Norwich City boss Neil Adams has a simple message for all his fringe players – prove you can be part of the Canaries' Championship promotion push.

Sebastien Bassong and Luciano Becchio remain firmly out of the picture, while midfielder Anthony Pilkington was another notable absentee from Sunday's 1-0 league defeat at Wolves.

The Republic of Ireland international used his personal Twitter account to make it clear he was fit for duty after travelling to the Midlands, just days after being touted with a potential summer move to Championship rivals Bolton.

Bassong played no part at all during the club's pre-season preparations and Becchio was only used in the opening hit- out at Dereham, with the pair absent from the Italy tour, but Adams insists he is not prepared to call time on his shadow men.

'I don't want to get rid of any players but there are others higher up the pecking order and those two clearly are not. I am not pushing them out of the door at all,' he said. 'Luciano has scored goals at Championship level and Seb Bassong, just over 12 or 14 months ago, was player-of-the-year here and deservedly so. It is about opinions and how they are performing now. At this moment there are others ahead of them.'

The likes of Michael Turner and Elliott Bennett have both hailed City's team spirit during the close season and Adams is convinced any cracks would be visible.

'You are not going to get any club say the team spirit is hopeless, rubbish so everyone will say the same thing but it is genuinely true here,' he said. 'I think it's imperative you have that. There is nothing worse than being relegated as a football club. You have to quickly turn that around and do whatever it takes to get the team spirit or the morale, along with the quality and performances, in training.

'The players have to believe in what you are doing and that fosters the spirit we have got now. There are no hiding places, if its not there you'll see it on the training ground and in matches.'