Michael Bailey Left-back Adam Drury can see the similarities between this season and Norwich City's Championship-winning campaign - and hopes it continues over Christmas.

Michael Bailey

Left-back Adam Drury can see the similarities between this season and Norwich City's Championship-winning campaign - and hopes it continues over Christmas.

In their successful 2003-04 season, the Canaries picked up three wins in seven days to propel them clear at the top of the Championship before taking the title in May.

Although the situation is different this time round, three games in eight days - starting with the Boxing Day visit of Millwall - could play an equally big part in City's current League One campaign.

Saturday's 3-0 win over promotion rivals Huddersfield was City's seventh on the spin at home and helped bring them within four points of second place Charlton, with trips to Walsall on Monday and Wycombe the following weekend.

League leaders Leeds are eight points ahead of City with a game in hand, but Drury wants to keep up the pressure on both sides above them.

Drury said: “It's a long, long way to go but you can see the similarities with the year we won the title. You have to keep winning games but we have that momentum where you go into games believing you will win. It does make a difference but we have to make sure we keep doing it.

“We want to close that gap and put as much pressure on the top two as possible. The games come thick and fast. We go out to win every game and it will be no different over the Christmas period.

“Let them worry about us rather than the other way around. You want other sides to come in after games and look for results and see Norwich have won again. We want to make it relentless and that is the way it has to be if we want to close that gap.”

Drury, the longest serving player currently on City's books, acknowledges the atmosphere has been turned on its head at Carrow Road after a year that saw the club relegated and three managers take charge - Paul Lambert the last to arrive, in August.

Drury said: “Obviously when you look at last season it was all doom and gloom, but the gaffer has come in and turned all things around unbelievably.

“We haven't achieved anything yet but you can sense that positivity, especially around the ground. It's been fantastic.

“It's a different league of course (to 2003-04), but the atmosphere is very similar at home and you do sense that buzz around the place.

“We expect to go and win every game we play, which is a great feeling rather than any nerves. We've had the seven wins and of course we don't want it to stop, but we are a scalp for these other teams. People will come to Carrow Road and want to be the first team to put one over us. That makes it harder but we are rising to the challenge at the moment.”

The Canaries will be without injured Jens Berthel Askou and suspended Gary Doherty for Boxing Day, leaving Michael Nelson the only centre-back at Lambert's disposal.

Drury said: “It's not great because the one thing we've had this season is we've not had to change the team around much.

“We've got lads who can play centre-half if needed. I know Russell Martin has played there a lot more than I have and Holty has been telling me this morning that he can play there. He was in that position as a youngster. I doubt that is going to happen but I'm sure whoever plays there will do a good job.

“When you are winning games it breeds confidence and the way we have been playing of late. Hopefully it goes on from there and snowballs.”