Andrew Surman has set himself a target of 15 goals this season - and doesn't fancy ending the campaign wiping the egg off his face. The summer recruit from Premier League Wolves admits it's ambitious - his career best is eight and his total 26 in just under 200 appearances.

Preston North End have signed former Norwich City midfielder Darel Russell on a three-year deal. The 29-year-old turned down a new deal at Carrow Road and was courted by several top Championship sides before deciding to link up with Darren Ferguson's team.

Paul Lambert's record-breaking Norwich City side will clear a more modest hurdle if they beat Watford in Friday's Championship opener - just by making a winning start to the season.

Norwich's Championship credentials have been given another ringing endorsement by a top-flight manager. Paul Lambert's side are odds-on favourites to open their campaign with victory over Watford on Friday - and one of the dark horses to make it two promotions in a row.

Everton boss David Moyes has assured Norwich City fans that goalkeeper John Ruddy will bounce back from his first-howler in the 4-2 defeat to the Toffees on Saturday.

Norwich City boss Paul Lambert believes Grant Holt's return to fitness will spur on his squad to even greater things. The Canaries impressed with a good all round display against Everton on Saturday but perhaps the most heartening sight on Saturday for City fans was that of skipper Holt coming on as a late substitute.

Everton boss David Moyes was delighted with the workout Norwich City provided his side on Saturday as they prepare for another Premier League season. The Toffees' 4-2 win was their fifth straight success during their pre-season campaign and while Moyes adopted the party line of 'pre-season games don't matter' - he admitted it was nice to get another victory.

Norwich City 2, Everton 4: Pre-season games aren't meant to be like this. They are supposed to be tepid contests where fans more often than not walk away from the stadium asking why exactly they spent a fair proportion of their hard-earned watching a glorified training session.

Grant Holt is winning his race to be fit for the start of Norwich City's Championship season. The Canaries leading scorer has been sidelined with a thigh injury and has missed the three pre-season away games - at Stevenage, Dagenham & Redbridge and last night's goalless draw at Lincoln City.

Lincoln City 0, Norwich City 0: Norwich City completed the away obligations of their pre-season schedule last night - drawing another blank, but putting valuable minutes under their belts.

Norwich City are already top of the Championship when it comes to their impressive season ticket base. Only Derby County come anywhere close to rivalling the massive show of support in Paul Lambert's squad ahead of City's return to the second tier after this week's announcement of a club record 20,550 take up.

Darel Russell looks set to start the new season with City's Championship rivals Preston North End. Deepdale boss Darren Ferguson has confirmed that he is in talks with Russell over personal terms.

Young winger Josh Dawkin was given an international boost yesterday - something Academy boss Ricky Martin believes will help him develop as a Norwich City player.

SLIDESHOW: Norwich City’s rising stars were given a taste of what is to come when they represent the club in the new season’s Norfolk Senior Cup.

Midfielder David Fox is happy to be Norwich City's new 'holding man' as he settles into life at Carrow Road. The 26-year-old, who signed from Colchester United at the start of the summer, impressed at the base of manager Paul Lambert's diamond formation during the Canaries' 2-1 win over Premier League new boys Newcastle United at the weekend.

Diss Town manager Rob Taylor is willing to give everyone a chance to shine against Norwich City this evening - even if he runs out of shirts. The Tangerines host a Canaries XI at Brewers Green Lane (7.45pm) as part of their preparations for a promotion assault on the Ridgeons League First Division this term.

SLIDESHOW: Chris Martin believes there is no need to worry about Norwich City's firepower ahead of next season's Championship campaign. The Canaries made up for firing blanks in their friendly draw at Stevenage and defeat to Dagenham and Redbridge with a stirring 2-1 win over Premier League new boys Newcastle United at Carrow Road on Saturday.

Defender Elliott Ward is determined to make up for lost time as the Championship kick-off looms large for Norwich City. With the first league fixture - at home to Watford on Friday, August 6 - now less than a fortnight away, the 25-year-old centre-back is hoping to cram as much match practice as possible into the week ahead to bring him up to speed before the real business begins.

Norwich City boss Paul Lambert insists he has no concerns about his team's goalscoring potency after another blank evening. The Canaries were beaten 1-0 at League One club Dagenham & Redbridge last night, the senior side's first pre-season defeat and their second successive goalless 90 minutes after Tuesday's 0-0 draw at Stevenage.

SLIDESHOW: Norwich City were firing blanks for the second time in three days as they slipped to defeat in their pre-season friendly at Dagenham. After a goalless draw at Stevenage on Tuesday night, the Canaries failed to score again as Gavin Tomlin’s first-half goal settled the match in front of a sparse crowd at Victoria Road.