ALTHOUGH Paul Lambert has no new injury concerns ahead of tomorrow night's visit of Brighton & Hove Albion (7.45pm), the City boss says it will be all hands on deck if his team are to continue on their good run of form - and achieve their ultimate aim of promotion.
Lambert has named a similar line-up for the last few league games, but the Canaries now face a run of four games in quick succession - something the Scot believes will require everyone in the squad to play their part.
"Over the next period of time, when we play Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, we'll need everybody," he said. "Whether that is tomorrow or it is Saturday or the following week you'll have to wait and see, but you're going to come into a group of games where it is nigh on impossible to pick the same group of lads every opportunity, so we need everybody."
The 40-year-old added the current competition for places was something he welcomes and has not ruled out dipping into the loan market to bolster his squad: "There's nothing better as a footballer then when a manager brings in two or three players and you think, 'I need to be looking over my shoulder'. I can't have anybody not looking over their shoulder, thinking they are always going to be in the side, because that is when you become complacent and you just take for granted that you are going to play.
"I said from day one that the current group need a little bit of help, but we haven't been able to do it apart for Fraser (Forster). We're doing everything we can to try and make something happen, the emergency loan window closes on Thursday."
Lambert highlighted the examples of Stephen Hughes and Michael Nelson as players who have been in and out of the squad and who are currently looking to force their way back into his thinking for a starting place.
"Stephen was in the team when the team was going well but gets injured at MK Dons and doesn't get back in, and then goes away with the national team and the team keeps winning so it is hard to change it. You have to sometimes bide your time.
"Michael Nelson is in the same boat, got injured at MK Dons when he was playing really well, at the top of his game and then Doc (Gary Doherty) comes in and has been absolutely brilliant. So it is hard when you go out of the team to get back in, especially when you are winning and that is exactly what has happened, but at least we know we've got some lads there that we think might come in and give us a hand.
"The wheel always turns somewhere, somebody gets injured, somebody gets suspended and suddenly you get in and you have to take your chance, knowing that if you don't take it, there is somebody always there over your shoulder waiting to get in the side. To be fair the amount of games they have played they've been great."
After Saturday's entertaining 2-2 draw with Southampton, Lambert reported no new injury concerns.
Declan Rudd (knee), George Francomb (thigh), Matt Gill (calf), Owain Tudur Jones (groin), Luke Daley (thigh) and Michael Spillane (hamstring) continue to be missing and Lambert confirmed they wouldn't be ready for tomorrow's game: "No, not at the minute because they haven't played any reserve team games or trained with us, so a wee bit to go."
Brighton & Hove Albion come to Carrow Road under the management of former Leeds assistant boss Gus Poyet. This will be his fourth game in charge - winning two games and losing one against table-topping Leeds United on Saturday.
Asked if the 'new manager' effect could mean his Canaries were in for a tough task, Lambert replied: "They have shown themselves with the new manager, this will be his fourth game but they'll come to our place knowing that we're playing really well.
"There are two ways I think it is only ever going to go when you come into a new job, you either can't get a win still with the current group or you do go on a run. He did well in his first couple of games then got beat by Leeds who are top of the league and Leeds played well.
"It's a tough game no doubt, we're certainly playing well enough to win games, it is a hard game, the crowd will come again in their thousands expecting us to win again, so we have to make the running."
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