Norwich City old boy Malky Mackay relishes Carrow Road return with Wigan

Malky Mackay insists Wigan do no fear a Championship trip to face in-form Norwich.

Mackay revealed he was impressed by the manner of his old club's derby day victory over Ipswich, and the Scot is also a big fan of compatriot Alex Neil.

'Norwich are very strong, they've got a very experienced squad which is full of quality and the club as a whole is doing well at the moment, but we're going there in bullish mood after our win against Blackpool,' he said. 'It's another tough one and they're on a very good run. I watched their local derby against Ipswich Town at the weekend and they won convincingly, so we know what we're up against.

'Alex has done a really good job at Carrow Road so far. He did an excellent job at Hamilton and his transition into Norwich has been seamless.

'He spent four years playing in England with Barnsley and he certainly knows the game well, so it wasn't a case of somebody being plucked out of the air to come in.

'He already proved himself at Hamilton and now he's been given a chance with a very big club to make his mark on the Championship.'

Mackay admits the Latics will need more wins like Saturday's Blackpool success to scramble to safety.

Wigan were backed by 2,000 fans at Bloomfield Road and the former City defender is appealing for similar support over the Championship run-in.

'I know that those who travel to Norfolk will be there in good voice and the lads are desperate to give them a positive result to take with them on the long and winding road home,' he told Wigan's official website. 'It was terrific to see 2,000 of our fans singing constantly for 90 minutes on Saturday, they really helped us on the day and it was great for them to be rewarded with three goals and three points.'