Paul Lambert insists the fear of failure is what drives him to try to bring success to Norwich City.

The Canaries’ boss has guided last season’s League One champions into an automatic Championship promotion spot with just nine games left ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Hull.

But the single-minded Scot is aware the upward curve since arriving in August 2009 can easily dip if City rest on their laurels.

He said: “I think when you first take a club of this size you think it must have a plateau but for some strange reason it has kept on rising. I’m pretty sure when I first got the job the fans were like ‘Oh no, we don’t want him, we want someone more experienced,’ and all that sort of thing, but until you get an opportunity you’ll never know yourself.

“That was always going through my head. I knew the stature and the size of it. I knew the fan base would put pressure on us to do it but I like to think I have a quite good desire to try and achieve the things I do.

“I wasn’t going to let one or two defeats stop me but it just started to take off and we’ve carried that on again this season.”

Lambert, speaking on the latest edition of the Football League’s podcast series, has no doubt City’s squad possess the moral fibre to last the course this season.

He said: “I think we have to be single minded and focus on your job rather than worry about what anyone else is doing.

“I can‘t influence any other clubs’ players. I won’t worry about what is happening on the outside. All I worry about is us and Norwich City and if we keep going that’s all I can ask. I’m not going to say we will do it, but we’ll be giving everything we’ve got to achieve something.

“We’ve got players who are strong minded to see games through. If we are drawing the game we try to win it and we’re never out of the game, and we always have a foothold in games. I think that comes from within.

“The desire and hunger and the position they are in in the league at the moment, we want to win more games than not. If you do that you never know where it can take you. They are a credit to the club and a credit to me.”

Lambert won 13 major honours in a decorated playing career but insists his managerial achievements with the Canaries stand comparison.

He said: “I’m not one of those ones who will go and broadcast what I did as a player. Those times were great but as a footballer you only have to look after yourself.

“As a manager you have to try and get 20-odd lads to run for you.

“Don’t get me wrong, winning League One last year and doing what we are doing this year is every bit as important to me as winning the Champions League.”