West Ham loan star Henri Lansbury believes there are many similarities between the Hammers squad and the Norwich team he helped to promotion last season

West Ham loan star Henri Lansbury is looking for back-to-back Championship promotions, but this time round his team will have to do it the hard way.

The England under-21 international midfielder was on loan at Carrow Road last season and helped Norwich to automatic promotion and he sees similarities between the Canaries and his current team-mates at Upton Park.

“There is a similar feeling here to Norwich and team spirit is a massive part of that,” insisted the 21-year-old who has made 23 appearances in West Ham’s promotion push.

“We have got a great bunch of lads here and I think we have got a massive chance to achieve what Norwich did.

“Fingers crossed it will be great for me and great for the club and there are a lot of similarities between this West Ham team and Norwich. Last season I went up automatically, this time we will have to do it through the play-offs, but hopefully we will be able to do just that.”

Lansbury dazzled the West Ham crowd with a sparkling goalscoring debut back in September against Portsmouth, but though he hasn’t added to that tally and also suffered injury along the way, he is beginning to come back into form just at the right time.

Now he is ready for the challenge of the play-offs, something the Arsenal youngster has never experienced before.

“I think it will probably be the biggest game I have ever been involved in,” said the bearded midfielder.

“I think the first game in Cardiff will be the toughest one and if we get a result we can come back here and be confident of turning them over at home.

“I am obviously a bit disappointed that we missed out on automatic promotion, but I think we have got to pick ourselves up, go into the Cardiff game with the momentum we have got now and just keep going.”

Lansbury is unclear about his future at the Emirates and will wait until the end of the season to see what transpires with West Ham, but he admits that a season at Upton Park has been an education well worth having.

“I have learned a lot,” he said. “Obviously the players here have taken me under their wing and talked me through what I have got to do.

“Being with a great manager helps as well and I think it has improved my football.”

He may only be a youngster, but he has been through the pressure of a promotion campaign already and that may still prove vital in the games to come.