GARY Doherty has been through the agonies of relegation with Norwich City once before - and the nightmare will help drive him on when he leads the Canaries out at Portman Road on Sunday.

GARY Doherty has been through the agonies of relegation with Norwich City once before - and the nightmare will help drive him on when he leads the Canaries out at Portman Road on Sunday.

The City skipper, along with Adam Drury and Jason Shackell, was in the City squad which was relegated from the top flight in 2004, a campaign that ended in a 6-0 thrashing at Fulham, and then had another brush with the drop last season.

The experience, he says, could prove crucial over the next three games.

“I think it can do, yes,” he said. “That summer and for a long time really it was bitterly disappointing.

“We went into that last game of the season only needing a draw and to get stuffed was a real nightmare for us, so we don't really want to get into that position again.

“We've got two games to put it into our own hands and that's what we really need to do as we don't want to be going into the last day needing something.

“So I think it helps, experience is everything. If you've been through it and you know how to cope with these massive games, and even last season we weren't really safe until the second to last game of the season so I've had it a few times since I've been at Norwich.

“It's something I'm prepared for and preparing the younger lads in the squad for, because if you do go down it's a terrible feeling.”

Victory at Ipswich wouldn't guarantee safety, with much depending on how the rest of City's Championship rivals fare on Saturday.

So where will be Doherty be on Saturday?

“I'll be watching the sports channels to see how the results go and praying some of them go for us,” he said.

“Obviously Barnsley, Forest and Southampton are the results we'll look for and hopefully they'll go for us.

“It's going to be a massive game, a big game for us due to our league position and one we're looking forward to. We've already beaten them this season, and we'll be putting them under a little bit of pressure being the home team and us turning them over before, so it's going to be an interesting game.”

Doherty says he's looking forward to leading City out on Sunday lunchtime.

“The atmospheres are fantastic,” he said. “I've played in a few big derbies and these are some of the best. It's just going to be so big for us we need the three points desperately as the season is now coming to an end, so hopefully we can go there and put on a good performance and take a massive three points.”