Town midfielder Cole Skuse says he and his colleagues are in the best possible shape going into Saturday’s play-off semi-final second leg against Norwich.

The teams drew 1-1 at Portman Road last weekend, leaving Mick McCarthy’s men requiring their first Carrow Road success in nine years if they are to advance to the final at Wembley on Monday May 25th.

Skuse, 29, said: “The lads are all very buoyant and confident. We’re obviously going there expecting to win. The pressure will be on them — they’re at home, they were the favourites going into the play-offs — and we’re going to go there, do our jobs and march on to Wembley.

“The first goal will be very important. If they get it their fans will be very buoyant and they will settle into the game.

“But if we get it and their crowd turn on them it could get very hostile for them. We’re not going to go there and set up to be negative. We’re going to have a go and hopefully we will score first and see out the game.”

Skuse confirmed that Town’s preparations for Saturday’s showdown have been no different to at any stage this season, although he is well aware that the game is the club’s most important for a decade since Joe Royle’s team were beaten in the play-offs by West Ham.

He added: “The dressing room has been very much the same. It hasn’t changed from the first week of the season to now. There are a few more arguments about tickets to be fair. Tommy Smith and the other local boys want a few more tickets, that’s the only slight change.

“We know what’s at stake and we know our jobs. There have been no big meetings and no rallying calls. We’ve taken a lot from last weekend’s game. I thought we shaded it and had some good chances when we got wide. They might have had a little bit more of the ball without really hurting us in the second half.

“Are we more confident than we were going into the first game? No, I wouldn’t say that. We were obviously wary of their threats and that they could cause us problems but we never go into a game scared or not confident.

“After the game we went through the game and broke it down. We were pleased with the way we played and the jobs we’d done so we've left it wide open for this week’s game.

“You always want to play in the big games and now we’re one step away from the biggest of them all. We want to make sure the preparation is right and stay composed going into the game.”

Skuse knows the atmosphere will be hostile at Carrow Road and added: “I wouldn't say I relish being called all sorts of names and having abuse thrown my way. I know it can drive people on but I wouldn't say I love it. I’d rather they shouted nice things but I know that’s not going to happen. It’s not something I pay too much attention to.

“Norwich have an unbelievable squad. I would say it is probably the best in the Championship and they were very unlucky not to go up automatically.

“You couldn’t put your finger on one individual, they are just a very good side. We’ll be trying to nullify them and put our stamp on the game and get the job done.

“There wasn’t a great deal of football played through midfield the other day. It was maybe a little bit tentative at times but I wouldn’t say we were coming into the dressing room at the end screaming ‘We’ve got the measure of their midfield’. They’ve got some very, very good players and some dangerous players.

“I thought we did very well last weekend and the game plan worked to a degree. We nullified them but that doesn’t mean that on their own patch they are not going to be just as big a threat.

“It was a very evenly balanced game, maybe we shaded the better of the chances and if we were going into this weekend’s game one goal up it would be a massive bonus. But a draw was probably a fair enough result.”

Photo: Action Images

Razor added 10:23 - May 15 Go for it lads----ypou can do it!!
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