Norwich boss Nigel Worthington had every reason to look a relieved man following his side's 3-1 win over Ipswich which moves City three points ahead of West Brom at the top of league, with a game in hand, writes Derek Davis.

Norwich boss Nigel Worthington had every reason to look a relieved man following his side's 3-1 win over Ipswich which moves City three points ahead of West Brom at the top of league, with a game in hand, writes Derek Davis. The Canaries were clearly second best in the first half of the derby match before going on to beat Ipswich at Carrow Road for the first time in six-and-a-half years.

Worthington admitted: "For one reason or another we just didn't turn up in the first half. I couldn't really put my finger on why that was but we weren't putting in the necessary hard work and Ipswich could easily have been two goals up.

"Fortunately we had a little bit of luck – and in the second half you saw the real Norwich. One or two words were said at the break and the team went out there and showed tremendous character to record an excellent result for the club.

"It was a real game of two halves, but really I would have liked for us to have been there at the beginning." Worthington conceded that Ipswich showed a lot of class and said: "They are a good team who can pass the ball. If you allow that they can cut you open and that is what happened in the first half. We then got back to good old Norwich City, back to basics."

Norwich are now 10 points clear of third-placed Wigan with 12 games to play but Worthington is taking nothing for granted. "We have not won anything yet. A lot can happen between now and the end of the season," he said. "We've got a good lead at the moment but I'm sure one of the sides below us will go on a good run. We've just got to stay focused and concentrate on our own job. We're in a good position, we can't deny that, but there are a lot of good teams still in with a chance, including Ipswich."