YOU only get one chance to make a good first impression.

Alex Neil has never needed a second.

To observers south of the border, he was the unknown manager from a little known club, the 33-year-old plucked from obscurity and thrust into the biggest challenge of his life in one of the most challenging leagues in the world.

Many had never heard of him, few would have known much about him, but Neil is now very much the name on everyone's lips in England.

The decision by the Norwich board to name him as Neil Adams' successor at Carrow Road and entrust him to lead the club back to the Premier League shocked the Scot as much as anyone. The challenge never fazed him, though.

Having won over the Carrow Road board, he had to convince players, fans and the media that he was the right man for the job. Any doubters who loudly voiced their objections will be keeping a low profile these days.

Norwich were seventh in the Championship table and three points outside the play-offs when Neil was appointed on January 9. Now, they are just three adrift of top spot and guaranteed to have a shot at promotion.

To say that Neil has won over his critics would be an understatement. Many will wonder why he was even questioned at all.

"Norwich is a huge club and they are playing in a very good league so it is fantastic to be involved in," the former Hamilton boss told SportTimes.

"I felt very comfortable from the beginning. The size of the job didn't shock me.

"I knew what I had to do, the objectives were really clear.

"I don't think there is any question that people looked at me as a surprise appointment.

"In the last few years, I can't remember a Scottish manager going straight into a higher profile job straight from a Scottish club.

"It was out of the blue for everyone, especially myself. But when I came down I was more than confident that I could make an impact and thankfully that has been the case."

The belief Neil had in his own abilities has not proven to be misguided or misplaced, the methods he used to such startling effect at New Douglas Park transferring towards the other end of the football spectrum with remarkable consequences.

Since his appointment, Norwich have lost just three games, the third of which came on Friday night at home to promotion rivals Middlesbrough.

The results and style of his side, the trademark high tempo, high energy, slick passing approach that won him so many plaudits in Scotland, have endeared him to supporters. But it was not the man in the stand he had to win over first and foremost.

After travelling south on the Thursday before Norwich's match with Bournemouth, at that time the Championship leaders, Neil was paraded on Friday and immediately made his way to the south coast to address his players.

It was a whirlwind welcoming to a new world but an important one for Neil as the man from New Douglas Park met a squad of internationalists, big names and big money signings.

"I just went in and set my stall out, told them what I expected of them and what they could expect from me," Neil said.

"I said that if they worked as hard as I wanted, we would all move on together and hopefully be successful.

"I am really pleased that everyone has bought into that. The players have worked hard, have taken the information on board and we have taken that into the games.

"Everything has worked really well and the lads have been great.

"I think people will immediately make a snap judgement on you and they will be able to see you through. They can tell if you know what you are talking about or not."

Having conveyed his message, Neil only had to wait a couple of hours to put his ideas into action.

He watched from the stands at the Goldsands Stadium as, with the score at 1-1 with under half an hour left, Jonny Howson saw red and Norwich found themselves with their backs to the wall.

It was the cue for Neil to make his mark as he swapped the directors box for the touchline. Just 15 minutes later, Cameron Jerome won it for the Canaries and Neil was off and running.

"I had no intentions of going down but then we lost a man and that was the turning point," he said.

"It was about adapting to the game as it stood. I felt that it was better for the team and the staff for me to be next to them and lending a hand rather than being in the stand casting an eye and judging them.

"I went down to lend a hand to make sure we didn't lose the game, and thankfully we went on and won it.

"When I first came here, I was hoping to solidify the play-off place first and foremost and then if we could pick up a bit of momentum and really get the team going we were hoping to get into a situation where we could go up automatically.

"That is where we find ourselves now. We have done extremely well to get here and now we want to go the whole way."

Since that January evening, Neil and Norwich haven't looked back and now just two challenges remain.

A trip to Rotherham this weekend is the next fixture to come under Neil's meticulous gaze before attentions will turn the final game of the season at home to Fulham.

The relentless nature of the Championship and the Scot's in-built drive and determination mean that time for reflection has been in short supply.

The focus is always on the next game and ways of moving forward, coaxing every extra percentage possible from every area alongside right hand man Frankie McAvoy.

"You are always evolving as a coach and a manager and adapting to different situations, using past experiences knowing what works and doesn't work," Neil said.

"I have certainly evolved as a person, a coach and a manager in my time here.

"I am really thankful for the experiences that I had at Accies because that played a part in getting me to where I am at the moment.

"It is good to have Frankie here, we work well together. He has been as big a part of this run as anybody else.

"Everything is working well for us at the moment and hopefully we can continue that."

Two points and two teams - Middlesbrough and Bournemouth - stand between Norwich and automatic promotion while Watford are a further point ahead in pole position in the title race.

Neil is no stranger to the situation having taken Hamilton to the brink of Championship glory and ultimately to the top flight via the play-offs, and he could now complete a remarkable double within weeks.

If it all goes to plan, the Neil fairytale story will a happy ending, but every chapter is not quite perfect just yet.

"It has been difficult not being my wife and kids, this is the longest I have been away from them," he said.

"I see them from time to time, they come and watch a lot of the home games and I have managed to get up twice since I moved down.

"It has probably been a good thing in a way because my sole focus is on getting the team prepared for winning games. It has allowed me to really get stuck into the job and that has certainly benefitted me."

It would be no surprise if the sacrifices prove worth it for Neil.