David Wagner would love a play-off crack at Ipswich Town, after hailing the Yellow Army’s ‘extraordinary’ backing in Norwich City’s raucous 1-0 Championship derby win.

The City chief insists his squad are up for a potential promotion rematch, with Marcelino Nunez’s free kick winner enough to keep Town waiting for a first derby win since April 2009.

Wagner ranked the atmosphere whipped up by home fans at Carrow Road as the best since he arrived in Norfolk – and the German is greedy for more.

“In that atmosphere you can achieve something special. We can't have this only once in the season,” he said. “Now everyone has to play their part. For me, it's important that everybody was able to feel if you have such a special, extraordinary atmosphere then maybe at the end of the season we can get something extraordinary, and special, over the line as well.

“This was a first experience, and hopefully we will have a few more in the season.”

Wagner is in no doubt City would hold the psychological advantage if they seal a top six spot, and Ipswich miss out on automatic promotion to set up a potential epic derby return.

“Yes,” he said. “To be totally honest this is not my issue, not my problem (who misses out on the top two). But if I try to sit on the chair of the team which had an unbelievable season, and then they do not get automatic promotion and have to play the play-offs, where everyone has a 25pc chance to get promoted, when you think, ‘Okay, I could be on the beach and reflecting on a promotion season but I have to play now the play-offs’, obviously it's something totally different to us.

"We have chased the play-offs the whole season, and would be over the moon to be in the play-offs. This is different, for sure. Will it count at the end, I don't know.”

The Pink Un:

Town boss Kieran McKenna was also asked about the prospect of facing Norwich in play-off football. Ipswich remained in the automatic spots, after Leeds lost at Coventry City, but only two points separate the top three.

“We don’t speak about the outcomes or the points totals much, but in reality we know there are two outcomes for us now because we’ve mathematically secured the play-offs,” he said.

“Of course, the incredible work that everyone has done to this point, it’s possible that we can secure an automatic place, as much as that’s going to take a record points total and all those things, it’s possible and we’ll fight for that right the last games.

“But, let’s be realistic again. At the start of the season, if we were to be in a play-off position, everyone would find that fantastic and whoever we’d have to play we know it’s going to be a good side.

“But we also know, even coming out of this game, I don’t think there’s anything for us to fear in this division, that we can be a good side on our day and we’ll focus on the next five games.

“We’ll give every one our full attention, we’ll look forward to them and then we’ll see where we’re at.”

Wagner stopped short of ranking his first East Anglian derby win the biggest of his City tenure.

“To play against a league leader, and the biggest rival, and to keep a clean sheet against the team which scored so many goals. There were a lot of big headlines in this game,” he said. “The players totally deserved to get those positive headlines; to show this togetherness and this spirit to bounce back.

"Yes, this makes it a very big win but I said this before the game, at the end of the day it's three points, and now we have collected them I can't make it bigger. This is what we immediately said in the dressing room.

"Enjoy this experience but one thing is totally clear as well, on Tuesday (Sheffield Wednesday) we go again. This is what I immediately said in the dressing room as well.”