Norwich City defender Shane Duffy insists the club is “in a good place going forwards” even if they fail to reach the Championship play-offs this season.
Friday’s 2-1 defeat by Bristol City left The Canaries 12th in the table, and seven points adrift of the top six with just eight games left to play.
They conceded twice inside the first 25 minutes and despite having 20 goal attempts to the home side’s 13, could only manage one reply, from top scorer Borja Sainz.
“We’re sick of losing games. It’s not a great dressing room,” a downcast Duffy told BBC Radio Norfolk.
“We just keep shooting ourselves in the foot, it’s been the story of the season, I think.
“We were confident going into the game, the ability is there to beat Bristol City but we just give ourselves a mountain to climb and it’s tough times at the minute.
“There’s a lot of learning in this group to be done. It might not be our year this year but this club’s in a good place going forwards, so you’d better keep believing in it.”
Only leaders Leeds United have scored more than Norwich’s 60 goals this season, but Johannes Hoff Thorup’s side have only managed one win in their last eight games and the defeat by Bristol City was their second in a row.
“We’re probably over thinking it, but (it seems) every chance someone gets against us, it’s a goal,” Duffy added.
“There’s so much good work done in the game, not many people will probably see the work that’s done, but then we get punished from one through ball or one shot and players think ‘here we go again’.
“We need three or four goals to win a game at the minute and it’s not possible in this league to keep that up. I haven’t played many games this year and thought ‘they’re better than us, we’re not at their level’ and that’s the mind-boggling thing.
“We haven’t got many clean sheets this year and it’s painful. To be the second-top scorers in the league and be nowhere near the play-offs is a bit embarrassing, so as a team we can do much better.”
Because of international fortnight, Norwich do not play again until they take on sixth-placed West Brom in a must-win game at Carrow Road on 29 March.
They reached last season’s play-offs under David Wagner and Duffy added: “We’ve got to keep going now, you never know in this league, it’s crazy, but I think the break’s come at a good time for us.”
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