David Cuffley Darren Huckerby faced up to the latest painful twist in Norwich City's season and admitted: “Our fate is in our own hands.”The Canaries' 2-0 defeat at Sheffield United - their fifth reverse in seven Coca-Cola Championship matches - left them just three points clear of the relegation zone with seven matches to play.

David Cuffley

Darren Huckerby faced up to the latest painful twist in Norwich City's season and admitted: “Our fate is in our own hands.”

The Canaries' 2-0 defeat at Sheffield United - their fifth reverse in seven Coca-Cola Championship matches - left them just three points clear of the relegation zone with seven matches to play.

The Easter Saturday home game against bottom club Colchester United takes on even greater significance in the light of the result at Bramall Lane.

Just three weeks ago, Huckerby was contemplating a late bid for a play-off place after helping City to a 1-0 home win over Barnsley.

But since then, five games in 15 days, once seen as a potential springboard to a challenge for place in the top six, have yielded just one point for Glenn Roeder's men - and but for one moment of brilliance by late substitute Jamie Cureton at Watford it would have been five straight defeats.

“We've got a massive game next week, there's no doubt about it," said Huckerby, recalled against the Blades after missing three games with a groin injury.

“It's a concern but it's still in our own hands - we've got to stick together and try to win the game.

“We're in a dogfight. Everyone was talking about promotion but, like I said, the squad isn't as big and as strong as it could be. The manager's doing his best. He's brought a lot of loans in but we've still got a lot of work to do.

“It's going to be difficult but we've got the players and we've got to start putting the results to the performances.”

Huckerby was among those who missed chances to give City a half-time lead on Saturday, but it was their third successive game without a goal and they are now the Championship's lowest scorers.

He said: “I thought in the first half it was an even game. Two mistakes cost us big time even though they had a lot of possession.

"We had the chances in the first half to get in the game but it wasn't to be.”

The 31-year-old attacker believes luck has played its part in City's good and bad spells.

He said: “Even in the 13-game streak there were games where we were maybe a tad lucky, so it's swings and roundabouts.”

Huckerby learned of his recall shortly before kick-off as Roeder left winger Lee Croft out of his starting line-up.

He said: “I felt OK. I was a little bit tight. I would have preferred to have had a full week's training but I didn't really get a chance, so I've only had two days' training in the last two weeks and the week before that I didn't train at all either. Hopefully now I can have a full week's training.

“I didn't know I was playing until an hour before kick-off. It was good to be back and I thought I put a few decent balls into the box as well today and they just didn't seem to drop for us.”

Though his future remains unclear, Huckerby is desperate to help secure City's Championship status for another year.

“If I do leave, it want it to be in this division. We've got seven games to go and it's all down to us,” he said.