Chris Lakey Experienced campaigner Adam Drury says it's time for the talking to stop and ensure that actions speak louder than words as City continue to head closer and closer to the Championship relegation zone.

Chris Lakey

Experienced campaigner Adam Drury says it's time for the talking to stop and ensure that actions speak louder than words as City continue to head closer and closer to the Championship relegation zone.

Drury's departure just after the hour mark at Hillsborough on Saturday leaves manager Glenn Roeder with yet another selection headache as he prepares for the biggest home date in the calendar - against East Anglian rivals Ipswich next Sunday.

The build-up could hardly be worse, but the excuses are beginning to wear thin for City fans for whom defeat against the old enemy could prompt a revolt on the terraces.

And Drury knows as well as any of the players what it means.

"Obviously we keep talking about it and doing bits and pieces, but we have got to get it right - it is one of the biggest games of the season," he said.

"We're chalk and cheese at the minute, we are so at opposite ends - we get a half of great football like Palace the other day, a great second-half after a poor first-half, and then today we were great first-half and poor second-half.

"It is one of those things we have got to put right."

Derby days are no respecters of league positions and current form - which is just as well given that Ipswich are eight points and 11 positions better off than the Canaries.

"There's our league position as well and with it being the biggest game, form goes out of the window so we have to make sure we get it right for that day," added Drury.

An upper leg muscle problem was the last thing Drury needed as he attempts to re-establish himself in the first team after a long injury absence - but his role against Ipswich now depends on how quickly he can recover.

"I haven't played for a long time, a year, and playing two games in a week there was a bit of tiredness," he said. "It's a bit similar to what Ryan (Bertrand) has got, the top of the right hamstring area, and obviously it has tightened up.

"It was tightening up first-half and then I got through to half-time and obviously sitting and doing nothing made it a bit worse and I think they took the opinion that it wasn't worth me pulling something and me being out for a month or so, rather than just missing the rest of the game. It's frustrating but it's just one of those things and hopefully I will be alright."

Everything had been going swimmingly at half-time with City 1-0 up and Drury looking his usual assured self at left-back, having done a stint at centre-back against Palace last week.

But 10 minutes into the second half it was 2-1 to Wednesday, and although Leroy Lita pulled a goal back, the hosts went ahead again - and when John Kennedy was sent off, there was no way back for Norwich.

"At half-time it was going very well, we played unbelievably well first-half but the problem is you have got to do it for 90 minutes and not just for 45," he said.

"It doesn't matter how well you played in the first-half if you go on and lose the game like we did.

"When we conceded the goal it is almost like backs to the wall stuff and we didn't know how to stop it, that was the problem. We didn't get ourselves out of that pattern of getting pinned in our own half.

"Obviously they go on to get a second, we get ourselves back into the game again and then concede again and it's such a frustrating thing. For the people who are watching, who have travelled down to watch us it must be infuriating."