CITY boss Bryan Gunn called on his players to end the season with a performance full of passion and pride in their final game at Charlton next Sunday after tonight's 2-0 defeat at home to Reading left the Canaries' Championship survival hopes hanging by a thread.

Shane Long's second-half brace for the promotion-chasing Royals means the Canaries must now win at The Valley and hope already-safe Plymouth beat Barnsley at Home Park.

Gunn said he had told the players they had to put the disappointment of the devastating defeat by Reading behind them and ensure they take it right to the wire next weekend.

He told First News: "It was a disappointing second half, but in the first half the boys were really up for it. We had some opportunities to get in behind them, I thought Cody McDonald put on an excellent performance in the first half . The second half, we let them come into the game, they're a dangerous side and we knew they'd get the ball out wide and get crosses into the box, and that's what killed us off in the end. They had two excellent crosses and two good finishes and we didn't really make any chances in the second half.

"But as we said in the dressing room after the game, all is not lost - we need to go down to Charlton and believe we can get a result down there, and obviously we hope that Plymouth will do a job in front of their fans and win their game against Barnsley. Funny things happen in football, and we have to believe that.

"The spirit was there in the first half and there were a lot of shots coming in to the box, we did try but they're a well-organised side. We weren't surprised by the way Reading played, we just couldn't break them down. Their 'keeper didn't have too much to do in the match, we're disappointed with that but we need to regroup and lift the heads in the dressing room.

"The players are obviously disappointed, there was over 25,000 here and we just had to do a lap and there were thousands of people here. That was fantastic, the fans are right behind us and we've got 3,000 people come down to Charlton with us and I hope we can do a job down there.

"Our fans have given us tremendous support this season and they will give us tremendous support next season no matter what league we're playing in. They do feel let down, I know that and we'll have to accept that. We've got to make sure we go out there and put a performance on for them at Charlton - we have to do the jersey an honour. Norwich City is a massive club and we have to do a job for all the fans out there. "