Norwich City will never give up no matter how tough the Championship terrain, according to Neil Adams.

The Canaries had won only one league game in 10 prior to last weekend's victory at Wigan during a spell when the manager's long-term future was a hot topic.

City's squad also came in for heavy criticism, which came to a head following Reading's Carrow Road success last time out, but Adams never doubted the men under his direct command.

'It's important you stay positive. We are capable of winning games, we are capable of achieving things,' he said. 'If we had been drawing or losing and getting thumped then it's a different story. Sometimes you let the players know it isn't good enough, other times you remind them how good they are. We are still confident, with the quality and the way they are applying themselves, so it's far from a case that the towel had gone in. The desire and the determination is there right throughout the club, from the staff and the players. That has always been there and always will be.'

City's league win over Wigan moved them back to the fringes of the play-off spots despite a poor run of results.

'The surprising thing for me is how no team has pulled away,' said Adams. 'It's almost a case of looking at the last nine or ten games and realising if we had put a run together what a strong position we would have been in. It's still very open because the teams above us are capable of losing games you might expect them to win. There are still 10 or 12 teams in it.'

Bournemouth's winning surge underlines how quickly things can change in the Championship, with Eddie Howe's side losing only once in the last 12 league games after a six-match winless run.

'That is what we need to do,' said Adams. 'We said that at the start of the season. If you go and win four or five it's a completely different story, we know that and we also know the other side only too well. If you don't you can quickly drop down the table because it is that tight.'