A NAIL-BITING waiting game finally ended for City fans today when Dion Dublin put pen-to-paper on a new one-year deal at Carrow Road.

The 38-year-old former England man was a revelation last year after signing as a free agent back in September, finishing as runner-up in the player of the year voting behind Darren Huckerby.

But City fans feared they'd seen the last of the veteran, with his deal expiring this summer and question marks over the distance travelled between Colney and his family home in the midlands.

City boss Peter Grant had always stressed his desire to keep Dublin at Carrow Road for at least another season, and today it was confirmed he had got his wish.

The player himself said he was extremely happy to be staying with the Canaries.

"I'm very pleased to be re-signing for a club I feel very at home with," said Dublin, speaking exclusively to First News.

"Hopefully next season can be the successful one we all want, as the last one wasn't. We have the potential, but we have to stop talking about it and do it."

Boss Grant paid tribute to the club's fans for making Dublin so welcome, and believed they played a huge part in convincing him to stay on.

"I'm delighted," he said. "Everybody saw what quality he had last season, and for the four or five months I was here he has been terrific on and off the field. He's a fantastic professional.

"It's great for the supporters, and they and the Board have played their part in wanting to keep him. There was never any problem with the deal as the Board were committed in wanting Dion to stay.

"He deserves his contract."

Grant said he had been aware of Dublin's decision to remain at Carrow Road for a number of days, but wanted to keep the news under wraps until the ink had dried on the deal.

"We let it go on because we wanted the paperwork to be signed and finished before we said anything," he added. "It wasn't a case of Dion dragging it out."

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