loan spell lasted three months, in which he made seventeen Oldham appearances and scored two goals. Norwich City On 28 July 2006 he signed for Norwich City for a fee of £600,000 and scored his first goal for the club on 12 August 2006 in a 3–2 win against Luton at Carrow Road. Croft continued his good start at Carrow Road with another goal in the 5–1 demolition of Barnsley on 26 August 2006 and was seen by many City fans as providing balance to the team on the right-hand side that had been missing for some time. On 28 October 2006, however, it was announced that Croft would be absent from first team duties for a possible 6 weeks following an injury during Norwich's 5–0 defeat at Stoke City. After making his return from injury, Croft went for a long period without scoring, but finally got on the scoresheet with a goal in another game against Barnsley at Oakwell on 3 March 2007. In the 2008–09 season, Croft became a key player for the side, and scored in the East Anglian derby match against Ipswich Town in December 2008 and went on to be voted the club's player of the season. Derby County 2009–10 season After Norwich City's relegation Croft decided against signing a new contract, which alerted Derby County manager Nigel Clough. After entering into negotiations with Derby, Croft was released early from his contract by mutual consent. Croft signed for Derby on a three-year contract on 25 June 4 days after his 24th birthday. As clubs who sign players under the age of 24 who move between clubs on a free transfer have to pay compensation to the player's former club, by waiting until Croft turned 24, Derby avoided paying compensation to Norwich. After making his debut in a 2–1 home win over Peterborough United on 8 March 2009, Croft played a part in 13 of Derby's first 15 league fixtures and scored his first for the club in a 3–0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday on 3 October 2009. However, as Derby struggled in the league Croft was unable to keep his place in the side as he struggled for form and this, alongside a hamstring injury suffered in late February 2010, saw Croft make only three appearances in the final 6 months of the campaign. Of Croft, Derby manager Nigel Clough said "He is on the