Ipswich Town manager Joe Royle will not leave it up to his crop of sick and injured players to decide if they are fit enough to play in to morrow's crucial Carrow Road clash.

Ipswich Town manager Joe Royle will not leave it up to his crop of sick and injured players to decide if they are fit enough to play in to morrow's crucial Carrow Road clash.

Royle is today hoping a flu virus will not spread to any more of his squad ahead of derby day but will not take any chances on picking his side.

Shane Supple, Adam Proudlock and Vemund Brekke-Skard, have already fallen victim and have been quarantined away from the rest of the team in a bid to prevent the outbreak spreading.

With Gavin Williams already a major doubt with a sore knee, Royle will wait until tomorrow morning before naming his side to face the Canaries and will not leave it to his players to assess their own ability to play after Lewis Price recently insisted he was fit to play despite a injury which later affected his performance.

Royle said: “Lewis declared himself fit for the game against Palace and clearly wasn't.

“He did it for all the right reasons but from now on we will take a bigger hand in deciding if a player is really fit enough to play.

“I have always left it to players to decide in the past but you never stop learning in this game.”

After an unprecedented season of injuries, and now a sickness bug, Town have learned to deal with short numbers, although they still have a healthy competition for many places.

Royle said: “It is a good position to be in with so much competition. We have five competing for places at the back. We have loads in midfield and two trying for one goalkeeping place.

“The only place our options are limited, as we have been all season, is up front.

“I would have no qualms about playing Lewis but equally I want Shane to be fit because we would like to have some continuity in the side. Just as I wanted Lewis to stay in the side when he was doing well.”

With an unbeaten run of five in the bag, the Town boss is relatively happy with his side although feels they could

Royle said: “We are in good form, not great form, because we have had too many draws.

“The players are up for it and we have needed that goal-scoring form and a bit of luck. We are coming together - it has taken 30-odd games to get there.

While City have not won in four games, or kept a clean sheet in four either, league form and expectation will probably weigh heavier against City than Town.

Royle said: “There is pressure on both sides as we are both not in a position we want to be.

“There is probably more pressure on Norwich because there expectation would have been greater.

“They have spent quite heavily and I have to admit I thought they would be right up in the promotion frame.

“The pressure on us comes from wanting to reverse the hone defeat when he we felt badly done by. The result was harsh on us as was the sending off which was later rescinded but did us no use when we had lost.

“They will be playing with £4m worth of new talent so it should be a good game.”