After an international break which blessed us with such classic and wholly necessary ties as San Marino's goalless draw with St Kitts and Nevis, this is it, we are well and truly on the home stretch of the season.

At the beginning of December, when City were languishing in 14th, seven points adrift of the play-offs, I certainly would have bitten your hand off at being in the top six at Easter.

Traditionally, this busy Easter period (a close second to the 'busy Christmas period' in football cliché stakes) tends to be where fates can ultimately be sealed in terms of how seasons go.

Clearly, the league is tight enough that nothing will be sealed by the end of this long weekend, but there is also obviously a lot of ground that could be made up.

To play on another footballing cliché that gets trotted around, we are entering an eight-game mini-season to determine whether it's going to actually be an 11-game mini-season.

You would imagine and certainly hope that the significant carrot of Premier League football and the riches that come with it should be enough to motivate City's players.

But just in case it's not, I've pored over the remaining fixtures which make up this "mini-season" in hopes of lighting that little bit extra fire under the bellies of our boys. Starting with something of an open goal on Friday.

Good Friday - Plymouth Argyle (h) - The revenge mission

Whatever happens between now and the end of the season, one game will always stick out as being an utter humiliation - Plymouth away.

I'm not going to tempt fate by saying it will easily be the lowest lowlight, but nonetheless, losing 6-2 will always leave a sour taste.

Even though City romped to promotion from League One at first time of asking (not, for example, fourth) the one memory that lingers most is the 7-1 home defeat against Colchester.

That season, the reverse fixture was sweet, sweet revenge, as Paul Lambert's side humbled the Us on their way to promotion as champions (not, for example, runners-up).

That has to be the goal here. This isn't just about winning a game of football, it is about revenge.

Easter Monday - Leicester City (a) - Vengeance against Vardy

This is the one game I have to admit being a little conflicted over. 

Clearly I want City to win as I always do and always will. But equally, I'm aware of who else victory at the Crisp Bowl would help - and we'll come onto them in a moment.

However, there is one person still in the Foxes ranks that I never want to help out - Jamie Vardy.

My feelings towards him stem back solely to a 2-1 victory for Leicester during their title-winning season - a performance that even put me off the idea of a footballing fairytale.

He battled for every ball outside of the area but as soon as he was in, joyfully tumbled around like a clown performing somersaults. And it worked and was the difference that day.

I've never forgiven, or forgotten that. So it's vengeance over Vardy we need.

Alternatively, we could just sack that one off, play the under-9s and rest up, either/or really.

Saturday, April 6 - Ipswich Town (h) - The Old Farm

Do I really need to do this one? I bloomin' 'ope not. Next.

Tuesday, April 9 - Sheffield Wednesday (a) - The punishment

Eastern Daily Press:

Put bluntly, the Owls need to have their bottoms smacked.

Just before the international break, Wednesday had the chance to really rub salt into the wounds of an Ipswich side that just snatched defeat from the jaws of victory after conceding twice in stoppage time at Cardiff.

Town needed a big response after that, with seeds of doubt just waiting to be watered.

What did Danny Rohl's relegation-threatened side do? They bloody lost 6-0.

Such insubordination deserves punishment.

 Saturday, April 13 - Preston North End (a) - The rivals

Another one I don't have to stretch too much for - as things stand, Preston are five points behind City in the play-off chase, but with a game in hand a lot can change between now and then - this may be the chance to wipe them out from the mix altogether.

Saturday, April 20 - Bristol City (h) - The great imitators

Eastern Daily Press:

Did anyone else notice anything fishy when Bristol City rebranded their crest in 2019?

It's a bird standing on a ball for goodness sake. 

Since the change, the battle of the birds on balls has been won by the Canaries five out of six occasions, it doesn't feel they've really been properly punished for this blatant act of plagiarism. 

Plus, Muse played at their stadium a while back, rather than ours. So I hold that against them too.

Saturday, April 27 - Swansea City (h) - I don't like Swans

Who do swans think they are? There is a reason the phrase swanning around exists and it is due to the way these oversized, needlessly aggressive, feathered idiots carry themselves.

Plus, when I was a kid, I'm fairly sure a swan stole a Mars bar from me, although it might have been a peacock.

Either way, swans have been given far too many liberties for far too long - I instantly resent the fact they are given Royal protection while the humble mallard is left to fend for itself.

Swans, pah, overrated.

Saturday, May 4 - Birmingham City (a) - One final revenge mission

May 12, 2002 - a date that will forever resonate with Norwich City fans. 

It was perfect: City had gatecrashed the play-offs in dramatic fashion on the final day of the season and booked their place at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. 

After years of exile, we were ready to return to the top flight in our centenary year no less.

It would have been the perfect way to celebrate 100 years of Norwich City, but Birmingham went and decided to score more penalties than us. 

Two decades later, I have neither forgiven or forgotten. We must have vengeance, in this life or the next.