JONATHAN REDHEAD City skipper Adam Drury has admitted he is looking to the derby clash with Ipswich as the main game before the end of the season - in a bid to salvage some pride from a disappointing campaign.

JONATHAN REDHEAD

City skipper Adam Drury has admitted he is looking to the derby clash with Ipswich as the main game before the end of the season – in a bid to salvage some pride from a disappointing campaign.

Battle-scarred Drury, who walked away from the Bank Holiday defeat to West Brom missing a tooth to go with the black eye he sustained at Hull, said the Canaries' inconsistency was the reason there is nothing left to play for except local bragging rights before the close season arrives.

City got exactly what they deserved from the clash with the Baggies according to boss Peter Grant, and now face a series of seemingly meaningless games against sides close to them in the table before the curtain closes on another unsatisfactory season in the Coca-Cola Championship.

Although Grant will urge his troops to show pride between now and the summer holidays, games away at mid-table Leicester, Burnley and Sheffield Wednesday will have very little riding on them, while there are also home clashes with play-off chasing Southampton and the Tractor Boys on April 22, to come, which should at least raise the temperature a touch.

All of which leaves Monday's man of the match Drury, a little down in the mouth ahead of a visit to the dentist to see what can be done with his tooth.

“That's obviously the main game between now and the end of the season, the derby game,” City's left-back said.

“Obviously it's disappointing that at this stage of the season we've got nothing to play for. The real problem's been that consistency and that's why we are where we are.”

The former Peterborough United player highlighted the number of goals conceded by the Canaries all year, like the efforts scored by West Brom's Sam Sodje and Diomansy Kamara at Carrow Road, as the main reason why City are not near the top of the table challenging the Baggies and others for promotion back to the top flight.

“Any goals you concede are bad defending,” he said.

“You can look at all areas of the pitch. You can say where it started from and work from the front to the back. We do that with every goal we concede.

“But if we keep conceding goals like we do then, and you only have to look at the amount we've conceded this season, then you're not going to be at the right end of the table.”

Meanwhile, tabloid speculation claims City and Town will be doing battle off the pitch in a bid to sign Coventry City striker Dele Adebola.

The 31-year-old, who has bagged 30 goals in 148 appearances at for the Midlands side including eight this season, is out of contract with the Sky Blues this summer and manager Iain Dowie has yet to reveal whether he will be offering the former Crewe front man a new deal.

Town boss Jim Magilton has been linked with a move for Adebola on a couple occasions including in January when a rumoured bid to take the striker on loan was turned down.