City boss Bryan Gunn was in the happy position of being able to select from a fully fit squad ahead of the long trip to the Liberty and the start of potentially make-or-break weekend of Championship football.
With Saturday's game against Swansea City being swiftly followed by Monday's home clash with relegation rivals Watford, the Canaries could go a long way to digging themselves out of their relegation hole with, say, a four-point return.
With just three games left thereafter, the likelihood remains that the final ticket for a tour of League One next season will not be handed out until the very final Sunday of the season and that away trip to an already all-but doomed Charlton.
Right now, however, Norwich's desperate need is keep the kind of wind in their sails that they enjoyed through March – ten points from an available 15 that left hope springing eternal before Sheffield Wednesday came a-calling last weekend.
That 1-0 home defeat – albeit helped, in part, by another shambles from officialdom – found Gunn's troops taking one step back again. And as the Swans await this weekend, so the Canary boss knows that his side have to put their best foot forward again; deliver a Birmingham (a) style show and not a Blackpool (a).
The fact that certain members of his squad are now fully rested and recovered again after their World Cup exertions in the run-up to that Owls defeat could prove key; likewise, the sense at Colney this morning was that the Canary boss would not be making the same mistake twice and relegating Alan Lee to the bench.
He also, of course, has the midfield legs of Darel Russell to call on again after he finally completes his two-match ban.
“We've got a full quota of players on the training pitch today,” confirmed the City chief, as the likes of both Sammy Clingan and David Carney return to duty. They had, it appears, been given extra time off in lieu of their World Cup efforts. Clingan had had two, sapping outings for Nigel Worthington's Northern Ireland; Carney had flown to the other side of the planet and back again to sit on the bench for Australia.
In both cases, it showed. As it did with Lee Croft; freshly returned from an ankle knock.
“We actually gave them some rest as well,” revealed Gunn, his squad due to be flown to South Wales tomorrow at the directors' expense.
“The other lads had had some rest and it had been a big week for Sammy [Clingan] – and it would have been an even bigger week for him had we finished off with an even better result against Sheffield Wednesday. Which wasn't to be.
“And, likewise, with Carney as well. A long journey, a hot day… So you learn from those things as well,” admitted Gunn.
As he had, you sensed, re Lee. He made a difference upon his arrival against the Owls. Not enough to prise a point out of the contest; but a big difference nevertheless.
“I said after the game last week that that was something that I'd look at it – whether I'd made the right decision in not playing him.
“And that's something that will have to stay with me now,” said the City chief, earning brownie points for being open and honest after the event.
Many a manager would never, ever admit that they'd made a bad call.
“He's certainly made an impression since he's come to the club. And I think the fans have seen what he's about and what he can offer to us. And this might be the type of game that sees the best of him,” said Gunn, with Lee's Cardiff connections unlikely to win him too many friends at the Liberty.
Just as his new-found Norwich ones won't make him Mr Popular at Portman Road.
“He seems to like it when things are against him. So I take it that the Swansea fans will have a Welsh welcome for him; welcome back to the Valleys. But he's certainly very high up in my thoughts for Saturday.”
The decisions will come up-front as to who partners Lee and in centre-midfield where Simon Lappin may yet have to make way for the returning Russell.
“Rusty's [Russell] has had a frustrating time with the international break adding to his suspension so that meant an even longer break for him.
“But Rusty is a very fit lad. We've given him some time off, but he's been in training. And doing some extra and trying to keep his fitness levels up. And, again, Darel certainly comes into our thinking for selection.”
Alan Gow could yet, therefore, find himself out wide with Lee and the luckless David Mooney through the middle.
Back, in short, to the Birmingham plan. Only with added Russell.
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