Goalkeeper David Marshall is confident Norwich City will let their football do the talking as this weekend's crunch East Anglian derby closes in. While Ipswich may only have pride to play for at Portman Road on Sunday (12.45pm), for the Canaries the game holds a far greater significance as they look to avoid the ignominy of League One next season.

Goalkeeper David Marshall is confident Norwich City will let their football do the talking as this weekend's crunch East Anglian derby closes in.

While Ipswich may only have pride to play for at Portman Road on Sunday (12.45pm), for the Canaries the game holds a far greater significance as they look to avoid the ignominy of League One next season.

But while Town striker Kevin Lisbie talks up his side handing out a derby "spanking" to their bitter rivals, Marshall admitted the City squad are quietly going about their own derby preparations.

"We're just getting on with our training, we know we can go and win there and we know if we're not right we'll go there and get beaten," said Marshall. "We'll just get our heads down and get ourselves right - hopefully we'll have another performance like that against Watford and it'll be good enough to win."

That said, the importance of a win over Ipswich is not lost on the Scottish international stopper. "It's a massive match," said Marshall. "We've been playing big games for the last two months, so it's no different - it's a big game and hopefully if we win on Sunday, we'll be looking a lot better in the league.

"It's going to be a tough match. Derby games are always tough but I think they're under a bit of pressure as well - they've not had great results recently so it'll be a good game and I'm looking forward to it."

Marshall, fellow goalkeeper Stuart Nelson and on-loan Fulham defender Adrian Leijer visited the children's ward at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital yesterday, to meet youngsters and hand out Easter eggs. "It was really good to come down and see the kids," Marshall told the club's official website. "It's a hard time for them and their families so it makes them happy, and it's something for them to look forward to. "Norwich is a family club and events like this are great for the local community - it was a good day and hopefully there'll be a few more.

"Some of the children were quite shy but others were cheerful, especially considering what's going on in their lives. They just get on with things, and it really hits home when you talk to them."

Canaries in the Community's Duncan Macinnes, who organised the event, added: "It's been a really great event, the players have been fantastic and I can't thank them enough."