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Gunn steers clear of the ‘m’ word. His dreams are realistic, he says, not miraculous

1st May 2009 By Latest News Leave a Comment

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City winger Lee Croft looks ever more likely to miss the trip to the Very Last Chance Saloon as Norwich's 23-year-old 'Player of the Season' struggles to shake off a calf strain in time for 'Showdown Sunday'.

Everyone now knows the simple task that awaits the Canaries at Charlton Athletic this weekend.

Norwich win and Barnsley lose at Plymouth and Bryan Gunn's men stay in the Championship.

Any other combination of events at The Valley and Home Park and City are a-goner; they will drop into the third tier of English football for the first time in nigh-on 50 years.

Which is why it is time for every last fit and able hand to be on deck – Croft, ideally, included.

“Unlikely,” was Gunn's simple summing up at Colney this morning as he hosted his last pre-match Press conference of the season. Whether he will be back in the chair again next season is – like so much else at Carrow Road right now – firmly up in the air.

“Unlikely. He's been out training with the physio, but he's probably not going to have enough in the tank to give us a full 100 per cent,” said the City chief, not wholly ruling his man out.

“He's still got another two full days of training to go and we'll see. He was 50-50 last week, but I think he's unlikely this week.”

It is not the sort of game that you would want to risk anyone in. Out of contract this summer, the suspicion remains that Croft will have played his last game for the Norfolk club; certainly should the worst befall the Canaries, they might not have either the 'pull' or the financial wherewithal to tie the one-time England Youth international to a tour of duty in League One.

He could be just one of a clutch of painful and difficult farewells.

Jason Shackell – made available for transfer by his full-time employers Wolves this week – is another whose future is uncertain. He has, however, shrugged off the dead-leg he sustained in that damning 2-0 home defeat by Reading last Monday.

“Shacks will train today; Jon Otsemobor had a dead leg from the other night, he'll train today; David Marshall had a dead leg, but he trained on Wednesday as normal.”

The biggest decision – Croft notwithstanding – is whether or not Gunn whips Cody McDonald out of his starting plans for such a big game and drops the ineligible David Mooney back in alongside Alan Lee; or whether he keeps faith with the ex-Essex scaffolder. One or either of them could, in theory, play in a wider role. Given that Norwich have to win the game, there is little point in going all safety first.

Heading into The Valley looking to nick a point won't do. Not any more.

“He was excellent – energy and enthusiasm,” said Gunn, as he looked back on McDonald's first start for his professional employers on Monday night.

“But again it's going to be one that we need to look at; David Mooney before that had done well for us. So that's an awkward decision to make.

“But it's a good one in that Cody can go in there and take up the mantle – so that's a good position to be in. His whole enthusiasm since he's come to the club was shown on the pitch on Monday night, so I'm sure Norwich City fans will be hopeful of seeing more of that.

“And if we can polish him up a little bit in terms of his technique and his touch and different things, there'll be a hell of a player there.”

Speaking straight after the game on Monday night, Gunn used the word 'miracle' – as in Norwich desperately needing one now. With emotions running a little less high, 'miracle' was not the word he would use right now.

“We need to win our game and we need Barnsley to lose their's,” he said, which in the sober light of a spring day isn't beyond the realms of possibility.

“But I don't know if it is a 'miracle'. I did use it [the word] the other night, but I probably shouldn't have done. Because it's realistic.

“Plymouth are buoyant after the result the other evening; they've got a good home record; they'll be wanting to finish off their own season in style in front of their own fans…”

As ever, of course, there was a 'but'. This one was reserved for Norwich's own opponents, Charlton. They, too, will be wanting to finish their season on some sort of 'high' note. It is easy to forget that their fall from a Premiership height has been even more painful than Norwich's.

City never reached the dizzy heights of seventh in the top flight; or at least not in the current golden age of the Premiership.

They also have a young man in Jonjo Shelvey who, in every likelihood, won't be following them to League One this summer. He could yet play a big part in Norwich's fortunes having – as a then 16-year-old – run that FA Cup clash at The Valley before being substituted just after the hour-mark.

“Don't forget that Charlton are in the equation; that's not going to be an easy place to go and try and get a result.

“I know that Phil Parkinson will be looking at next season and building; putting a team out on the pitch that he hopes will help him get out of League One. So we know that it's going to be a difficult game at The Valley, but – realistically – it's one we can win.

“And – realistically – one that Barnsley can lose at Plymouth.”


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