CHRIS LAKEY Norwich have the perfect opportunity to put a bad week behind them with a morale-boosting Carling Cup win at Rotherham tonight. The competition has often been used as a way of blooding young players, leading to claims that its integrity has been compromised as top teams concentrate their efforts on bigger prizes.

CHRIS LAKEY

Norwich have the perfect opportunity to put a bad week behind them with a morale-boosting Carling Cup win at Rotherham tonight.

The competition has often been used as a way of blooding young players, leading to claims that its integrity has been compromised as top teams concentrate their efforts on bigger prizes.

Even Norwich, with growing injury problems, will rest at least a couple of first team players in readiness for the resumption of Championship duties at the weekend.

But after a week which garnered just one point out of a possible nine and saw City twice concede injury-time goals - one an equaliser one a match winner - victory in any sort of competition would do nothing but good.

“You want to win games, that's the bottom line,” said Worthington. “We go out every single game to win, the attitude is to win, the focus is to win and the one thing you learn about football is as much as you want to win all the time you are not going to do that.

“You win some, lose some and draw some and it's keeping the belief, keeping the players believing and giving them that support.

“We want to win every game, simple as that. We had an average week by our standards last week and we want to get that behind us and push on and look to get a good result.

“There will be some players rested, but the group that we take will be capable of competing and performing well.”

The last time City played at Rotherham a fiery encounter ended in a 4-4 draw. This time, a single goal victory would suit.

“We've been there before in the league and one thing I do know is it will be a lovely pitch to play on and I will be looking for a good performance, which we have had most of this year to be fair,” said Worthington.

“I think there is a thin line at the moment. The first month went exceptionally well and the start of this month has gone not as well for us, but everybody can have an indifferent week. We get over it and get on with it.”

Rotherham are rock bottom of League One, but having started the season with a 10-point penalty for going into administration moved into black figures with a home draw against Doncaster at the weekend.

“That's not a reflection on their season, it is just the circumstances,” said Worthington. “We will have to go there and battle and compete and hopefully go and play and perform.

“I'll be looking at my players to make sure the attitude is spot on to perform and get the result.”

Assuming that League One honours are unattainable for the Millers this season, the Carling Cup represents a route to some degree of success on the field while also putting some serious money into empty coffers. And facing Norwich in front of a packed house on home territory means they'll be up for the fight.

“That's always going to be the case, whether it's the Carling Cup or the FA Cup, when you are playing lower league teams that situation is always there,” said Worthington. “I tend to look at it from our own point of view to make sure our focus is right, our attitude is spot on and if we have the same mental attitude as we did at Torquay then we will be alright.”