One to Watch – Chris Martin

Name: Chris Martin
Date of Birth: 04.11.1988
Former clubs: Norwich City, Luton Town (L), Crystal Palace (L), Swindon Town (L), Derby County (L), Derby County.
Apps (goals): 387 (126)

Despite a run of just one defeat in their last seven league matches since the beginning of December, there has been some unrest at Fulham in recent weeks, with on-loan Derby striker Chris Martin refusing to play for the Cottagers for their trip to high-flying Brighton, after informing the club that he wanted to return to Derby.

Having been deemed surplus to requirement at Pride Park by Nigel Pearson at the start of the season, Martin moved to Craven Cottage on a season-long loan, only for Pearson to be sacked by the Rams in October, and replaced by former manager Steve McLaren, who stated prior to Christmas that he`d like to recall the striker.

McLaren worked with the forward during his previous spell at the Midlands club, but having bagged six league goals for Fulham prior to the match against the Seagulls, Whites boss Slavisa Jokanovic stated that Martin would not be going anywhere, and he has since returned to the side, scoring in each of his last two outings.

The Scotland international leads the way in the goalscoring charts for Jokanovic`s men this term with eight in total, and should have been on the scoresheet to open his account for Fulham when QPR travelled to Craven Cottage in October, as he found himself infront of a gaping open goal, only to stumble and miss the target.

The Suffolk-born striker began his career with Norwich, coming through the Canaries` youth ranks before making his debut in January 2007, coming on as a late substitute in a 1-0 defeat to Wolves, before he notched his first goal in professional football two weeks later in a 3-2 victory over Blackpool in the FA Cup third round.

He went on to find the net in four successive Championship games shortly after, in what was a promising start to his career at Carrow Road, and he ended the 2006/2007 season with five goals in 20 matches in all competitions, but the following campaign would prove a frustrating one, as he failed to net in just 10 outings.

He moved on loan to League Two side Luton for the entirety of the 2008/2009 season, turning out 51 times for the Hatters, chipping in with 13 goals, and on his return to Norwich, who had just been relegated from the Championship, he established himself as a key member of the side, helping secure an immediate return.

17 league goals that year helped Norwich to the League One title under Paul Lambert, but goals didn`t come quite so regularly in the second tier during the 2010/2011 campaign, during which he scored six times, but by the end of the season, he had become a Premier League player, as the Canaries finished second behind QPR.

After featuring just four times for the club in the top-flight, Martin dropped back down to the Championship in November 2011, as he was loaned out to Crystal Palace, initially on a short-term deal, which was eventually extended until the end of the season, and he found the net on eight occasions in 28 outings for the Eagles.

His final three appearances for Norwich came at the beginning of the 2012/2013 season, as he was shipped out on loan again, firstly to Swindon, before moving to Derby for the second-half of the campaign, and after featuring 12 times for the Rams, scoring twice, he signed a permanent deal at Pride Park in the summer.

With his contract having come to an end at Norwich, the club opted against extending his deal, leaving the Rams with the opportunity to sign him on a free transfer, and his 22 goals in 2013/2014 almost helped the club to promotion, only to lose out in dramatic fashion at Wembley thanks to Bobby Zamora`s strike at the death.

More heartache would follow at the end of the next season, as Derby finished just one point adrift of the top six, but Martin again proved his prowess in attack, netting 21, convincing Gordon Strachan to award him five of his Scotland caps during the qualifying campaign for last summer`s European Championships in France.

Last year his 16 goals helped the Rams to a play-off position, only to lose out both legs to Hull at the semi-final stage, and it came as a surprise in the summer when Pearson agreed to allow Martin to leave the club on loan, but if McLaren remains as manager next term, it appears that he still has a future at his parent club.