Robert Earnshaw delighted with Cardiff City return

Cardiff City striker Robert Earnshaw says he rejected several offers to rejoin his home-town club.

Fans favourite Earnshaw, 30, signed a two-year deal with Cardiff on Wednesday after his contract at Nottingham Forest expired.

"I turned down a lot of people," said the Wales international, who took part in his first training session with the Bluebirds on Friday.

"The right thing for me was to come and play for Cardiff City."

Youth team product Earnshaw scored 105 goals in 205 games during his first spell with Cardiff, before a big money move to West Bromwich Albion in 2004.

Spells at Norwich, Derby and Forest followed before the striker returned to south Wales this week.

"For me it's just carrying on where I left off," he added.

"I've come here to do the right thing and play the right way and hopefully bring a lift to the club.

"I'm coming here to enjoy myself, to enjoy football. At the end of the day it's a sport but it's what we love doing.

"It's no different to last time I was here."

Earnshaw believes the Bluebirds have a good chance of promotion this season having missed out in the play-offs in the past two seasons.

And the Zambian-born striker hopes Wales team-mate Craig Bellamy will sign up to help fire the club to the Premier League.

Cardiff manager Malky Mackay has refused to discuss the possibility of Bellamy returning to the club.

The Manchester City striker spent last season on loan at Cardiff, scoring 11 Championship goals.

But with doubts remaining about Bellamy's future at Manchester City, Earnshaw admits he has spoken with his international colleague about a return to south Wales.

"It would be massive," said the Earnshaw. "I want to play with him and do well with him.

"I'm not sure what's going on with his situation, it's a tough one because he's still with a different club.

"I've spoken to him [Bellamy] and it's just the situation he's in with Man City. It's not as easy as for him to come back like last year."

Regardless of whether Bellamy returns, Earnshaw believes Cardiff are in good shape for a promotion push this season.

Several key players have left during the summer including Michael Chopra and Chris Burke and but Earnshaw has faith in a new-look side that includes Andrew Taylor, Don Cowie and Craig Conway.

"It's a team game and you look at any team that has gone up from this league and it's not about how great their star players did," he added.

"It's about how well the team did, how well they've gone over 46 games and got promotion and that's what it's about.

"It's about going for the whole season and doing the right thing as a team."