Norwich City defender Russell Martin can't wait to sample the FA Cup atmosphere at London Road on Saturday.

The Canaries have sold out their 5,000 allocation for their third round clash against Peterborough this weekend and Martin, who will be coming up against his former club, has told his family and friends to brace themselves for a typical cup tie.

'We just want to go and win the game and progress,' said the Canaries defender, who has scored three goals in his last two games in defeats to Manchester City and West Ham. 'I've spoken to a few of the family and I've told them to get up for that one because it should be a cracking atmosphere there.

'It's an old school football ground and with 5,000 Norwich fans going it will be a cracking game.

'The lads are really looking forward to it and it will be nice going back, as it will be for Benno (Ryan Bennett) as well.'

Martin played a pivotal part in Peterborough's promotion to the Championship in 2009, skippering Posh to the League One title. Martin was disappointed to see Darren Ferguson sacked the following season and fell out of favour under Mark Cooper, paving the way for his move to the Canaries.

The move re-ignited the 26-year-old's career as he became a key cog in City's successive promotion campaigns and establishing the club as a Premier League force.

However, Martin revealed he will always be grateful to Ferguson, who has since been re-appointed at Peterborough, for the faith he placed in him earlier in his career.

'I always got on really well with Darren,' he said. 'He made me captain there in my first year.

'When he went off I ended up going so I'm looking forward to seeing him.'

The cup will at least provide City with a welcome break from their travails in the Premier League over Christmas after losing four matches in a row.

Martin insists that confidence within the Norwich ranks remains unaffected due to the level of their displays, apart from the first half showing at West Ham on Monday.

'The changing room is still a confident, lively place,' he said. 'I don't think it is an issue because of the way we have played. We've been up against two of the best teams in Europe (Chelsea and Manchester City). Really the first half (against West Ham) was the only time we've been well below par.

'Obviously the longer it goes on the more you want a result but if we keep putting in performances then we will be all right.'

With City still sitting a healthy seven points away from the relegation zone, no-one at Carrow Road is pressing the panic button.

'We've given ourselves a little cushion and as long as we pick up a few wins then we will be fine,' he said. 'Other teams need to capitalise if you don't win and winning games in this league is tough as teams like QPR and Reading are finding.

'We've done a lot of the hard work but we need to get a few more wins and get over that line and then we can be comfortable.'