I woke up early on Saturday morning to put the laptop on and discover: Blackburn 0, Brentford 1.
Later in the day my mood didn’t improve as I sucked up Luton 0, Swansea 1. And then a Welsh side I possessed high hopes of on the day conceded late in stoppage time to make it Cardiff 1, Watford 2.
Okay City, we’ve got some work to do now as a famous cartoon Great Dane was often told by Shaggy.
At around 1300 yesterday my thoughts, dismal as they were, had moved along apace as the good old Sky half-time *freeze frame* suggested Sheffield Wednesday 1 [Rhodes, 7] Norwich City 0.
Tell me something I don’t know, hey?
Darren Moore had set up Wednesday to frustrate us and we were falling for it. A poorly cleared free-kick ended up at the feet of Jordan Rhodes who finished with aplomb, and after he and Tim Krul had remonstrated with the assistant referee in their own differing ways the goal [quite rightly] stood.
Rhodes didn’t celebrate over-elaborately but he knew what he’d done. I can’t say he felt guilty because I don’t know what was going through his mind but I think the same as many City-minded folks, as in he will always be one of us.
The Hillsborough pitch was a bit sticky and bobbly and let’s be fair we created very little in the first half. Could the omnipotent, all-seeing Norwich City slip on the *banana skin* much-vaunted pre-match by MFW friend and Archant football writer Connor Southwell be avoided?
Yes, it sodding well could and with such style. I am still in awe of our second 45+ performance as I write.
All too predictably for manager Moore, his side slowly but surely ran out of gas. They couldn’t keep up their awesome press from the first half and with a combination of fitness and method, we began to wear them down.
We were knocking at the door and went straight through it with two of the finest finishes in the same game I have ever seen from the boys in Yellow in over 33 years of holding a season ticket.
Firstly some fine work from Max Aarons and Emi Buendia allowed Ollie Skipp to play in Teemu Pukki who fired a Finnish rocket past fit-again Wednesday keeper Kieran Westwood, who stood no chance with a rising drive into the top corner.
21 for the season, Teemu? Yes mate I think so.
MFW regular 1×2 will have loved that one.
As the blue and white heads dropped we asserted ourselves all over the pitch and there was an air of inevitability about the second, winning, goal if not quite the exceptional circumstances that surrounded it.
An absolutely brilliant tackle by Buendia on Josh Windass saw Todd Cantwell race onto the through ball. He was half-tackled but had a split-second to fire into the same corner as Pukki had earlier with his left foot.
Probably the finest goal I’ve ever seen from Todd and most likely the best that I shall ever see from the Dereham Deco.
From that moment, Wednesday’s game was literally up and they knew it. The horrible cliché of game management came into play and we carried it out superbly as the Owls didn’t get a sniff.
Cantwell very appropriately said afterwards:
“We had to show a lot of character today after not starting the game as bright as we’d like to. You’re not always going to play brilliantly for every minute, so I think the second-half reaction was a real credit to everyone out there.
“I think they started well; it wasn’t just us not being able to get started. They were compact, them getting an early goal didn’t help, but I think the second half it was just the most important bit of showing character and a bit of heart to build on the foundations of pressing high. Ultimately, we managed to turn the game around.”
So let us take stock for a while. Daniel Farke’s official stance is that we have our place in the play-offs secure. Haha, Daniel 
What it really means is that we are on a mighty 79 points with ten games to go. If you wish to believe Mario Vrancic we only need two more wins for promotion and I’m sure he reckons we’ll collect them against Forest and Blackburn.
For me, I’d like four or five more to put us around the 94 point mark, which should gain us the Championship trophy as well as promotion, which from my point of view is a subject for another article on another day.
And if it’s escaped anybody’s attention we’ve won eight on the straight and currently have the best goal difference in the Championship.
Who cares about miserable Saturdays with a Norwich City Sunday to follow?
Regular readers will know the type of music I’m into, but without this guy most of our favourite styles wouldn’t have existed and the lyrics seem so appropriate in this moment:
I have a picture of Buddy the Border Collie with a piece of Christmas related foilage in his mouth, in homage to one of my favourites.
There was no time during the game when I thought we would lose. At half time I would have grudgingly accepted a draw but those two glorious goals from those two glorious players justified my unusually arrogant expectation of victory. I think I know how the minds of Manyoo fans worked under the reign of SAF.
I don’t know what the record is for consecutive Championship wins is, but we stand a huge chance of going up in special style. Who knows, DF may come close to winning Manager of the Season.
Hi Don
I couldn’t resist the Buddy Holly clip – I love his music – but if you’ve got a pic of your Buddy with the natural stuff in his jaws you know where to send it!
*I think I know how the minds of Manyoo fans worked under the reign of SAF* – I could not agree more as I was swearing at the dogs like $hit during the first half but somehow knew it would come good for us in the end.
Two sublime finishes and we were made up.
Gary willing I’m going to post a relevant music-related clip after every fixture between now and the end of the season. I’m not too much into joyful sounds so it’ll take some thought but I’ll try and think of something appropriate every time.
Cheers mate
Norwich’s win record is 10 league wins in a row in Div 2 85-86 season (I made it to Carrow road for game 11 – a tedious draw with Barnsley). I think the overall record in the Championship era is 10 games by Villa – I stand to be corrected.
Hi Bruce
I only saw a couple of games in 85-6 as I was working and living in London at the time so can’t comment on that overmuch but I think [without looking it up] you’re right about Villa.
If anyone out there knows different please let us know.
Cheers
Don, I’m sure if we win the thing, the powers that be will find some way to. avoid giving Daniel the award. They’ll probably give it to some ‘plucky’ outsider, or just go the whole hog like last time and give it to the runner up!
Seriously though, I’m sure Ken Brown kept getting overlooked when his all conquering team of 1986 were hammering all before them. Worthy in 2004 I’m sure as well.
Still, never mind Show ’em your medals boys!
Hi Jason
Farke is pretty philosophical on the surface about his lack of recognition from the EFL but as uber-cool as he appears, it wouldn’t surprise me if he felt a bit disgruntled beneath the waterline.
I was reading an article on the subject of DF rarely winning MotM and as he says, he is not bothered on a personal level, but would love to win it for the entire team, including his assistant coaches and backroom staff who provide information on our opponents.
Yes indeedy – and that’s exactly why DF commands so much respect.
I sort of agree, but they didn’t give it to him when he was a plucky outsider in 18/19
The record for the championship era is 10 held jointly by Villa 2 years ago and Reading in 2006
The 2nd flight record is 14 held by Man U and Bristol City both in 1905/06 and Preston in 1951 I believe
Hi Paul
I thought Villa was right but I didn’t know Reading had done the same thing in 2006.
Thanks for that – appreciated.
One of my earliest musical memories – who’d have thought a drummer using his thighs to slap out a beat and the producers wife on an old celesta would produce such a classic,, and it wasn’t even the A side (Peggy Sue, for those that care).
I wish I had everyone else’s apparent fortitude and confidence. That first half was as bad as we have been for a while so at the time I was more than happy to settle for a draw. I wasn’t quite as down on the team as some of those on the mid-match Pink Un forum (blimey, it gets fraught on there unless we’re romping home) but didn’t see a win coming. Two great finishes got us there but in truth I didn’t see the dominant second half display everyone else seems to have seen.
I saw a Buendia tackle which led to Cantwell’s goal which would have been given as a foul in the league above and by many refs in the Championship and a Sheffield breakaway they really should have scored from which would have put us 2-1 down. We certainly increased the tempo and the crispness of our passing, but we did that at Watford and at Swansea in the second halves and still lost, so for me the finishes were the difference rather than the performance. A great 3 points, but on the balance of play, probably not quite as deserved as many claim.
I think we took some time to get our rhythm back after a rest midweek (not always a good thing when the fitness and playing routines are built around a midweek game being a constant). Hopefully we’ll start better at Forest, because breaking them down will be harder still. As we know, Mr Hughton will go home ecstatic with a 0-0.
Hi Stephen
That old celeste wasn’t in the video and I think Buddy was miming to something else but it was still a great, atmospheric clip to share so kudos to whoever put it on YT.
My only abiding thought was that once we equalised there would only be one winner and [for once] I was right. You are right too – two cracking finishes masking a poor first half performance.
Forest? Well, I’m on MFW preview duty for that tomorrow and since I’ve spoken with ace Garibaldi Red supporter Christian Brown, who has his own views on Hughton, they’ve lost both Lolley and Worrall very recently and it seems like Lewis Grabban [late of this parish] will miss out as well.
Thanks – good comment.
Good afternoon on this lovely sunny if not very warm day and what a brilliant headline. Yours or Gary’s???
I’m sure that most members of the Canary Nation were feeling pretty despondent around 1pm and quite a few ‘keyboard warriors’ were lambasting our very own Dereham Deco for his lackluster first half performance, but it just wasn’t working for the boys in Yellow and Green thanks mainly to the efforts of our opponents.
Would DF give the team the ‘hairdryer treatment’ or similar.?
Almost as soon as the 2nd half started, there was an urgency and fluency that had been missing in the first half and Pukki still had plenty of work to do before lashing the ball high into the roof of the net, giving Westwood no chance. If we thought that that goal was good, I don’t think there are enough superlatives to describe the winner.
Buendia does what Buendia does – robs Windass as he too casually tries to play out from defence (where’s the crowd yelling ‘get rid of it!’ when you need them?? 😃). He then barges Gibson out of the way before playing a sublime pass to TC, who takes a touch to get past the tiring Palmer and hits an unstoppable shot with his left foot into the corner of the net and that was that.!!
A few snippets to end on.
When DF and TC were being interviewed, the wind noise was horrendous and yet when Canary TV interviewed DF, the sound quality was perfect. He said that he had a quiet word with his players in the dressing room and just asked them to up their game – which they did in no uncertain terms.
MB – formerly of this parish, was sitting directly behind the Sky commentator and a caption had flashed up on his monitor re the number of times NCFC had scored in the last 15 minutes of a game. Just over a minute later……..
Our fitness certainly tells in the closing minutes of games and hence we score quite a few of our goals in that time.
We now find ourselves on 79 points and almost certainly enough for a playoff place, but I really want us to get 12 to 15 (or more¡), so that once again, we go up as Champions and shut Toney up. 😁
Hi Ed
Headlines on my articles are always Gary’s although I didn’t expect him to choose the Buddy Holly reference but I’m kind of glad he did.
I can’t follow a match on Pink ‘Un Live myself. It’s good coverage and I know many ex-pats like [and rely] on it but it’s not for me I’m afraid.
The exchange between Buendia and Gibson was seriously comical if you see what I mean. I do know what the Spanish for Foxtrot Oscar is but I’m not repeating it here in case Emi pops up and shoves me in the back 🙂
Yes the fitness levels continue to impress which I guess is due to Chris Domegalla [probable misspell] and his team.
As good a striker as he undoubtedly is, I couldn’t give a monkey’s crutch stick for what Ivan Toney has to say.
Cheers mate
For use expats in other parts of the Home Nations the Pink’Un is usually all that is available (Radio Normal is blocked online).
Being rabidly anti-Sky access to follow this season has been a revelation, even without fans in the ground.
Hi MGW
I think you can buy a Radio Norfolk commentary online from iFollow for something like £2.50 a throw via NCFC Official?
For what it’s worth I agree with your opinion on Sky [I find Murdoch’s lot
abhorrent] but sometimes you have to whore yourself, forget your principles and morality and follow the game in the best way you can..
At least with iFollow most of the money goes to the clubs. I don’t claim to know how they do it but they do – if you see what I mean.
Cheers
Couldn’t have put it better myself Martin (and Buddy Holly too…..what an under-rated star he was!!).
I’ve only managed to see the Sky highlights (all of about 2 minutes), buthave to admit that following the game via Pink ‘Un text is not for the faint hearted. Unless they are swamped by 1p5wich trolls we certainly have a large number of fans who are ultra quick to criticise.
According to some Wednesday fan sites, they (apparently) turned in their best 45 minutes of the season between 1215 and 1300 yesterday. Let’s face it, everything was set up for an ACN scenario, but this incarnation of NCFC just don’t do that sort of thing.
OK, a poor first 45 minutes, but after Mr Farke’s listen to me speech, an excellent second half brought win number 8 on the spin. Two superb strikes to win it, and once in front, the result never seemed to be in doubt.
Eat your heart out Mr Toney; somehow I cannot see your lot finishing ahead of us (and can someone please explain how Blackburn were not awarded at least one penalty on Friday night??).
A special mention to our Finnish finisher….according to NCFC numbers, since the start of 2018/19 Pukki has scored more Championship goals than any other player…..and that includes last season when he was actually playing in the Premier League.
Forest will be tough, as already stated I suspect Mr Hughton will be ecstatic with a point…..but if we score first I think all will be well (he’ll probably be happy to defend deep for just a 1 – 0 defeat).
2 wins from the next 2 games and we can all rave on and not fade away towards the end of the season. And, oh boy, the sooner it doesn’t matter anymore, the sooner we’ll be crowned champions.
Game/season management rules, OK??
O T B C
Hi John
This incarnation of Norwich City don’t appear to have *ACN* moments. No mate they don’t – you’re quite right.
Forest will not be easy, of course it won’t, but they’ve lost their best defender as in Joe Worrall and as we all know how Chris Hughton will set up you can bet your gonads that Daniel Farke will know it too.
I enjoy NCFC Numbers as well – there’s always a stat I hadn’t realised or a blast from the past that I’d long forgotten about.
Although I’m a hard rock/metal/post punk/stoner fan I’ve never forgotten Buddy Holly and I’m so glad folks like yourself appreciate him too. I find that refreshing.
Cheers
As a glass half empty sort at 13.00 I was feeling the end was nigh! Much ?improved somewhat in the next 45.
Should we manage to score 3 in one of the final 10 May I suggest one of Buddy’s finest “Oh Boy”
Try”Not fade away”
Great cover version by the Rolling Stones it could have been their first single or Nov also 1995 another version by the Grateful Dead
Ole big ‘ead here reckons the Stones first single was a version of Chuck Berry’s Come On. It wasn’t a hit I don’t think.
Come on Gerry, we’re not Leeds!
If we’re going musical, can I suggest “We’ve gotta get out of this league (sorry, place)” by the best group ever?
I thoroughly enjoyed the game, and never doubted that we’d come back from the early goal. My wife was reading every comment on the Pink’un forum and Wrath of the Barclay, while I got on with watching the match. I can’t understand the comment on Look East tonight, when they said we came back in the second half after struggling in the first half. We didn’t have a great first ten minutes, but after that we were always in control, and it was just going to be a matter of time. Tim Krul won’t have many quieter games.
Hi Jim
The Look East [and indeed ITV] sporting recaps are often just scripted for the presenter by one of the backroom bods so it’s not unusual for the odd anomaly to crop up from time to time.
I think Krul spent most of the match patrolling the no man’s land between the edge of his *D* and the halfway line 🙂
Cheers
Hi Gerry
We won’t fade away – not even if the early Stones could provide the backdrop.
Music such as Buddy Holly’s was so influential for 60s bands, as were Bluesmen such as Muddy Waters or Howlin’ Wolf – or even Robert Johnson if you go back far enough.
I had no idea if I’d get any positive comments on the Buddy reference but it really pleases me that I did. Maybe with three games left I’ll choose something by Eddie Cochran – you’ll know which one I mean and it ain’t Twenty Flight Rock 🙂
Thanks a lot.
Hi Martin
Just read your article excellent read now I can relax.
I think Toney needs to get real his comments where hopefully tongue in cheek but then like all the teams chasing city will be hoping for us to crash big time.
I will say all things are possible but it looks like we are assured of a playoff place my Sheff Wed supporting in laws text me and said I should remember a Sheffield lad who had a hit in the 60’s call Fire and they were The Crazy World of Arthur Brown and we are i the middle of a Crazy World at present.
Forest is on the Sky Red Button and city when on TV seem to get off to a slow start and with a Chris Houghton team that could be a bad thing if they score early it will be an 11 man defence.
Cricket 🏏 at 1-30pm tomorrow and the next 3 T20 and 4 ODI are all being played behind closed doors, can we win this one.
Hi Alex
I’m not sure I can relax just yet – not with Forest tomorrow and Blackburn on Saturday!
We’re not going to crash. Maybe those aboard Farke Airlines might suffer a little turbulence on the final approaches but probably nothing worse than that.
I was only about 12 at the time so obviously can’t say this is true for sure but a mate assures me that Arthur Brown accidentally set fire to the stage curtains at West Runton Pavilion with his flaming head-dress and most folks thought it was part of the act!
Cheers
Nice article, Martin.
It would be interesting to be a fly on the dressing room wall for DF’s half time talks. Whatever he said and however he delivered it the result was a totally different half of football. We pressed higher, we eliminated mistakes, our passing was more precise and crisper. We showed that we were the better team.
Apparently playing against the current bottom 4 we have won 8 times. We have eliminated the Along Come Norwich results. When we went up to the Premier League under Lambert we took 12 points off the two teams that came up with us. That is a third of the points (roughly) you need to stay up. If we truly have eliminated the ACN results then maybe just maybe we have a chance next season.
We have the quality to unpick even a Hughton defence. Our 12 away wins is the best in the EFL this season. So I am optimistic that we can claim another win. I think Blackburn could be a tough game as they have been doing well recently without getting some of the results they deserve.
I would take 4 more points prior to the international break. I will be crossing my fingers that our international contingent get back without any injuries and without catching Covid.
Hi Colin
* I will be crossing my fingers that our international contingent get back without any injuries and without catching Covid* resonates with me.
Plus Preston’s on the Friday night and at least Max and Skippy [England under 21s] won’t be back until the early hours of Thursday morning. I don’t know the rest of the schedules.
Rumour has it the Club tried to get Preston pushed back but the EFL weren’t having any of it. I don’t know the truth of that but it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest.
I could be wrong but I reckon weve got more internationals than Brentford, Swansea and Watford put together. Should we be punished for it? Thanks for reminding me – there could be a column on that very topic next week!
Cheers
Morning Martin.
Smashing summary of the game, as ever.
I almost emailed you on Sunday evening, as I was listening to AC DC ‘Thunderstruck’ and thought it might be an apt song for your article given those two thundercracker strikes!
Am in the midst of a short term house move due to a renovation – boxes everywhere!
All the best
Hi Martin
You’re not one for enjoying the quiet life – what with your work and the move!
There’s nowt wrong with a bit of AC/DC 🙂
Top piece and even better theme. For me, the ultimate track has to be (I Guess) It Doesn’t Matter Any More, which was No 1 posthumously in summer 1959. The sad day of the crash was my birthday. I was now a teenager and still bouncing from that 3rd round FA Cup game when we beat Manyoo three nil. Tickets came free from my mum’s relatives in Manchester who CBA to schlep all the way to Norfolk for a sure thing easy win. That’ll Be The Day …
Hi Roger
I only became aware of Buddy Holly through my dad [I was born 1957] and forgot all about him as I got into Sabbath, Zeppelin, etc.
But one day much later on one of my mate’s mums took off Hawkwind or whatever we were listening to and put on an album of Buddy’s greatest hits to show us teenage longhairs *what real music is*.
It was an education for all of us, maybe more for the others than me but we all loved it.
Such a shame he went the way he did and when he did. There was so much to come.
Thanks very much.
Martin,
He created so many amazing tracks which laid lay the foundations of so much that we know and enjoy even today……and all in about 18 months
O T B C
Yeah, for sure.
As I’ve said before he left one heck of a legacy that many hardcore rockers like myself continue to appreciate.
I can’t believe what a positive reaction I got with that selection tbh. If we d*ck Forest tomorrow I’ll come up with something else but whatever it might be it will get less notice than the Buddy Holly one 🙂
It was , but a drama, of Shakespearian tone, the angles of the east convening in the land of boycott.
An early skirmish or so it seemed doth end with unfair play and leadeth to the boycottians to gain ascendancy. Lo, they did prevail unto the half.
In darkness ,the leader of the angles, farke, did so inspire his men that through the northern prince didst they attain equality only for the least of local men to prevail off the wrongest foot as thus was the battle won .
Hi Beowulf [I mean Bernie]
I once had to do some research that involved the Anglo Saxon Chronicle and that reminded me of the modern English text that ran alongside the original!
We even persuaded the Viking contingent of Sorensen, Pukki, Nyland, and Tettey to take up arms on our behalf.
I hope you had a cup of mead to celebrate.
Cheers