Reading manager Nigel Adkins is confident his relegation-threatened side will give a good account of themselves at Carrow Road – and feels they have every chance of coming away with all three points.

The Royals' stand 10 points adrift of safety with just five games left to play and had lost seven Barclays Premier League matches on the trot before Saturday's battling goalless draw against Liverpool at the Madejski Stadium. But recently-installed boss Adkins has already seen enough to be convinced that his new charges are moving in the right direction,

'How far have Reading come? It's so hard to establish at this moment in time,' he said. 'We have a lot to do and the way we are approaching it is one game at a time. We've had a very good progression in the three games and the lads are working hard. If we can get a momentum about ourselves then we have to keep doing that.'

Former Southampton manager Adkins is hoping the progression he has witnessed since his appointment can continue against Norwich, themselves struggling for form in the run-in.

'I think what we have to do is concentrate on ourselves, one game at a time,' he added.

'It will be nervy towards the end, but the Norwich game is the important one now. If we keep building then I would like to think we will have the opportunity to win that game. We have got a lot to do, we are well aware of that and we will not hide away from that fact. We have just got to keep building on the things that we have been doing and see if we can get some momentum. We got a good point on the board and a clean sheet in our previous game and we just have to try and build on what has been happening.'

Royals' goalkeeper Adam Federici, who could return to the squad in time for the trip to Carrow Road, has said the players are looking forward to changing their game but agreed with Adkins that new plans cannot be brought in overnight.

'Every manager has their own philosophy - the manager wants to pass the ball and we're looking forward to adapting to it,' he told the club's official website. 'These things take time, we are looking forward to challenge of changing the way we play and moving forward as a club. We'll continue to work hard every day and I'm sure we will move forward.

'It's good to be settled, we know what we're doing. The work's been great, everyone's been enjoying it, we've got structure to team and we're all looking forward to the next game.'

Even if Federici is fit to play he is likely to start on the bench with Alex McCarthy almost sure to start after a superb display last weekend.