Skippy flying high with Canaries

Oliver Skipp is relishing being at the sharp end of the title race in the Championship.

The Academy graduate has impressed in his loan stint at Norwich City. Still only 20, ‘Skippy’ has started every league game (36) for a team that has won eight on the trot to race 10 points clear with 10 matches remaining.

Indeed, come Saturday, fingers crossed, Skippy will have racked up 38 starts - Norwich travel to Forest on Wednesday and face Blackburn at home on Saturday - and that’s the equivalent of a Premier League campaign.

Michael Bailey, who watches the Canaries week in, week out in his role at The Athletic, reported recently that Skippy’s midfield partnership with Kenny McLean has been key in this recent winning run, a run that continued as City came from behind to take the points late at Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday. Bailey described Skippy as ‘pivotal’.

“It’s been brilliant, especially these last few games, you can tell that every game really means something,” Skippy told us on Monday, when he was also selected for the England Under-21 squad for this month's UEFA European U21 Championship group stage in Slovenia, alongside team-mates Ryan Sessegnon and Japhet Tanganga.

“We’ve managed to win eight games in a row, so it’s really positive, and brilliant towards the end of the season when everything starts to take shape. You know in the Championship you’ve got to keep going, because you can go on another run and all of a sudden, it’s not as rosy as it was, but we’re in a really strong position.

“I’ve started every game this season and you can really build momentum from one performance to the next. It’s been really good from that point of view, playing Saturday-midweek. You improve your game understanding and implement what the manager wants to do in matches, making sure you are developing all aspects of your game, and working on your weaknesses.

“I always believed I could cope physically, but it’s about going out there and proving it to everyone. Touch wood, I’ve coped with it at the moment.”

Look out for a special feature on Skippy's season so far during the international break...