Ipswich v Norwich: Cameron Jerome ready for 'feisty' derby
Thursday 18 August 2016 18:17, UK
Norwich striker Cameron Jerome is braced for a "feisty" derby with Ipswich this Sunday - and thinks he knows what to expect from a Mick McCarthy side.
The first East Anglia showdown of the season - live on Sky Sports - comes just three weeks into the new Sky Bet Championship term, the rivals ready to meet for the first time since the 2014/15 play-off semi-final when Norwich prevailed and eventually reached the Premier League.
Alex Neil's side are back in the second tier after just one year's stay in the top flight and while Jerome admits his team-mates are still finding their rhythm, he says he is "quietly confident" of victory against familiar foes.
"We know there's a lot at stake in terms of the bragging rights," Jerome told Sky Sports' EFL Weekly podcast. "It's still early in the season and both teams are still finding their feet but it's going to be a feisty encounter. We're looking forward to it.
"We managed to beat them in the semi-final on the way to Wembley; it was a good moment but we know it's going to be a bit more difficult this time as it's down at their place.
"You know what Mick McCarthy's like, he gets his teams really organised and up for every game. I've played against many of his sides over the years - you know they're going to be fit and organised. We've got to match their work-rate and their effort and then hopefully our footballing ability will come through.
"It's going to be a tough task but we're quietly confident with the squad we've got."
Jerome scored in an opening-day 4-1 thrashing of Blackburn and four points from subsequent games against Sheffield Wednesday and Bristol City mean Norwich are joint leaders in the fledgling table.
Failure to break down Carlos Carvalhal's side at home prompted criticism from some sections of the support but Jerome insists expectations are rightly high and is confident the Canaries can meet them.
"We're quite pleased with our start," he said. "We got a good opening-day win against Blackburn and then a draw against Sheffield Wednesday. Even though we only scored one against Bristol City, we moved the ball well and controlled the game well from start to finish. We anticipate teams coming here to sit back and make it difficult but we can't grumble with the results so far.
"The fans have the right to voice their opinions. There was frustration against Wednesday - we knew we couldn't play as well as we could have done - but they're a side with a big budget that we expect to be challenging in the top six. It wasn't a bad result but we're still finding our consistency.
"It's getting back into the habits from when we were in the Championship a couple of years ago. To get out of this division we've got to take the game to teams, be aggressive.
"The fans are expecting us to get automatic promotion or promotion via the play-offs. A club like Norwich deserves to be in the Premier League. That comes with added pressure to make sure we do the business and get the club back to where it belongs."
Listen to the EFL Weekly every Thursday and watch Ipswich v Norwich on Sunday from 11.30am on Sky Sports 2.
