Neil Warnock has told his players to relish the promotion-chasing experience ahead of what he insists will be a difficult afternoon at Carrow Road.

Cardiff have confounded many pre-season critics by gatecrashing the top six and guaranteeing a play-off place, although their hopes of automatic promotion have been hit by consecutive defeats to close rivals Wolves and, in midweek, Aston Villa.

'We've got to revel in these last few weeks, not fear it,' said Warnock. 'We've got to walk through those doors and have a right good go and not worry about what's behind us.

'Let's enjoy the ride. Enjoy the moment and think where we've come from in the last 18 months.

'If you're not down after a game like Wolves, there's something wrong with you. The dressing room wasn't great after that – but one or two of the senior lads were very, very good after the Villa game. They got up and said a few words before I did. That's why we've got such a close-knit group.'

The Canaries lost 3-1 in south Wales earlier this season, but Warnock doesn't expect City to roll over in front of their home fans.

'Norwich are capable of beating anybody,' he said.

'It's a great stadium and it will be a good crowd. We've just got to go down there and enjoy it.

'We know we're a good team and good teams get up and go again.'

Sol Bamba was one of the players praised by Warnock for his post-game reaction at Wolves, but while the message from above is to stay calm and enjoy, the defender says he understands why fans are nervous.

'The last two results haven't been great, but that's football,' he said. 'We need to bounce back and a great team is determined by how it reacts. That's what we're looking to do at Norwich.

'If we'd been playing poorly then I'd understand panic, but that hasn't been the case. There's nothing to worry about, we're still in a great position. It's still in our hands, so there's no reason to panic at all.

'If we win the last five games, we go up automatically: it's as simple as that. We're more than capable of doing that as we've proven already this season. The gaffer has seen it all before and I think that's a real positive for us. He's saying what I'm saying; there's no reason to panic.'