Norwich need to improve, admits Doyle

Callum Doyle has started every Championship game for Norwich so far this season

Norwich City "need to do better" if they are to maintain a serious challenge for a play-off place in the Championship, says defender Callum Doyle.

The Canaries failed to win at home for the second time in four days when they followed Saturday's 1-1 draw with struggling Derby County with a 1-0 defeat by Preston North End on Tuesday.

It leaves City in ninth place, two points outside the top six but knowing that gap could grow after Wednesday's round of matches.

"We drew our last game and now we've lost this one, we need to start picking up points," Doyle told BBC Radio Norfolk.

"Preston wanted a physical game and we weren't good enough in the final third and that's what we need to improve on."

Norwich's preparations for the match at Carrow Road were hit by captain Kenny McLean's withdrawal just before kick-off with breathing problems.

He was replaced by deadline-day Manchester City loanee Jacob Wright and Doyle said the rest of the team did a good job of dealing with their skipper's absence.

"It's just one of those things. No-one expected Kenny to pull out but he's got to take care of himself and make sure he's ready for the next few games," he said.

"You've always got to be ready [to come on] and Jacob took it on well."

'The next games are going to be big for us'

Norwich travel to Hull City on Saturday with the Tigers third from bottom ahead of their game at Burnley on Wednesday, before facing two of their play-off rivals - Blackburn and Sheffield Wednesday - among their next five matches.

The return of leading scorer Borja Sainz against Preston after his six-game ban was one of the main positives for the Canaries and Doyle said the Spaniard's presence should prove significant for their hopes of pushing into the top six during the remaining 14 matches

"We're at that stage now where we've got crucial players coming back and they're just finding their feet," Doyle said.

"These next games are going to be big for us.

"Teams are scrapping for points and it's very close between the play-offs and those in mid-table.

"It's tight but we need to get that momentum going. We need to do better. We need to do more, especially going into Saturday's game."