In the latest of this regular Vital Norwich feature, we look back former Canary`s and see what they have been up to since leaving Carrow Road. Today it`s Erik Fuglestad.
We signed this Norwegian defender during the 1997 season from appropriately names Viking Stavanger on a free transfer. He operated at left-back for the Canaries and in my opinion wasn`t that bad a player – he just looked very nervous on the ball at times.
His best day as a Norwich player, in my view, was when he played a pivotal role in us beating Ipswich Town at Portman Road in October 1998. Erik ‘The Viking` Fuglestad crossed the ball in for Craig Bellamy to head home the only goal of the game. I remember watching this game at Carrow Road on the big screen and is my fondest memory of Fuglestad.
However, unlike the likes of Raymond De Waard and Fernando Derveld – Fuglestad actually made more than a handful of appearances for us. He made 80 appearances in total and even got himself on the score sheet on a couple of occasions.
Throughout the 1999/2000 season, Fuglestad became increasingly unsettled at Carrow Road and he was constantly linked with a move away from the club. Eventually in April 2004, his contract was cancelled by mutual consent and he returned to Norway for a short spell with his former club Viking Stavanger.
Nowadays, the 33-year-old Fuglestad has had to retire from the game. Unfortunately he was diagnosed with kidney disease during 2004. This meant he couldn`t play football again but he is now coaching at Youth Level for Viking and is reportedly interested in pursuing a career in management.
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