Darren Huckerby says Leeds can't afford to lose at Carrow Road on Saturday - but believes they are good enough to scrape the second automatic promotion spot behind Norwich.

Darren Huckerby says Leeds can't afford to lose at Carrow Road on Saturday - but believes they are good enough to scrape the second automatic promotion spot behind Norwich.

Simon Grayson's team are struggling to stay on City's coat-tails, but Huckerby - who played for both teams - believes a trip to Norfolk could prove to be just what they need to satisfy their angry fans, who have seen the gap at the top grow to eight points, with a clutch of others snapping at their heels.

The alternative is the prospect that those same fans will finally turn on Grayson and his players - and that could spell disaster for a club that claims to be more Premier League than League One.

“Leeds can't afford to lose,” said Huckerby. “They have got to go all out.

“It may sound silly, but a point is more than enough for us, the way we're playing and the players we have got.

“I always thought Leeds were a very ordinary team, I really did, even when they got off to a great start, but I wouldn't swap any of their players for any of ours.

“Leeds is a massive club and they will start turning - the fans have probably started turning already after three wins in 15, something daft like that.

“The big thing is, it is probably easier at the present time playing away from home for Leeds so that will give them a bit of a boost.

“Playing at home right now must be awful. The fans, they do like to moan up there.

“Their players have got to stand up because their season's crumbling. If they don't go up this year their club is going to be in a real mess.

“Seeing a lot of teams that come here, even though I don't rate Leeds as high as everybody else does, they still should have enough to despatch a lot of these teams. I think we will get a result on Saturday, and Leeds will have to bounce back - but I think they will get enough points to finish second, but only just.”

Huckerby - who scored the winner the last time Leeds came to Carrow Road, back in February, 2007 - was an integral part of the last City team to win promotion, six years ago. That team went top of the old First Division before Christmas and stayed there for the duration.

“I think the big difference for us was, there were teams who were still playing pretty well and getting points,” said Huckerby.

“Now, a lot of these teams underneath are chucking it away. Leeds have been terrible, Charlton have had a wobble, Swindon scraped a draw at the weekend, Colchester are hit and miss. The rest of them are not doing enough.

“Millwall are playing probably the best out of the other sides and they are on a good run at the right time. They are looking strong, but strong compared to this league. It sounds awful, but I was expecting it to be a lot tougher, I was expecting teams to be a lot more physical, but they are not even that. It has been a bit of a culture shock, because I can remember playing down there and I'm sure it was better than it is now. It does seem very, very weak.”

t Part Two of the video interview with City legends Darren Huckerby and Craig Fleming and BBC Radio Norfolk's Norwich City commentator Chris Goreham will be online next week.