ALEX Bruce has praised the suffering Blues supporters and asked for them to get behind the team again this week as they look to put the misery of the derby defeat behind them.

Derek Davis

ALEX Bruce has praised the suffering Blues supporters and asked for them to get behind the team again this week as they look to put the misery of the derby defeat behind them.

The Norwich-born defender felt their pain too as Town went down 2-0 to the old enemy and is thirsting for revenge against Bristol City on Wednesday and Cardiff City on Saturday.

Following defeats at Doncaster Rovers and Birmingham City, it was the third loss in a row and the hardest one to accept.

Bruce said: “We have lost three on the bounce and that is difficult, but it is just one of those things. We have been far better away from home than last season.

“We now have to roll our sleeves up, dig in and sort it out.

“We have two games at home first and we need to do well in both.

“Ideally we would like another derby to come round and put this right but football is not like that.

“Hopefully the supporters will get behind us again on Wednesday because they were fantastic to us again - even though they didn't have a lot to shout about which was disappointing.”

Bruce and his defensive partners were given far too much to do as Town struggled to get a grip of the game and after Jon Walters missed a one-on-one opportunity, saved by David Marshall, Lee Croft and Matty Pattison secured victory for City.

Bruce said: “It's hard to take. To lose any derby is a massive disappointment but to lose it in the manner we did was difficult to take.

“We didn't get out of the blocks in the first half and you got the feeling the first goal was going to win the game and that proved to be the case.

“Jon Walters was clean through and missed a great opportunity But in the whole of the game that was our only real opportunity, which is disappointing.”

Ironically, Bruce, skipper Gareth McAuley and Richard Wright escaped blame but Bruce refused to take any solace in that.

He said: “As a whole we can't single out players because we were beaten in a local derby and whoever performed well is irrelevant because we were beaten.

“I would have preferred to have given a mediocre performance and come out winners.”

The loss highlighted Town's inability to pick up points against the so-called Championship strugglers and Bruce admitted no one at the club can work out the reason.

He said: “We've struggled against some of the sides lower in the table and I honestly don't know why.

“If we could put our finger on the reason we'd stop it happening.

“The Championship has thrown out all sorts of surprises but that's the nature of this division - anyone can beat anyone.”

Bruce picked up a knock late in the game but should be fit to face Gary Johnson's Bristol City at Portman Road on Wednesday.