Canary legend on Sunday's hotly-anticipated match
EAST Anglian derby day âis the fansâ dayâ, according to former favourite of the Carrow Road terraces Darren Huckerby.Anticipation is building in the area as Norwich City prepare to go head-to-head with rivals Ipswich Town in their Sky Bet Championship match this Sunday.
Just one point separates the two teams in the divisionâs playoff places ahead of the game, and Huckerby, when speaking with canaries.co.uk for an exclusive interview, believes this weekendâs clash carries even more significance than usual.
âItâs never just a normal game when itâs Ipswich, but itâs more than that this time. Itâs about pushing us towards where we need to be, so itâs got more significance than some derbies of the past,â he said.
âThis is about stepping up, doing the job and getting the points to let the fans enjoy it, because this is the fansâ day.
âItâs all about sending them home happy so theyâve got a bit of a one-up on the people they know. Itâs a big game around here and the supporters have been looking forward to it for weeks.â
Huckerby represented the Canaries seven times against the Tractor Boys and experienced both the triumph of victory and the disappointment of defeat.
When picking his derby highlight, he was split between two choices.
âMy first one was when we beat them 3-1 in the year we won the league in 2004, when Malky (Mackay) scored two and I managed to get one,â he explained.
âBut then, scoring at their place when I got the winner in a 1-0 in 2005 was nice. I always got quite a bit of stick from Ipswich fans!
âItâs definitely not like any other game. I got sent off in one of these games â and I didnât tackle! That shows you what it can do. At the end of the day, itâs all about three points.
âIâm really looking forward to Sunday. My kids have been banging on about it for weeks. Itâs a massive game. Iâm sure Iâll get a bit of stick on Twitter if we lose, but Iâm more than confident that weâve got a good enough squad and the right mind-set to go and get the job done.â
Huckerby, currently a coach within the Clubâs Academy, has kept a close eye on Cityâs progress this season and believes momentum is building at the ideal point of the campaign.
âIf youâre winning games there is a different atmosphere because people start believing. At this present time, thereâs confidence going into each game and because thereâs a short turnaround, all you do is think about that next game,â he added.
âThe managerâs come in with new ideas. Heâs not changed the playing squad that much, but I think heâs given them just a bit of belief.
âThe big players in the squad are performing. Looking at a lot of the teams in this league, when weâre at 100 per cent weâre more than a match for near enough every team in the league.
âI won this league with two different teams, and the thing that was the same in both was the belief that you can go into any game and win. Thatâs the main thing.
"Iâve played in teams where even if the other team scored first, you still had the belief that it didnât matter. You always had the better players and better will to win, and I think weâve got that at the minute.
âItâs that inner belief that whatever happens, youâre strong enough and youâve got the mentality to go and win the game.â
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