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Championship Playoffs | Semi-Finals

May 9, 2015 at 12.15pm UK

Ipswich Ipswich Town
1-1
Norwich Norwich City

Anderson (45')

FT(HT: 1-1)

Howson (41')

Alex Neil: 'We must take the game to Ipswich Town'

By Simon Sinclair, ReporterPublished: 09 May 2015 4:06 AM

Norwich City boss Alex Neil calls on his side to take the initiative in the first leg of their Championship playoff semi-final against Ipswich Town.

Norwich City boss Alex Neil has urged his players to take the game to Ipswich Town in the first leg of their Championship playoff semi-final at Portman Road.

The Canaries finished in third place in the second tier, collecting eight more points than their East Anglian rivals over the course of the campaign.

Neil believes that his side's better record during the season will give them confidence going into the clash against Mick McCarthy's men.

He told reporters: "I'm excited. I like competing, whoever I'm up against, and we always play to win, whatever's at stake.

"It will be a tense atmosphere, it will be really vocal, it will be strong, it will be physical, and we've got to start on the front foot and try to implement our game on them. The early kickoff doesn't concern us. We played at lunch-time last week and won.

"It's the players' time - they'll dictate which team will come out on top in the end and we're confident it will be us. We've only lost three games in 22, so we're in good form, and everything we've done up to this point suggests we're strong contenders in the tie."

Norwich face Ipswich at Portman Road later today.