The season in review (part 3)

At the beginning of January, we knew City were in a good position, but anything could change over 20 games remaining. 60 points to play for, more than enough to screw things up on a grand scale.

I looked at the fixtures remaining for both City and Ipswich.

They were bottom of the league on 20 points, more than enough to play to escape easily. But just three wins with 26 games gone, they needed at least 50 points to be safe, or ten wins. Meaning over three times of wins they had thus far managed, it already looked beyond them. It was. They would win just five or six games all season, and finished bottom.

Still, gotta laugh.

I thought they would win six more games, but when I looked at our fixtures, I just saw trouble everywhere, and thought we would win just four more.

How much more wrong could I be?

City began the year with two 1-1 draws, against Brentford and WBA, and sandwiched inbetween, another cup loss in the 3rd round, this time to Portsmouth. The two league games were against good teams, so although the draws meant we didn't go back top, but it kept us in though, and we would not have to play them again, two more games down.

Norwich were now on TV more often than they were not; another televised game was when City demolish Birmingham 3-1 on Friday night, with all the goals coming in the first 25 minutes, with City setting of like an express train, something they did time and time again. They did that, or scored late goals to win or grab a draw.

It was all wonderful stuff.

Next up at Carrow Road turned up to be the battle of the two teams that got promoted automatically, though we didn't know that at the time. And in a great game, City take the lead twice, only to be pegged back twice, so it ended 2-2, but another game down.

All through the season, or the second half of it anyways, I was saying, lets get the next game out of the way, and see where we are. We were still up in the top three.

Next up was Leeds.

Leeds fans were fired up. Again, about something or the other, and promised a warm welcome to Norwich. In the end, Norwich made themselves right at home, and were heading for a 3-0 win until the home side got a late consolation. We would be top pretty much until the end of the season, and the game saw the first chorus of Leeds, falling apart, again.

So, Norwich putting a marker down there, and next up; the old enemy, relegation-threatened Ipswich. Surely they wouldn't roll over?

And Ipswich, now managed by former City coach and legend, Paul Lambert. A recipe for a classic?

City took the lead in the 80th second, and seemed to be cruising, in fact it was a low key affair, until a strong challenge in front of the Norwich bench, saw a huge reaction from both sets of coaches, and one from the City bench sent off. And Paul Lambert from the Town one.

All hell was let loose.

But in the second, Norwich scored two more goals, and cruised to a simple win, but that meant another match down, and another three points nearer promotion. We hoped.

City then went to Preston for another televised game, and were all out of sorts. I paid to watch it through the club website, and although City looked good in flashes, it was like an engine only firing on three cylinders. City lost 3-1, and that seeemd to be a huge setback, coming after a fine run of results.

But Norwich would not lose again that season, and so began the triumphant march into the promised land.

And we had pushed Ipswich nearer the trapdoor into League 1 too.