Gary Doherty claims the 'nightmare' of relegation has made him all the more determined to help Norwich to safety.
Canaries defender hoping to avoid relegation heartache
Gary Doherty claims the 'nightmare' of relegation has made him all the more determined to help Norwich to safety this season.
The experienced defender suffered the pain of slipping out of the Premier League with the Canaries in 2005 and is keen to avoid a repeat of that situation.
Bryan Gunn's side currently occupy a standing inside the Championship relegation zone, but know victory over arch-rivals Ipswich on Sunday will lift them out of the bottom three.
With that in mind, Doherty will be going all out for derby day success when Norwich make the short journey to Portman Road this weekend.
"That summer and for a long time really it was bitterly disappointing," he said of the 2005 close season.
"We went into that last game of the season only needing a draw and to get stuffed (6-0 at Fulham) was a real nightmare for us, so we don't really want to get into that position again.
Massive games
"We've got two games to put it into our own hands and that's what we really need to do as we don't want to be going into the last day needing something."
Doherty added on the club's
official website: "Experience is everything, if you've been through it and you know how to cope with these massive games. Even last season we weren't really safe until the second to last game of the season so I've had it a few times since I've been at Norwich.
"So it's something I'm prepared for and preparing the younger lads in the squad for, because if you do go down it's a terrible feeling."
City beat Ipswich 2-0 in the reverse fixture between the two sides back in December and Doherty is hoping for similar joy this time around.
"It's going to be a massive game, a big game for us due to our league position and one we're looking forward to," he said.
"We've already beaten them this season, and we'll be putting them under a little bit of pressure being the home team and us turning them over before, so it's going to be an interesting game."
