Nigel Worthington made it clear that he had no intention of resigning after fans called for his head in the wake of a truly depressing derby defeat.

Norwich City manager Nigel Worthington made it clear that he had no intention of resigning yesterday after fans called for his head in the wake of a truly depressing derby defeat.

The sight of arch rivals Ipswich emerging from Carrow Road with all three points was too much for some supporters, and around 150 gathered outside the City Stand afterwards to make their feelings known.

Chants of 'Let's be sacking you', 'You're not Worthy any more' and 'We've had enough of this' summed up the angry mood of the protestors, who were quick to vent their fury after a disputed 88th-minute goal had given the visitors a thoroughly deserved victory.

It was all the more galling for City that Danny Haynes, whose hand helped the ball into the net along with defender Gary Doherty's foot for the winning goal, had a trial with the Canaries after leaving Charlton in March 2004, and has now scored at every level for the Blues against the Canaries. This season alone he has been on the winning side at youth, reserves, and now senior level.

Worthington admitted he could understand the frustration of the fans after the poor performance, which condemned his side to a fourth defeat in five league games - but there's no way he will be giving his detractors what they want.

“It takes strong people, strong minds to come through and I will stand tall,” he said. “I believe in what we are trying to do here.

“The players have to transfer what they do on the training ground on to the pitch, it's as simple as that. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, that's what the game is all about. Do I like losing? No, I don't. Do supporters like it? No, they don't.

“Everyone has a goal in life and I know what mine is - it's to win games of football for Norwich and to be here for a long time.”

Worthington's short-term goal of a place in this season's Championship play-offs looks to be out of reach now.

As a result of yesterday's defeat, City are now in the bottom half of the table and 12 points off the pace, with sixth-placed Preston having a game in hand, so it would take an incredible run over the final 14 games to take the campaign into overtime.

However, Worthington refuses to throw in the towel and hopes a frank heart-to-heart with his players will get them moving.