‘WELCOME to League One, welcome to League One’
I can still here that opening day Colchester chant ringing in my ears getting on for six months since the Carrow Road disaster that opened up our season.
That day was a surreal, unforgettable, unlikey to be repeated performance. I sat no more than ten rows away from the Colchester fans and had to sit and take almost 90 minutes of laughter, abuse and mockery.
Unlike two of our fans who decided to lob their season tickets at Bryan Gunn midway during the first half I took stock, soaked it up and told myself it would get a whole lot better.
Fair play to Colchester’s fans – I don’t doubt they thought their season could start any better – but for us Canary fans it was a massive wake up call. I often go to games with my dad but this time, for the first time in years, I took my mum as well.
“At least we saw some goals,” was her not-that comforting verbal arm around my shoulder at the final whistle. She’s not been invited back to a game since.
It was though, a time for collective mourning. We were all genuinely shell-shocked – it felt like we’d witnessed a genuine disaster.
“I’ve travelled all the way from Basingstoke to watch that rubbish,” one fan told me on the way out. I told him City would sort it out. That night they slipped form 5/1 second favourites for the title to 12/1 shots on Betfair. I backed them, convinced we would still go up as champions.
Since that day of course it all changed and, like it or not Colchester fans, you helped shaped our season. Without that stunning loss Bryan Gunn would have lingered on in a job that was certainly not in his make-up. Norwich would have stumbled and stuttered through the opening months like we stuttered and stumbled through the last months last season.
That 7-1 defeat has ultimately done us far more good than harm. We needed to get rid of our nice softly, softly attitude. Just like I needed to stop going to games with my mum, my team needed to get tough too.
We needed to install a scrapper. That opening day match got us that man in Paul Lambert.
I wonder, walking out of Carrow Road that day, how many Colchester fans thought that the team they had just condemned to the bottom of the table with a minus six goal difference would turn up at their place in January in an automatic promotion place, with six more points and the proud tag of leading goalscorers in the whole country.
So this is the re-match and a chance for revenge in the minds of Colchester. But, can a re-match be a re-match when the cast of characters has changed so much?
Just like the Queen weren’t really Queen with Paul Rodgers up front, the circumstances of this match are so far removed from the sticky August heat.
Not only is the weather likely to be a little different, of course both clubs have new managers. Only five of Gunn’s starting line-up that day have been first-team regulars this season – Adam Drury, Gary Doherty, Chris Martin, Grant Holt and Wes Hoolahan.
Our midfield is completely different with the guts and grit of Darel Russell and Korey Smith now complementing the creativity of Simon Lappin.
Pint-sized wizard Hoolahan has been the real star this season –although Holt has bagged the goals and Martin’s far improved.
On day one we had Aussie keeper Michael Theoklitos between the sticks and we all know what a great debut he had. He’s not played since. Lambert’s sured up our defence with the outstanding Fraster Forster in goal.
We’ve only lost twice in the league since Lambert took over and, after taking five points from our first four home games, we haven’t dropped a point since. Lambert’s made Carrow Road a fortress and that form alone will take us up.
So it’s a much different Norwich side in terms of confidence and attitude that’ll take on Colchester – though sadly I won’t be going.
Getting a ticket for a Colchester away game was usually quite easy but I won’t be there – I didn’t even try and get involved with the ballot we were forced into for tickets.
This whole ticket saga is petty and pathetic, but fair play to Colchester’s Alan Cowling. He’s only doing what he feels is right for his club. It’s ironic that Norwich will help sell out a 10,000-seater stadium for the first time as we’ve been selling out our 25,000 stadium every fortnight. I don’t doubt we could have taken 5,000 fans to Colchester.
I’ve happily followed the Canaries all over the country this season and have been at the last two away games – we took over 1,000 to Yeovil and over 2,000 to Wycombe – a fact not lost on Paul Lambert.
At the end of the 1-0 win at Adams Park, Lambert came over to us City fans and applauded us after a narrow win at one of his former stomping grounds. I don’t think he’ll be doing the same on Saturday – applauding the fans on the pitch, that is.
He’ll be the panto villain alright but it’s just another game. It’s nice to have a sub-plot of course as, I’m sure every City fan will tell you, we’ve been winning games quite easily lately. Even if we lose on Saturday I don’t doubt for one minute that we’ll make sure we have a proper East Anglian derby again next season.
When we play Leeds at Carrow Road on March 27 I am convinced that game will decide the title. With respect, yes, respect to Colchester, that’s our biggest game between now and May.
I can still here that opening day Colchester chant ringing in my ears getting on for six months since the Carrow Road disaster that opened up our season.
That day was a surreal, unforgettable, unlikey to be repeated performance. I sat no more than ten rows away from the Colchester fans and had to sit and take almost 90 minutes of laughter, abuse and mockery.
Unlike two of our fans who decided to lob their season tickets at Bryan Gunn midway during the first half I took stock, soaked it up and told myself it would get a whole lot better.
Fair play to Colchester’s fans – I don’t doubt they thought their season could start any better – but for us Canary fans it was a massive wake up call. I often go to games with my dad but this time, for the first time in years, I took my mum as well.
“At least we saw some goals,” was her not-that comforting verbal arm around my shoulder at the final whistle. She’s not been invited back to a game since.
It was though, a time for collective mourning. We were all genuinely shell-shocked – it felt like we’d witnessed a genuine disaster.
“I’ve travelled all the way from Basingstoke to watch that rubbish,” one fan told me on the way out. I told him City would sort it out. That night they slipped form 5/1 second favourites for the title to 12/1 shots on Betfair. I backed them, convinced we would still go up as champions.
Since that day of course it all changed and, like it or not Colchester fans, you helped shaped our season. Without that stunning loss Bryan Gunn would have lingered on in a job that was certainly not in his make-up. Norwich would have stumbled and stuttered through the opening months like we stuttered and stumbled through the last months last season.
That 7-1 defeat has ultimately done us far more good than harm. We needed to get rid of our nice softly, softly attitude. Just like I needed to stop going to games with my mum, my team needed to get tough too.
We needed to install a scrapper. That opening day match got us that man in Paul Lambert.
I wonder, walking out of Carrow Road that day, how many Colchester fans thought that the team they had just condemned to the bottom of the table with a minus six goal difference would turn up at their place in January in an automatic promotion place, with six more points and the proud tag of leading goalscorers in the whole country.
So this is the re-match and a chance for revenge in the minds of Colchester. But, can a re-match be a re-match when the cast of characters has changed so much?
Just like the Queen weren’t really Queen with Paul Rodgers up front, the circumstances of this match are so far removed from the sticky August heat.
Not only is the weather likely to be a little different, of course both clubs have new managers. Only five of Gunn’s starting line-up that day have been first-team regulars this season – Adam Drury, Gary Doherty, Chris Martin, Grant Holt and Wes Hoolahan.
Our midfield is completely different with the guts and grit of Darel Russell and Korey Smith now complementing the creativity of Simon Lappin.
Pint-sized wizard Hoolahan has been the real star this season –although Holt has bagged the goals and Martin’s far improved.
On day one we had Aussie keeper Michael Theoklitos between the sticks and we all know what a great debut he had. He’s not played since. Lambert’s sured up our defence with the outstanding Fraster Forster in goal.
We’ve only lost twice in the league since Lambert took over and, after taking five points from our first four home games, we haven’t dropped a point since. Lambert’s made Carrow Road a fortress and that form alone will take us up.
So it’s a much different Norwich side in terms of confidence and attitude that’ll take on Colchester – though sadly I won’t be going.
Getting a ticket for a Colchester away game was usually quite easy but I won’t be there – I didn’t even try and get involved with the ballot we were forced into for tickets.
This whole ticket saga is petty and pathetic, but fair play to Colchester’s Alan Cowling. He’s only doing what he feels is right for his club. It’s ironic that Norwich will help sell out a 10,000-seater stadium for the first time as we’ve been selling out our 25,000 stadium every fortnight. I don’t doubt we could have taken 5,000 fans to Colchester.
I’ve happily followed the Canaries all over the country this season and have been at the last two away games – we took over 1,000 to Yeovil and over 2,000 to Wycombe – a fact not lost on Paul Lambert.
At the end of the 1-0 win at Adams Park, Lambert came over to us City fans and applauded us after a narrow win at one of his former stomping grounds. I don’t think he’ll be doing the same on Saturday – applauding the fans on the pitch, that is.
He’ll be the panto villain alright but it’s just another game. It’s nice to have a sub-plot of course as, I’m sure every City fan will tell you, we’ve been winning games quite easily lately. Even if we lose on Saturday I don’t doubt for one minute that we’ll make sure we have a proper East Anglian derby again next season.
When we play Leeds at Carrow Road on March 27 I am convinced that game will decide the title. With respect, yes, respect to Colchester, that’s our biggest game between now and May.
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