Norwich dodged a bullet today with a 4-2 home win over Sheffield United in a game that could and probably should have ended in a draw at the very best. Credit to City though who turned a 2-1 half-time defecit into a 4-2 victory in an exciting second half that more than made up for a dismal first 45.Whoever it is that decides the Man of the Match can’t have had too hard a job giving it to Wes Hoolahan, after all it was just a few seconds after he’s tapped home City’s fourth to end the growing Sheffield United pressure in the last 15 minutes or so of the game.
Somewhere in the world of football rules that don’t actually exist is the rule that means if you score a hat-trick you get the match ball and almost certainly get the man of the match award, but I am sure I am not the only Canary fan who tonight thinks it should have gone to Michael Nelson.
City’s number five had a superb afternoon in a makeshift defensive line – no Elliot Ward and no Leon Barnett meant starts for Nelson and Jens Berthel Askou and it wasn’t only Sheffield United that must have been rubbing their hands at the thought of facing that paring.
I gobbled up the scarcely believable even money on over 2.5 goals in this game before heading up to Norwich today and when I saw that pairing I was pretty confident my £200 would easily be doubled.
Betting on Norwich and watching them is not always easy. While I’d always prefer City to win above all else, cashing in on them is also a great feeling and after a woeful opening quarter of an hour I was gently pumping my arm in my Jarrold Stand seat after Andy Reid gave United the lead. Now the stage was set for a Norwich 2-1 win and a nice little festive win.
There’s something about Norwich this season, particularly at home that means they play much better when they’ve gone a goal behind. In some games – such as Leicester and Burnley they’ve needed to concede to come out and attack a team in their normal way and today was similar. Thankfully within two minutes of going a goal down, that man Nelson had headed home an easy goal and it was 1-1. Game on.
A word about Nelson then. This was the last game of 2010 and it’s been an amazing transition for Norwich. A year ago they were about to go on that fabulous January run of five straight wins which included that awesome 5-0 revenge thumping against Colchester.
I was at the first game of this year, the 1-0 win at Wycombe and so was Nelson. He had a bit of a stinker in that game and I can recall several occasions when Fraser Forster rolled the ball out to Nelson in the centre of defense and he looked up and just could not do anything with the ball. He just didn’t look like a footballer.
When Gary Doherty left in the summer and new recruits were signed in defence, most City fans probably thought that was Nelson’s lot, but credit to the man who scored some vital goals for City last term, he’s not put a foot wrong this term in his four league appearances and his goal was another really big one today.
Nelson’s goal all but guaranteed a winning punt for me but the payout came quicker than expected as within ten minutes of the equaliser, Richard Cresswell had found time and space in the box to slot past John Ruddy. Managerless Sheffield United were 2-1 up. I was £200 up.
I must have been the only City fan with a smile on their face at half-time, but thought naturally turned to how Norwich were going to get something out of the game. What had started as a three-man attack with Grant Holt, Chris Martin and Simeon Jackson changed at the interval to a two-man strikeforce – Jackson making way for Wes Hoolahan.
Did Hoolahan change the game? Well not really. There was little between the teams for much of the second half but a stumbling Grant Holt won Norwich a penalty, converted by Wes for 2-2 and then a handball in the box made it 3-2 with another penalty.
I felt sorry for Jackson again – he did little wrong, but you could argue he did little right. He certainly was no better or worse than Chris Martin who was hardly in the game in my opinion.
Still with four in midfield it gave City far more width and when Anthony McNamee came on that was really exploited. Our midfield has been immense this season, but today, Korey Smith apart, it was two pretty poor performances from David Fox and Andrew Crofts.
That Norwich won 4-2 does little but put a nice gloss on a good match but not the greatest City performance. Make no mistake, The Blades were in this game right until Hoolahan tapped home Holt’s pass deep into stoppage time. Seconds later it could and should have been 3-3 with Daniel Bogdanovic going close.
But the history books will show a 4-2 win with half-time sub Hoolahan scoring a Carrow Road hat-trick one month to the day that somebody else did against another team struggling near the bottom!
They’ll also show that on a day when Leeds and Cardiff threw away leads and points, Norwich end 2010 just a point off second place, albeit five places off the top.
Yes, we’re a point off second place and automatic promotion to the Premier League at the halfway point of the season. That’s us – Norwich City. Last year we were relegated from this division! Last year we were losing 7-1 at home to Colchester! This term we were supposed to struggle!
But no. We’ve got QPR and Cardiff at home in the next two home league games and I for one hope Michael Nelson plays and performs like a rock in both of them.
Happy New Year everyone – let’s hope the next six months at Norwich City are as great as the last six.
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