City’s hat-trick hero Simeon Jackson preferred to pay tribute to the quality of football Norwich play as opposed to the ‘ridiculous’ number of rest days that the Norfolk club enjoyed ahead of this afternoon’s nerve-shredding 3-2 win over Derby County.
It left the Canaries still in second spot with just two games of the season to go. Cardiff remain in third; a point behind.
They won 1-0 at Deepdale to bang the final nail in Preston North End’s Championship coffin with Bluebirds boss Dave Jones bemoaning the fact that City had that extra freshness in their legs having played their derby clash with Ipswich last Thursday night.
The fact that Jackson’s third goal five minutes into added-on time was the 12th time that the Canaries had scored in stoppage time this season appeared lost on Jones; events of this nature aren’t unusual in Norfolk, as he vowed to pursue Norwich to the bitter end.
“We’ve just got to keep going,” Jones told WalesOnline this evening.
“Norwich kept going to the 95th minute and got the goal because they were probably a lot fresher as they had three or four days extra to recover, which is ridiculous,” he added.
Jackson had other, more plausible theories. “It’s a credit to the team and the way that we’re playing,” said the 24-year-old, fresh from bagging his second hat-trick of the season.
“We’re showing great resilience and everyone is enjoying their football,” he added. “It was very important to get all three points today and, hopefully, we can now finish the job over the next two games.”
Marc Tierney popped up with the perfect hanging cross for Jackson’s 45th minute opener; the second after the break was all his own work – the most delicate and disguised of 22-yard lobs to take him to 11 for the season.
No12 – his eighth in the last six games – had rather more by way of fortune to it as Alberto Bueno’s hack off the line deep, deep into injury time found the ball dropping back into an empty net off the Canadian’s mid-riff.
Not that either he or the 25,000-plus Canary fans were complaining as wild celebrations engulfed Carrow Road.
“I don’t know what happened,” he laughed afterwards, as he clutched both the Man of the Match champagne and his second match ball of the season.
“I just got lucky. It hit me in the mid-riff and I just got lucky – it went in. But I was just delighted to get the three points.”
If his season had started off slowly trying to carve out a decent run in the team ahead of the likes of Chrissy Martin and Wes Hoolahan in that second striker’s role, it is now finishing like a train with the former Gills striker looking a million (Canadian) dollars.
That 12th goal of the season also sparked joyous celebrations in every corner of the ground; well, bar one.
“It just goes to show how much it means to all of us,” said Jackson, who disappeared beneath a mound of Canary shirts in front of a delirious Barclay Stand.
Carrow Road has seen many an important, late goal scored in its history, but given that today’s win puts City within touching distance of that golden ticket to the Premiership, few will have matched the Canadian’s last-gasp effort for sheer drama. Or, indeed, will have completed a hat-trick off.
“To win today – and especially it being at home – was an amazing feeling, but there are still two games to go,” said Jackson, with an away trip to Portsmouth next on the agenda. After that it is only Coventry City at home that stands – potentially – between Norwich and back-to-back promotions.
“It might be the most important goal I have ever scored, but the most important thing was to make sure that we won the game today. And now we’ve just got to make sure that we get the job done.”
It has been quite a ride for both club and player alike since he made such an impact in that 6-0 win over Scunthorpe. A 20-minute hat-trick on his arrival as a second-half substitute set a fairy tale finish to the season in motion.
The third – and killer – goal at Portman Road last Thursday night merely teed up today’s extraordinary outing for the softly-spoken hitman.
“That Scunthorpe game was certainly a starting point coming back from the international break – getting on and getting some goals you just kind of build your confidence from there as a striker.
“It’s good to be getting the goals, but no-one really cares who has been getting them. We just have to make sure we keep getting the goals over the next two games and see the job off.”
And what is it that keeps this team bagging stoppage-time goal after stoppage-time goal? What does Bluebirds boss Jones need to twig before it is too late?
“It’s just down to our resilience and our belief,” said the biggest recent thorn in Cardiff’s side.
“We just keep pushing until the end. You’ve seen it for weeks here; how we turn games around in the last second.”
And Jackson is not alone in making that happen. He and his team-mates have 25,000-plus supporters to thank for willing that ball over the line.
“Sometimes the ball just gets sucked in from the way that they’re making all that noise…”
There, Mr Jones, is your answer.
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