Brown keeps the faith as one monkey disappears off his back. Now for a result…

Canary striker Chris Brown was in little mood to celebrate his long-awaited goal on Tuesday night.

For while his first strike in 20 City games might have been one small monkey off the 22-year-old's back, he has rather more pressing concerns on his mind right now – like whether he's signed up for a trip to Whaddon Road next season.

?The result's more important,? said the former Sunderland youngster as he mulled over that 2-1 defeat at Turf Moor that pinned the Norfolk side ever more firmly to the foot of the Championship table.

?I thought we played quite well, but we got beat again,? he added, with Norwich now having taken just one point from their last 21. Without a manager and with West Bromwich Albion, Ipswich Town and Watford next on the horizon, this is a 24-carat crisis.

?I think we can take a little bit of confidence because I think they were on the back foot for 75 minutes – and they're a good side.

?But we can't keep saying that for long – we've got to start picking up results. And, hopefully, we can do that Saturday.?

To pick up anything at The Hawthorns this weekend would be a minor miracle given Norwich's current form and fortune. It will be a very rare Canary traveller who heads to the Midlands with anything but a deep foreboding in their hearts.

Afterwards caretaker boss Jim Duffy suggested it was a tale of two penalties – one given, one not. Brown was blissfully unaware of the one that got away – the trip that sent Darren Huckerby sprawling. The latter's protests would earn him a yellow card and compound everyone's frustrations.

The first, of course, was Jon Otsemobor's on Robbie Blake – from which the Clarets strode into that 2-0 lead. Within the game's first four minutes.

?I didn't really see it, to be honest – I was trying to get round the back post,? said Brown. ?He was adament that it was a penalty and he'd be honest enough.

?I did have a good view of their penalty and I thought that wasn't a good decision at all. He was just stronger than him and he's just gone down.?

The one silver lining was that goal – one where he had all the time in the world to drill the ball away and across the Burnley goal from about eight yards out.

?I had one in the first-half which was bit of a narrower angle – the keeper's come out for that and made a good save.

?But this one was a better angle for me, so I thought I'd hit it across the keeper and I was pleased that it went in.

?It's definitely a weight off my mind, so hopefully I can get one or two more now.?

As well as he's own goal, Brown came close to a fabuolus assist as he slid the perfect cross through the Burnley box for Jamie Cureton to tuck a second-half leveller away. Or at least that was the theory – only for Gabor Kiraly to produce a fine, spreading save to deny all concerned.

?The keeper's done really well – I don't think Curo could have done any more. He's got 23 goals last season and he's got nothing to prove to anybody,? said Brown. ?And I think the goals will start flowing for him.?

For both Brown's goal and Cureton's chance, there was one big figure prominent in both – second-half substitute John Hartson. For the first, it was his penalty box radar that spotted Brown lurking unmarked and a neat little ball did the rest; for Cureton's opening, it was Hartson's back header that set Brown away and free through the inside left channel.

?Does he make a difference? Oh yes,? said Brown. ?Definitely. He made my goal. He's a big target up there for us.?

The trick now, of course, is to pick themselves up, dust themselves down and go again away at West Bromwich Albion.

Brown insists that spirits won't be on the foor come three o'clock Saturday; that the fight and the belief is still there.

?Will it be difficult to pick ourselves up for Saturday? No it shouldn't be difficult – that's our job. That's what we're paid to do,? said the City striker, who again worked his proverbial socks off in the Canary cause – and for once earned his due reward.

Whether he would have more joy partnering John Hartson from the start and where that would leave last season's Golden Boot winner in the mix is something for Duffy to decide in what, in all likelihood, could be his last game in charge.

?We've just got to keep believing in ourselves because I think we are good enough.

?We know that, it's maybe just not getting that little rub of the green when it matters but only time will tell.?