Nigel Worthington was today named the Coca-Cola Championship Manager of the Month for December. The award was due to be officially announced at lunchtime and is due reward for a remarkable festive turnaround in his side's Championship fortunes with five straight wins propelling the Canaries to within three points of the play-off places.

City boss Nigel Worthington was today named the Coca-Cola Championship Manager of the Month for December.

The award was due to be officially announced at lunchtime and is due reward for a remarkable festive turnaround in his side's Championship fortunes with five straight wins propelling the Canaries to within three points of the play-off places.

Though City's startling return to form was bettered in terms of points by the achievements of runaway leaders Reading, the judges clearly felt that the extent of their about-turn in fortunes and, in particular, inflicting the first home defeat of the season on in-form Sheffield United with a 3-1 Boxing Day success at Bramall Lane justified Worthington winning the award ahead of Royals' boss Steve Coppell.

Said Worthington: “I'm very pleased but pleased more for everybody at the football club. Everyone deserves that for all their hard work.

“It's nice to get rewards in life and hopefully we can now go out and get two or three more before the end of the season!”

It's Worthington's fifth such award, having collected three two seasons ago in City's Division One title charge, and one while he was in charge at Blackpool.

Blades boss Neil Warnock won August and September's award with Coppell scooping the awards for October and November on the back of Reading's recent unstoppable form.

Worthington will clearly be hoping that the famous curse of the Manager of the Month award has struck once and once only with the Canaries losing their first game of the following month in Monday's 3-0 home defeat by Preston North End.

Meanwhile, bosses of a City fans' group who last month issued a statement backing calls for Worthington's head have admitted they are delighted with the team's recent revival.

But the Norwich City Independent Supporters' Association has stopped short of issuing a new statement which fully endorses the improvements made by the City boss and his team.

At the beginning of December, with the club having just slumped to 18th place in the table courtesy of a 2-0 defeat at Derby, NCISA chairman Roy Blower issued a statement warning of “dire consequences” if the Carrow Road board did not act to arrest the team's slide. The NCISA committee had already voted in favour of calling for a change in management back in October, but held back on making their view public.

“At this moment in time we're not issuing a statement and won't be,” said Blower. “Most people would accept the football team under-performed at the time we made that statement. We're pleased that circumstances have changed and now and to see the football club do extremely well.

“If it means that statement is history that's fine, it's good for the football club - no one person or organisation is bigger than the football club. We're all pleased that the football club is doing well and hopefully we can continue with that success.”