City boss Peter Grant has poured scorn on the idea of an end-of-season mood taking over at the final home game against Southampton at Carrow Road tomorrow.

City boss Peter Grant has poured scorn on the idea of an end-of-season mood taking over at the final home game against Southampton at Carrow Road tomorrow.

The Saints still have their sights on a Coca-Cola Championship play-off place with two games to go.

Said Grant: “It's a massive game, not just for us but in the respect of everyone else in the league. Southampton are going to try to get in the play-offs and it would be a total injustice if we went out there and never boiled our shirts. We have to go out there and represent this club every time and, as I keep saying, it's 24/7 here.

“If we go about it as an end-of-season game we could get our backsides felt. They went to Wolverhampton and scored six. They could have scored six against Leeds on Saturday. We know we'll have to be at our very best. We went one-nothing up down there and still lost the game.

“If they get into the play-offs they've got every possibility of going all the way.”

City go into the match with the usual string of absentees, Lee Croft joining the casualty list with a badly bruised shin after hobbling off in the 1-1 draw against Ipswich on Sunday.

Defender Gary Doherty has had a hernia operation and will not play again this season, while tomorrow's match comes too soon for a recall for Simon Lappin (broken thumb), Youssef Safri (hamstring), Luke Chadwick (thigh) and Chris Brown (hamstring and back).

Said Grant: “Crofty will be struggling for this week, added to the guys that were already out last week. I don't think we'll get any of them back.

“That's disappointing, especially with Chaddy still being out. It gives you yet again imbalance in the wide areas.

“At this moment Crofty's not trained or done anything other than gym work since Sunday, so I'd say he's a major doubt.

“Chris Brown is very close now. He had an injection last week. That's helped him a lot, he feels a lot better. When he steps up the pace now he doesn't feel it as much as he did, even last week. He'll not be available for this weekend, that's for sure. It's going to be a long, hot summer for him because he's missed a lot of football.

“Simon has a lighter cast on but it's always difficult balance wise. Because of the size of the cast, it puts an imbalance in your body. He's the sort of boy who, if he got the cast off, he'd be able to play. I hope he'll be available for the last game.

“Saf's very close. I'm hoping to see him before the end of the season but I will not take any risk on him.”

Striker Peter Thorne, like Doherty, will not play again this season. He has been out since February with a thigh injury.