Nigel Worthington

Norwich Manager Nigel Worthington will not be looking to give his players a psychological advantage heading into their all-or-nothing survival showdown with Fulham on Sunday, as the Norwich boss believes they have had that all season.

For the first time since January, the Canaries are out of the relegation zone and are now in control of their Barclays Premiership destiny following a fourth successive home win when beating 10-man Birmingham 1-0.

Regardless of results elsewhere, a victory at Craven Cottage on Sunday would guarantee the Norfolk club another season in the top flight.

Should Worthington's men record a timely first away triumph of the campaign at their final attempt, it would be a quite remarkable turnaround in fortunes for a side who looked relegation certainties when cast seven points adrift of safety following a 4-1 defeat at Arsenal just five weeks ago.

The Norwich manager, however, never lost his positive outlook, and revealed how a visit from renowned sports psychologist Keith Mincher had for some time helped everyone at the club start to look at things differently.

"Keith came into the the football club a couple of seasons ago, and he was excellent," recalled the Norwich manager, who guided the Canaries to the 2002 play-off final and then eventually up as First Division champions two years later.

"The staff picked enough bones out of it to carry it on ourselves, and it has worked up to now."

Worthington revealed: "He threw the superstition one out of the window."

But the Norwich boss quipped: "If it's putting your Y-fronts on back to front and somebody is happy with it to get the result then so be it - but at the end of the day I don't think that will affect us."

Worthington declared: "We know what we have got to go and do, and have got to go and do it to the best of our ability next Sunday.

"We will keep doing what we have done all season through - believe you can do it, get that across to the players and then go for it."

Southampton's last-gasp equaliser at Crystal Palace ensured Norwich will have a slender one-point advantage over their three relegation rivals heading into the final weekend of the Premiership season.

West Brom's draw at Manchester United, meanwhile, left the Baggies two points from safety - and ensured for the first time in the history of the Premier League, no club had yet lost their top-fight status with just one match left to play.

With the margins between safety and the despair of relegation to the Coca-Cola Championship so narrow - and with a draw by no means certain to keep Norwich up because of their inferior goal difference - Worthington maintains there is still a "lot of be done" before anyone can start celebrating the prospect of another challenging campaign among the elite clubs of English football.

"We kept the belief there when everybody had written us off, and we have got good spirit," the Ulsterman said.

"We are, though, not getting carried away now because there is a be done, and another 90 minutes of football to come.

"We have put ourselves in a good position - it hasn't come off yet, though.

"We will go about our work as normal.

"All I will ask the players is to go out and do their best - but I want a lot more energy.

"If we can do that at Fulham, then we will get a good result"

The Canaries chief added: "I want a better performance than I got against Birmingham - but if it means another indifferent performance and the same result, then so be it!"