Beware of the wounded Canary

Chris Lakey

Tony Mowbray to beware the wounded animal when table-topping West Brom come to Carrow Road this afternoon.

The Canaries still bear the wounds of Sunday's dismal derby day defeat at Portman Road, and former Ipswich defender Mowbray knows the pain.

“I know they got beaten by Ipswich, which will be hurting them,” he said. “I know they probably need another win in their minds to secure their position in the Championship.

“The stadium will be just about full, if not full.

“They have got some good players so we are expecting a tough game. We went there last year for an unusual game but we got a good result.

“Everything being right for us we will go there and try to get a similar result and try to put on a performance that warrants three points.”

Mowbray's team are two points clear at the top, with Hull and Stoke their nearest challengers, and he believes the fear factor will keep their noses in front.

“The players can see the finishing line,” he said. “Sometimes fear can be a driving motivation and I'm sure the players know that there are teams behind us within just two points.

“By the end of play tomorrow we could be in third so we're only one 90 minutes away from it not being in our own hands.

“That's what drives us on to put our bodies on the line.”

Mowbray said there was no need to flog his men in training, even though a campaign which has also taken in a run to the semi-finals of the FA Cup, is finally reaching the home stretch.

“Well if you watched training yesterday you will have seen that we kept them ticking along,” he said. “Let them touch the ball, a 15-minute five-a-side and finished.

“You don't tax them - you just keep them ticking along. We show them in classrooms what opposition teams do.

“They know the basics at this stage of the season - we just tinker with the tactics.”