CV.