Ex-England forward's Norwich City spell may be forgotten but he is loved at Carrow Road: View | OneFootball

Peter Crouch enjoyed an illustrious career with several different English clubs.

The 6ft 7 forward has become a much loved figure in English football, having scored over 20 goals for England, and appearing for a whole host of clubs in the top flight, including Tottenham, Liverpool and Stoke City.

With Liverpool, Crouch found great success as he played a big part in the club's road to the Champions League final in the 2006/07 season, after helping them achieve FA Cup glory in the campaign prior.

The 43-year-old left a great legacy in the Premier League, having scored over 100 top flight goals, with a large number of them coming for Stoke City.

Everyone remembers seeing Crouch in a Liverpool shirt, a Tottenham shirt, a Stoke City shirt, or perhaps a Portsmouth shirt, but there is one brief spell in his career that often goes under the radar. It was a move that, in many ways, helped him gain a lot of confidence at a crucial time in his career.

A much-needed loan move

Crouch signed for Aston Villa back in March 2002, for a reported £5 million, but he failed to make a real impact at the club.

The 2002/03 Premier League campaign saw the striker fail to hit the back of the net in 14 appearances, and his place in the starting eleven was far from guaranteed.

Going into the following campaign, Crouch appeared desperate for first-team football as his game time at Villa had taken a big hit, so a loan move elsewhere appeared to be the sensible option for him.

In September 2003, a 22-year-old Crouch was handed an opportunity to regain some confidence in front of goal, as he joined Norwich City in the second tier on a three-month loan deal.

The striker had dropped into the Championship, known as the First Division at the time, where he had previously scored regular goals for QPR and Portsmouth, so it was far from a new environment for him.

Despite spending just three months with the Canaries, he had a huge impact, as he scored four important goals for Norwich in their promotion-winning campaign.

Despite leaving in December, his impact during his loan spell ultimately played its part in their eventual success at the end of the season.

Crouch impressed from the off, as he scored on his Norwich debut at home to Burnley, before finding the back of the net once again in his second game for the club, away to Gillingham.

His manager, Nigel Worthington, clearly favoured Crouch up top, as he would start him on 14 occasions in the league during his three-month spell with the club.

Following his two goals in two games, the striker would make it four by scoring against West Ham and Walsall, before making a return to Villa Park to play for his parent club.

Norwich would continue the campaign strongly without Crouch as their number nine, as they won the second tier title and earned promotion to the Premier League.

The move was clearly a success for all parties, as Crouch regained his confidence in goal after a dry spell at Villa, and Norwich reaped the rewards of his goals.