Norwich City column: Performance akin to Blackburn Rovers victory likely to be required to win at Middlesbrough

It doesn’t say much about the quality of this year’s Championship that Norwich City are still in the play-off hunt with five games to go.

Four points over the Easter weekend leaves David Wagner’s Canaries in eighth position, one point behind the three teams immediately above them in the table: Millwall, Blackburn and Preston.

It is worth noting that those teams all have to play each other between now and the end of the season, with Preston visiting Millwall this weekend – and Blackburn doing the same on the final day (Blackburn travel to Preston on April 22).

While that is certainly a bonus, the onus has to be on us to pick up enough points to sneak in via the back door.

The first opportunity to achieve that is tonight’s visit to Middlesbrough, possible opponents in the play-offs if we are able to break into the top six (we’ve been there before).

A few weeks ago this fixture would have filled me with dread but a run on one win in five games has seen Michael Carrick’s side fall away from the battle for automatic promotion.

That’s not to say we won’t require a performance akin to that at Blackburn Rovers on Good Friday – one of our best the season – if we are to escape with a priceless three points.

At the heart of the 2-0 win at Ewood Park was Liam Gibbs, who opened his account for the club with a neat finish after being put through on goal by Jacob Sorensen.

With injuries to Kenny McLean, Grant Hanley and Ben Gibson keeping them out for the remainder of the season, both Gibbs and Sorensen will have key roles to play.

The Dane in particular will have a big responsibility as he looks set for a spell at centre-back, which is not his natural position, but if there’s one thing we know about the 25-year-old, it is that he will deputise wherever asked to – and has never let us down in doing so.