Luke Chambers and his senior colleagues will make sure their younger team-mates and recent additions to the squad are able to deal with what is sure to a hostile atmosphere at Carrow Road on Sunday.

Chambers looked ahead to the East Anglian derby against Norwich and said: “Once a new player comes into the squad we make him feel at home as soon as possible because it’s only going to help us as a team.

“We’ve had a few injuries recently and we not only have probably the smallest squad in the whole league, we’ve also used fewer players than most of the other sides.

“We know that we just have to keep going. We have 13 games left and whoever has come into the side this season has been absolutely tremendous and fitted in seamlessly.

“Whether it’s a young lad or a new signing, we help them to settle in as quickly as they can so they can hit the ground running.

“We tell them to take it all in and enjoy it. It’s not very often that you come into a side that’s sitting third in the Championship and looking to get promoted into the Premier League.

“We’ve had tremendous success so far, probably a little bit unexpected, but we were always confident going into the season that we could achieve something. The boys all want to be a part of it.”

Chambers will be making his first Carrow Road appearance for Town but added: “I’ve been involved in Forest-Derby games up in Nottingham so I know what to expect.

“It’s all part and parcel of the game. Their fans hate us and vice versa so you just have to get on with it. At the end of the day it’s a game of football that we’ll be fully prepared for and will be looking to take three points from.

“I think we’ve just got to try to be calm and not let the occasion get on top of us. In the pre-match huddle it will just be my usual ‘Let’s enjoy the occasion and give everything you’ve got’ and we’ll see where we are come four o’clock.”

The derby clash is just the first of six key and demanding games to be played in March, with promotion rivals Brentford, Middlesbrough and Watford, as well as Leeds and Bolton, all potentially difficult obstacles standing in the way of a long-awaited Premier League return.

Chambers said: “Before the turn of the year we were in unbelievable form and there was always going to be a downturn for us.

“I feel we’ve passed that now, winning three of our last four games, and I think we’re in as good form as anyone. We’re not one of the favourites to go up but we’ve enjoyed being underdogs all season.

“I don’t think anyone expected us to be where we are now and they were probably thinking that we would have fallen away by now. The gaffer has worked miracles since he came into the club — we were 13 games in and on seven points remember.

“We’re enjoying every minute of the turnaround and we’ve got to make the most of this opportunity.

“You’d like to think of a win at Norwich kick-starting the run-in but every game is different in the Championship and whether you’re playing a top side or one near the bottom it’s going to be difficult.

“We’ve got a lot of the top sides in the next few weeks so it will obviously have a huge bearing on where we are at the end of March. It is going to be a massive month for us but it’s one we are looking forward to.”

Photo: Action Images

blueherts added 09:21 - Feb 28 Connolly on the bench - unleash when we have a 2 goal cushion !
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battyblue added 14:36 - Feb 28 If everyone gives 100% you cant ask for more just hope someone can find a bit of magic to see us through.
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