Defender Rob Edwards is excited by the possibility Norwich City can go one better than his Blackpool club-mates – by gaining promotion without the the drama of the play-offs.

The 28-year-old centre-half, on loan from Bloomfield Road, was on the bench for two Championship matches for the Canaries before today’s visit of Preston to Carrow Road.

But Edwards has already seen enough to believe that Paul Lambert’s men have what it takes to contest one of the top two places. Blackpool were beaten just once in their final nine games last season as they snatched sixth spot and then triumphed in the play-offs, beating Nottingham Forest over two legs, then Cardiff at Wembley to reach the Premier League.

“Norwich are now higher than we were last year and if we had a similar run we could find ourselves in the top two, which is what everyone’s aim is, so it’s huge, keeping that consistency, churning out wins and seeing how far we can go,” he said.

“You need that run, that momentum. If you get on a run at this stage of the season, it can really carry you through.

“That’s what happened with us last year. I think we lost only one game in the last 10 or so, against Newcastle, and found ourselves in the play-offs.”

Edwards was also at Wolves for four Championship seasons, reaching the play-offs in 2006-07, and believes the City squad is “very well prepared” for the run-in.

He said: “We had a lot of expectation when I was at Wolves. Every year we were expected to win the league or go up somehow and we didn’t manage it.

“We managed it last year with Blackpool but by sneaking in the last couple of games into sixth, then doing it through the play-offs. Norwich are probably in the highest postition I’ve been in with a chance of going up automatically so it’s really exciting.

“The boys have put themselves in this position so they’re obviously good enough – they’re very well prepared,” added Edwards, whose loan runs out on May 24, six days before the play-off final.