It's been a long while since Norwich City fans greeted a Championship draw as well as they did last Saturday.

Despite Blackburn substitute Yuki Ohashi's diving header to deny the Canaries two valuable points, thousands stayed behind at Carrow Road and applauded a performance they felt marked a move in the right direction.

That patience is something head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup is having to show as City head into their fourth game of the season against Sheffield United. They're still adapting to the Dane's style of football, and he knows that desperately chasing a first league victory isn't the route to success.

"It's mostly about the performance," he said at his pre-match press conference. "Of course I would love to give the fans a home win, I would have loved that against Blackburn as well, especially also because it was so close.

"Don't get me wrong, it's always a better Saturday if you win than if you don't. But still we are in a phase of the strategy here and the style of play where we still have to build. We have to be really careful not to look too much into results; the performance is important for us going forward.

"We will do everything we can to win the game, but a good performance for us is also very important."

Norwich will need those supporters if that's what they're to deliver, and Thorup is hoping for more of the same from his new public.

"Like I said Saturday after the game, I was surprised but also proud of the fans after the game, and the players felt the same," he continued. "I mentioned the situation with Gabe (Forsyth), where he came off and was still applauded by the fans even though Blackburn were 1-0 up.

"We feel that and it's so important, because it's not something that you can just take for granted. It's hugely important for us, and it will be again tomorrow. There will be tricky moments in the game, there will be difficult moments in the game. It means a lot to us."

Standing between City and a maiden three points of 2024-25 are an in-form Blades, refreshed after relegation from the Premier League and replenished by a series of new signings.

The hosts have a boost of their own in highly-rated new boy Ante Crnac, with Jose Cordoba also fit to start after being eased back in from a minor groin injury. But Chris Wilder's sides have never made it easy in NR1, and that won't change this afternoon.

"It's going to be a tough one, they're a good team," Thorup continued. "They come with Premier League tempo in their legs, I've watched the last couple of games they've played. They have some good players, good technical players and also some physical, strong guys who can cause us some trouble.

"We definitely have to be prepared, both in possession and out of possession. It's a game where we have to be focused for 90 minutes-plus, otherwise they can cause trouble and they can score goals more or less out of nothing. It's a tricky opponent and a good side.

"We can see that when they play sometimes they step up and press high, especially when the opposition have goal kicks. Then also there are some parts of the game where they sit back and defend a little bit lower. It is something we've prepared for.

"We need solutions in all parts of the game, so we need to see it as an attacking opportunity when they put us under pressure and when they defend low. We have trained all week on this, and hopefully we are prepared."