The Premier League prize is so close for Norwich City – which is why it’s all about discipline from here for Onel Hernandez.

Norwich Evening News: Onel Hernandez celebrates victory - earned by his second-half strike - as Norwich City extend their Championship lead against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium. Picture: Paul Chesterton/Focus ImagesOnel Hernandez celebrates victory - earned by his second-half strike - as Norwich City extend their Championship lead against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium. Picture: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images (Image: Paul Chesterton)

The Canaries stretched their lead over third-placed Sheffield United to seven points after a dramatic weekend of Championship action, which included City’s superb 1-0 victory at Middlesbrough.

That win came thanks to Hernandez’s seventh league goal of the campaign and with home games on the horizon against QPR and Reading, glances will start to creep forward to the prize on offer.

But for Hernandez that can only – and will only – happen outside the club.

“We don’t need to think a lot about our situation,” said Hernandez. “We will work a lot on the training ground, prepare for the next games and we don’t have a lot to think about. We have to do our homework and then we will see what happens.

“Of course, 100pc that takes a lot of discipline. You know what’s happening outside. You see it, you listen to it. But it does not disturb us. We go our way and this is what we do.

“I can handle the situation very good and yeah, we won at Middlesbrough – but we still have seven games left and we have to win other games as well.

“It was a very important win. The team was very good, we fought for three points, we are very happy – and we now see what happens next week back at home.”

MORE: Middlesbrough 0-1 Norwich City – How the Championship clash unfolded

Having started his first full season in England with a brace at Birmingham, Hernandez is level with Emi Buendia and Mario Vrancic behind City’s leading Championship goalscorer Teemu Pukki (24).

Buendia and Hernandez’s league assists tally of 10 is also only bettered by their Finnish team-mate (11).

It underlines how important City’s Cuban winger has been to their promotion push this season – one that may yet end with the Championship title.

Following a memorable Saturday night on Teesside in front of 1,500 City fans, Hernandez added: “Yeah, it was an amazing feeling to sore against Middlesbrough and then after that, celebrating with the fans was as well very emotional for me and I loved it a lot.

“It was a difficult game of course, but I don’t think the goal changed it. I We had a lot of good situations and were in control, we created a lot of chances and they played only long balls – but we had a good defence.

“Zimbo (Christoph Zimmermann) and Ben (Goodfrey), they fight for every ball and were incredible.”

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