Roy Keane says he's hoping for some forgiveness from frustrated Ipswich supporters if Town can win at Carrow Road.

Town have lost three game in a row and some fans are, as they say, revolting.

A derby day win might just change a few minds - and Keane knows exactly what to expect.

'I'd expect what I've enjoyed before in derby matches – a great atmosphere, lots of tension and two teams fully committed to getting a result,' he said.

'We need to get the balance right. I didn't think we got that right last week. We were pretty solid but we didn't look much of a goal threat.

'We won't be able to defend for long periods like we did last weekend. We have to do more going forward just to give our back four a breather.

'This is the game the fans have been looking forward to since the start of the season, and if we get it right on Sunday our supporters might forgive our little bad spell that we are going through.

'I think our supporters could do with a boost. It's been a frustrating, not just few weeks, but a frustrating few years, and they need something to shout about.

'You've got to hang in there and grind out some results. But we need to do better than we did last weekend.'

Keane's cause hasn't been helped by more problems on the selection front.

Defender Gareth McAuley has undergone surgery on an Achilles problem, teenager Connor Wickham picked up a thigh problem playing for the reserves in midweek and left back Darren O'Dea's girlfriend is expecting a baby any time now.

'We've had another disappointing week with injuries,' said Keane.

Keane and his Norwich City counterpart Paul Lambert have playing experience in derbies, but this is their first taste of the East Anglian version. Both have Celtic FC on their CV; they've played against each other, but the only time they were on the same side was in the Tommy Burns Memorial Match in May last year – when Lambert replaced Keane after 25 minutes.

'Paul has done a good job and he is a good manager,' said Keane. 'Let's not kid ourselves, last year Norwich were never a League One club, so the fact that they've come up and had a good start to the season should surprise nobody. They've kept the momentum going, a bit like Leicester last season. They have a go, they look to get forward to score goals.

'I don't think his touch-line ban will make too much of a difference. He will still be able to get his message across, you do a lot of your work during the week. I'm sure Paul can get messages to his staff either through walkie-talkies or mobile phones or whatever.

'I've played against him. He was a good player, and now he's proving to be a good manager.'