IPSWICH Town defender David Wright, a former Norwich City player, would rather be under the Blues' pressure than the Canaries' pressure ahead of Sunday's showdown.

Elvin King

IPSWICH Town defender David Wright, a former Norwich City player, would rather be under the Blues' pressure than the Canaries' pressure ahead of Sunday's showdown.

“Our pressure is to get into the top six,” said Wright, 28. “Their pressure is to stay clear of the bottom three.

“I know which pressure I would rather have.”

Ipswich visit Carrow Road on Sunday (kick-off 1.15pm) to play a Norwich side three points off a bottom-three place in the Coca-Cola Championship.

Wright was loaned to Norwich for a month from Wigan in November 2005 and played five times for the Canaries.

And during his time at the JJB Stadium - that included winning promotion to the Premier League under Paul Jewell's management - Wright played in a host of Lancashire derbies.

But the intensity of the East Anglian rivalry between Town and City surprised him when he first experienced it.

“Let's face it,” added Wright. “The places are 40 miles apart.

“But I have never known an intensity like it.

“I probably underestimated the importance of the game to supporters of both clubs, but I soon realised what the game is all about and how much it means.

“We know how important it is to put in a good performance for the supporters and to get the three points.”

Despite being in 11th position in the Coca-Cola Championship table, Wright is comfortable with Town's current placing - and is looking ahead to a move up the table.

He explained: “We have not reached top gear yet.

“Apart from a couple of matches, we have not reached the level we are striving for. And we have not been consistent enough.

“Overall we have done well, but there is a lot more to come.

“It is encouraging that we are in a recent league position without having got ourselves into top gear.”

There are no fresh injuries in the Town camp with the Blues having a vital eight-day period with home games against Bristol City next Wednesday and Cardiff three days later.

After that, the Christmas holiday games kick-in with a trip to Coventry on December 20 followed by a Boxing Day home match against Birmingham and a visit to Derby two days later.