Norwich City will fight till the end

Norwich City right-back Ivo Pinto has vowed his side will not give up in their fight against relegation, but accepts their chances of staying in the Premier League are slim.

Saturday's 1-0 loss to Manchester United means Alex Neil's men must win their final two games, at home to Watford on Wednesday followed by Sunday's trip to Everton, if they are to retain hope of avoiding an immediate return to the Championship.

But if fourth-bottom Sunderland win at home to Everton on Wednesday, their fate will be sealed regardless.

The sense that the club is in the grip of a crisis has been strengthened by the resignation of chief executive David McNally.

McNally originally announced that he would be leaving in a Twitter post to a supporter shortly after the United defeat, before backtracking, only for his departure to then be confirmed on Monday.

The episode only added to the sense of confusion at Carrow Road, but while off-field affairs may appear complicated, there is a simple clarity to the task that lies ahead.Pinto, signed from Dinamo Zagreb in January, said: "With every game that is passing it is getting harder now to avoid relegation. But we have to keep ourselves up and we have to keep fighting in every game.

"We are going to have to win both of our remaining games and I think from the last couple of games, we have felt that need to start winning games.

"Wednesday we have one more opportunity that we cannot waste, so we must prepare for the game very well and work until then to get the three points that we need."

- Deeney rallying cry -

Norwich's recent form does not offer grounds for optimism. Four successive defeats have allowed Sunderland and Newcastle United to overhaul Neil's side, who have lost 12 of their last 16 league games."To be a team at this level and compete, you're going to have to limit mistakes across a season," Neil said. "Not only that, you're going to have to create more chances and score when those opportunities arise.

"There are teams in and about us who manage to do that better than us, and that's why we're in the situation we're in."

Midfielder Jonny Howson will miss Norwich's final two games after suffering a knee injury at the weekend.

Watford's season continues to peter out following a 2-0 defeat at Liverpool on Sunday -- their 10th reverse in 18 games.

They lost just five of their opening 18 games and captain Troy Deeney believes the final two matches can help set the mood for the start of next season.

"It's easy to switch off, but I've been drilling it home to the lads in the dressing room that we just can't," he said.

"If you look at Leicester, they ended last season unbelievably well. I'm not saying we're going to win the league by any means, but they carried on their form into this year.

"On the flip side, Newcastle did poorly last year and it's carried on into this. You can get used to losing so that mentality will never happen as long as I'm here. We'll never get used to losing."

Source :AFP