Norwich can't start becoming badly drawn boys

Norwich v Leeds today and what a game.
Indeed it was such a big deal for me that last night I couldn’t actually sleep. Seriously, it felt like Christmas Day and it was only November and Leeds.
God imagine what it would be like if there was an actual local derby or something!
My over excitement started last weekend when I was in Turin in the Olympic Stadium waiting for the Serie A clash between Juventus and Roma to start.
I sat in the lovely ground with about half an hour to go waiting for texts to come through with Gordon with an update to the score from the Madejski Stadium. Although part of me was waiting with anticipation for the Serie A clash,a big part of me was wishing I could watch the Reading v Norwich clash.
Since returning to England on Monday, I really couldn’t wait to welcome Leeds to Carrow Road. Given what happened last season and the fact we took the League One title from them gave the clash extra needle – and arriving in a foggy Norfolk a few hours before kick off really gave the game an extra edge.
This winter is going to make or break our season – and this was to be one of those games played in the murky, cold grey Norfolk autumn that could prove crucial to our hopes of making the play-offs.
City’s one big change was the return of Andrew Surman who took the place of the injured Korey Smith but, to be honest, he looked way off the pace. Simon Lappin filled in at left back in place of Steven Smith who had recently been playing instead of Adam Drury.
City started well enough, but within five minutes, Leeds were clearly here to play. Robert Snodgrass and Max Gradel ran the show for the entire first half. Snodgrass had so much time on the ball and Gradel gave Russell Martin a torrid time down the left.
Indeed it was no surprise when Gradel netted the opener after just a quarter of an hour. It looked like a repeat of the Burnley game, but thankfully, Leeds failed to build on their lead and Norwich started to get back into the game as the half-time break neared.
Gradel reminded me alot of Martin Paterson in the Burnley game. Not the most obvious comparison, but both have pace to burn and frightened the life out of our defence. As good as City have been at the back on occasions this season, players blessed with pace are always going to have a field day.
When Grant Holt hit the post with a header five minutes after the restart I really thought it was going to be one of those games. But credit to Paul Lambert. Wes Hoolahan and Simeon Jackson came on for the last half an hour or so and gave City just what they needed.
Thankfully we have the resources to have players of this ilk on the bench now and Hoolahan tore the Leeds midfield apart.
The pint-sized number 14 was instrumental in creating all the chances that could have given City something out of the game and, although he didn’t score himself it was his super skills that helped City back into the game with Leon Barnett heading home his first goal for The Canaries.
Norwich looked for that winning goal for most of the last quarter of the game, but despite constant pressure, I don't recall Kaspar Schmeichel actually having that much to do between the sticks.
So, the spoils were shared in a 1-1 draw and Norwich have now drawn four games in a row. Since beating Bristol City away at the start of October they’ve just the win at home to Middlesbrough to their name, which, if the Championship wasn’t so tight, would be a bit of a disaster.
But November has to spawn a win – a draw at home to Ipswich next Sunday would be a poor result. If we’re to do anything this season, we’ve got to get the win over an Ipswich side who lost again today.
I'd hate to look back on November 2010 in six months time and see that it was those five successive draws that cost us a place in the play-offs.
Roy Keane’s side have been nothing special this season and as we can’t cave in and fail to beat a side who routinely lose to far worse sides.
A win against Ipswich, something from the trip to Derby and a home win against Portsmouth are vital for us now.
We've got the players, we've got the boss, we've just got to start picking up those three points again.