Norwich manager Alex Neil has admitted that he would be disappointed if the Canaries failed to gain automatic promotion from the Championship this season.

The Canaries have won seven of their last eight League matches and now sit fifth yet just a point behind all four teams above them in an incredibly tight.

A 4-1 win at Milwall gave an instant response to a surprise midweek defeat to strugglers Wigan, allowing Norwich to capitalise on other promotion chasers failing to win.

Neil has brought about an exceptional upturn in results since his arrival, leaving him to admit that he would not be happy to settle for a play-off spot.

He told Football FanCast: "I wouldn’t put the word failure next to it, I think its task done in terms of the beginning (improving on 7th) but I’ll be disappointed if we don’t finish in the top two.

"We’ve got ten games to try and push on and make sure that come the end of the season when the dust settles we are in one of the top two spots. With the squad we’ve got and the run we’re on there’s no reason why we can’t continue to put performances in as we have been doing.

"If you look at our form we’ve won seven games in eight and I think every game we’ve won we have deserved it. If there’s any problems I fix it right away, they (the players) know exactly what their tasks are so there is no excuses for anyone."

Neil says the Canaries' potential to soar back into the Premier League at the first opportunity, after a three-year stint ended last season, was a huge attraction in joining the club.

"I think the first time you look at taking over any club you look at the scope that you’ve got with the team, the club and the infrastructure and at Norwich is it set up really well," he added.

"The scope is there to go back into the Premier League no question, the squad is probably there, it’s just a case of making sure the team is functioning properly and you are getting the maximum out of the players.

"Thankfully for me the players have adapted really quickly to the style of play I ‘ve been trying to adopt, I think their work-rate is hugely increased which makes it much easier."

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The Norwich manager also outlined the positive and negative consequences of their recent Premier League experience compared to rival promotion-chasers.

"I think it can work in two ways, the fact that we’ve got the experience of having seen it and done it does give you that advantage. However the expectation level on Norwich is completely different to Bournemouth or Brentford.

"If we come up short, I’ve not done my job, the players haven’t done their job and we have had a terrible season. That’s what it will be, I’m fully aware of the situation, the players are."

The view of Neil that if Bournemouth fall short they will consider their season a success was supported by recent comments from Eddie Howe.

After the Cherries manager saw his side claimed a second successive win by thrashing Fulham 5-1, he explained that it would be far from a failure if his side missed out an automatic promotion.

Howe said: "No I don’t think it would be – our highest ever finish in the Championship is 10th (last season), so whatever happens this has been a remarkable season for the club.

"The players and everyone have done magnificently to get us to where we are, this season has been a great success and there is no limits to what we can achieve."

Bournemouth sit just a point above the Canaries, who host fellow promotion-chasers Derby County next week, with the importance of the game not lost on Neil.

"It’s a huge game, but there’s ten huge games between now and the end of the season but for every team in the top six it will be the same," Neil admitted.

"We are on a really good run at the moment, we are playing some really good stuff, you can see the boys are confident so we’ve just got try and continue it.

"I think the Championship has shown that on their day anyone can beat anyone, it really is that tight. We know we’re getting to the business end now and that we cannot afford to slip up anymore."

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