Winning is always on my mind - Lambert
Manager Paul Lambert insisted he never contemplated a second successive defeat for his Norwich City side - even when they were 1-0 down at Brighton with 10 minutes left.
Manager Paul Lambert insisted he never contemplated a second successive defeat for his Norwich City side - even when they were 1-0 down at Brighton with 10 minutes left.
Late goals from returning skipper Grant Holt and defender Gary Doherty gave the League One leaders a 2-1 success at the Withdean Stadium as they bounced back from the previous week's 2-1 reverse at Millwall.
Lambert said he never felt his players would go home empty-handed.
"I never think that," he said. "I always think we'll score in games with the lads we've got and all credit to them.
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"I thought we were knocking on the door and eventually we get the first goal by Grant - great desire to get to the front post - and Doc comes up with a terrific winner."
City finished the match with five forwards on the field and ultimately secured their third league double of the season to open up a four-point gap over second-placed Leeds, who needed a stoppage-time own goal to salvage a point in a 1-1 draw at Leyton Orient.
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Said Lambert: "I am always trying to think 'Can we win it? Yes'.
"There are times when you think 'We need to hang on' and grim death keeps you hanging on.
"The games when it has happened we felt we could win and that's what has happened.
"At one stage we had McNamee up front with Holt, with Martin, with Hoolahan, with Johnson.
"We had to go for it.
"We took Michael off, played three at the back again and it paid off.
"I think you have got to go on the front foot.
"We had to win the game.
"But it's the lads that do it, they're the ones that actually go and win the game for us and they make decision and hopefully you make more right ones that not."
Goalline clearances by Michael Nelson, in the first half, and Simon Lappin, in the second, kept City in the game after they fell behind to Elliott Bennett's 21st-minute free-kick.
"The lads did great, throwing their bodies in to keep the ball out of the net," he said.
"We also hit the post and nearly had an own goal.
"I was delighted with the effort and the desire to keep going and win a game."
"In the first half I thought the game looked a bit too easy for us.
"We had a lot of the ball without really penetrating and we got caught with the free-kick, and it makes it harder.
"In the second half I thought we were excellent, very good."
