NEIL Adams said he was pleased to send Norwich City’s supporters back to Norfolk with ‘smiles on their faces’ after the 1-0 East Anglian derby victory over Ipswich Town.

Lewis Grabban scored the only goal of the game at Portman Road as the Canaries notched their third win on the spin.

“I know what they’re feeling, they’ve got a happy weekend now,” he told the press after the game.

“I’ve always had a fantastic relationship with the fans. I remember playing here, it’s a great feeling.

“They can go back up the road with smiles on their faces, and that’s what we said at the start of the season what we wanted to do.”

Adams highlighted the resilience of his side against a physical Ipswich outfit, and their improvement after half-time, even though Grabban’s winner came midway through the opening period.

"It was good to restrict Ipswich to very few chances, if any. Overall I thought we deserved to win the game, we're delighted with the victory,” he added.

"I thought defensively throughout the game we were excellent. We could have gone and added another one or two goals in the second half, we missed some good chances.

“I thought we needed to be better in the first half, we didn't really move the ball as quickly or effectively as we're capable of. Give the lads credit, they stepped it up in the second half.

“You never tire of winning this game. You know and the players know what it means to the fans, simple as that. We had over 2000 here today who were brilliant again. It’s a great feeling, it is only three points, but it is a massive game for the supporters.”

Ryan Bennett was forced off with an injury after just seven minutes, and Adams offered an update after the final whistle.

“I’m concerned with Ryan. He’s gone over on his ankle, he’s on crutches at the minute and in a protective boot, which is mandatory for an injury,” he said.

“Until we get it scanned we won’t know, but we’re obviously desperately hoping that he’s just sprained it rather than anything more serious. He’s quite sore at the minute.”

NEIL ADAMS REACTS TO DERBY VICTORY

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