LONDON (SE) - Chris Hughton has warned his Norwich side ahead of Saturday's match at Stoke City that points have to be earned from the final four matches of the season to guarantee the club's Premier League survival.
Norwich (8-14-12) moved seven points clear of the relegation places after beating Reading 2-1 at Carrow Road on Saturday thanks to second-half goals from Ryan Bennett and Elliott Bennett. It was only their second win in 17 league outings.
Canaries boss Hughton hailed the win against the Royals as more important than standout victories against Arsenal and Manchester United earlier in the season.
"There have been some big wins and performances from us, and we've beaten a couple of the really big clubs here and they were special nights," said Hughton after the Reading game. "Maybe though, at this time of the season - and the fact that we've gone such a long period with just the one win - it is a very big one for sure.
"I think we know we're almost there because we've got 38 points, but I think it's going to take more, I really do. All the teams around us are capable of winning games - we saw Stoke winning today for example. We'll certainly need more points that what we've got now, and we've got four games to do it."
Stoke (8-13-13) climbed up to 15th place, six points clear of the drop zone, after a 2-0 win at relegation rivals Queens Park Rangers last weekend. It was the Potters' first win in eight matches and only their second away league win of the season. Peter Crouch gave Stoke the lead just before half-time, and Jon Walters sealed victory from the penalty spot 13 minutes from time.
Potters boss Tony Pulis is hopeful winger Matthew Etherington, who has been troubled by a niggling back problem, will be available for Saturday's match at the Britannia Stadium.
"There's a good chance Matty will be fit because he has trained really well today which is encouraging." Pulis revealed in his pre-match press conference on Thursday. "He's had some injections in his back over the past couple of weeks which seem to have cleared the problem, so it is a big boost to have him back in contention.
"Whether we take a chance on him to start or not, we'll have to wait and see. It gives me a selection headache after last week's win, but it's a nice one to have."
Stoke midfielder Charlie Adam and striker Cameron Jerome face late tests on ankle injuries, but defender Marc Wilson is unlikely to feature due to a hamstring strain.
Norwich defender Michael Turner is out with a hip problem and midfielder Andrew Surman remains sidelined after undergoing knee surgery.
Bradley Johnson's first-half headed goal earned Norwich a 1-0 victory over Stoke at Carrow Road back in November in this season's reverse fixture.
Norwich have lost their last four trips to Stoke and haven't won in seven visits since a 2-1 victory in January 1997 in the second tier. That 1996-97 season was the last time Norwich did the league double over Stoke.
This will be the 49th meeting between the sides in all competitions, with Stoke edging the series with 18 wins to Norwich's 16.
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