Alex Neil admitted he was a relieved man to avoid the dreaded Championship manager of the month curse ahead of the promotion run-in.

The Norwich City boss missed out to title rival Eddie Howe at Bournemouth after lifting the award in February, before suffering a shock home league defeat to Wigan. City quickly recovered their form following the Latics' loss, and Neil is confident the Canaries can seal a Premier League return.

'Yes, I was happy to avoid it,' he said. 'Prior to the last time I picked the award up I remember saying it is not something you want at this stage of the season, so I am really pleased it went to Bournemouth.

'This period is crucial now. We've managed to claw back a lot of points on teams above us and it is now a good situation, compared to where we were, but these five matches will determine our fate.

'We are confident. We are in a good place, we are playing really well and whether it is home or away, our form is good. We believe in what we can do and if we can play to our potential then we should have no worries. We believe we are capable of winning any game and it is a case of doing it now. We are in the position now where it is in our hands.

'I know people might talk about Watford and goal difference scenarios, it may come down to that, it may not, but if you win your next five I would be really surprised if all the other teams managed to achieve that. I don't think anybody will. We are capable of doing it but it is difficult.'