WHILE Darel Russell was rightly taking all the acclaim for his late thunderbolt against Preston, two of City's newest recruits were also given a big thumbs-up from boss Glenn Roeder.

Matthew Bates and James Henry made their Norwich debuts as second half substitutes in the dramatic 1-0 win over the Lilywhites at Carrow Road on Saturday.

Bates (pictured right) was the first to make his City bow, the Middlesbrough man replacing Jon Otsemobor in the 55^th minute and going on to produced an assured display at right-back, never putting a foot wrong.

Indeed, the 21-year-old even had time to show the attacking side of his game, overlapping Lee Croft within minutes of entering the fray to show his new fans the cruciate knee ligament injury which ended his campaign last season was now a distant memory.

Russell's late stunner ensured it was a debut to remember for both Bates and Henry, who joined on loan from Reading on Thursday. And Roeder had been pleased with both their efforts.

"Very much so," he said. "Particularly Matthew Bates, because he came on six or seven minutes into the second half so he had a long time to settle in. But I thought straight away from the first pass he made he looked a Premiership player; someone who has come from a Premiership club and player European football for Middlesbrough.

"We're going to need that sort of quality between now and the end of the season. I'm delighted for him. I think he also showed what he's about during that period. Up in the corner flag, where the ball was there to be won, he won the ball and nailed the player as well. He's not the nicest guy to play against."

Winger Henry came on in the final stages in place of Croft and had little time to make a real impact. But he showed enough to convince Roeder he had carried out some shrewd business in bringing him to Norfolk.

"James Henry had a short time on the pitch and did well," he added. "We got a glimpse of what he's capable of doing. He's got a lot of pace and has a nice physique for a winger. He's a young player but already strong and I look forward to when he can start a game and show us what he's like over 90 minutes."

Roeder's wheeling and dealing during a busy January transfer window has given the Canaries some much needed depth to the squad. So much so, even the talismanic Darren Huckerby was forced to miss out on the squad altogether, with Roeder revealing after the game that the 31-year-old had not been injured, merely left out.

Along with Henry, Roeder also added Reading team-mate Alex Pearce to his ranks. Like Huckerby, centre-half Pearce was forced to watch from the sidelines. And that may remain the case for the time being after Roeder again watched his defence turn in a solid display to record their third clean sheet in a row.

The likes of Gary Doherty and Jason Shackell, not to mention goalkeeper David Marshall, have been in top form in recent weeks, and Roeder said staying tight at the back would always give you a chance of winning football matches.

"That's obviously important," he said. "The future always lies with how good your defence is. In modern football you can't let in two or three every week and expect to score three or four. It's impossible. Games are too tight.

"So it's important the boys keep playing like that. But defending is not just about what the back four do and the goalkeeper. It's about defending from the front and the front two working hard to close down full-backs and your midfield, particularly your centre two, giving protection to the two centre backs and ultimately that makes it easier for the back four to operate and do their jobs properly."