Play-off targeting Joe Royle has revealed that his side were spurred on by the media and fan negativity which greeted Town's March defeat to Millwall, the club's third successive loss.

Since then the Blues have won five in six and look on course for a top six finish.

Royle said: “When we lost at home to Millwall last month it was our third defeat in a row and there was a huge wave of negativity out there.

“We were dismissed in some quarters - by sections of the media, by fans who booed us off and by people who wrote letters to the papers.

“There is nothing worse than being written off, but we decided to use it to our advantage. We just told the players there is no greater feeling than to prove people wrong, which is exactly what they have done.”

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