Davenport says Norwich Cup run can take heat off Worthington

Davenport, on loan from Tottenham, is expected to go straight back into the starting line-up after missing the disappointing 3-0 defeat by QPR at Loftus Road on Saturday through suspension.

Successive heavy defeats on the road - the Canaries were also beaten 4-2 by Luton - has left some fans calling for Worthington, the club's sixth longest-serving manager, to be sacked.

Shortly after the defeat at QPR, about 90 per cent of the 2,100 fans who took part in a website poll wanted Worthington to go following a start to the Championship campaign which has yielded 16 points from 14 games, leaving City in 18th place.

But Davenport is hoping Norwich can earn victory against the Blues to restore confidence prior to Saturday's visit of fellow Championship strugglers Sheffield Wednesday to Carrow Road.

Davenport said: "It's been a frustrating last week or so. We've had two poor results and for me to get sent off and miss QPR was really disappointing, because after getting beaten 4-2 at Luton the last thing you want to do is miss the next game. But hopefully we can get back on track.

"Birmingham are in a similar position form-wise so they won't make it easy for us. It will be another difficult game. People are saying we need some confidence, but the lads have got an opportunity to go out and play well and get a result to kick us on for Saturday."

Majority shareholders Delia Smith and Michael Wynn-Jones have already given their backing to Worthington. In a statement published on the club's website, they said: "What we are absolutely refusing to do is respond with the kind of knee-jerk reactions, panic statements, emergency board meetings and other well-worn responses which you often see in the game.

"We feel this only generates even more fear and panic. Instead, it is our passionate belief that we must do all we can to help and encourage the manager and the players and get the problem sorted."