The polls have now closed. Don’t worry, you haven’t missed election night. The deadline to vote for Norwich City’s Player of the Season has now passed.

If you didn’t get your yellow and green ballot paper in by Monday night you missed your chance. As a true BBC man, I have to be very careful about commenting on public votes. There’s nothing specifically in the staff guidelines about the Barry Butler Memorial Trophy, but I now feel safe to express my opinion. I just need to decide what that opinion actually is.

On Saturday morning, my mind was made up. It had to be Josh Sargent. The panic that erupted within the Canary community when the news emerged that City’s top scorer ‘could be a doubt’ for the trip to Preston underlined his importance. Not since David Beckham’s metatarsal has there been such focus on a single footballer’s medical condition. Had Uri Geller been a Norwich fan he would have had us all touching pictures of Josh Sargent’s quad to will him back to fitness.

The American international has scored 15 goals in 23 league games. He’s averaged a goal every 107 minutes on the pitch this season. It’s a remarkable ratio. Another tick in his box is the illustration as to what happens when he’s not able to play. The injury that kept him out for four months between late August and the end of December underlined how vital he is to David Wagner’s game plan. With Sargent in the team or on as a sub this season, City’s record is W14 D5 L3 in all competitions. Without him, they have W10 D4 L13. When he’s played, Norwich City have won 64pc of their games and when he hasn’t the win percentage drops to 37pc.

Compare that to one of the other main Player of the Season contenders, Jonathan Rowe. He returned as a substitute against Preston with an impressive cameo off the bench. The winger has been the club’s breakthrough star and deserves all the plaudits that have come his way, including a nomination for the Championship Young Player of the Year. However, when he missed 11 matches through injury recently, Norwich lost only twice and won seven times.

That was enough for me to sharpen my pencil and get ready to do something that Jack Stacey has done so well recently, put a cross in the box for Josh Sargent.

Then Preston happened. Gabriel Sara turned Deepdale into his dance floor. His winning goal was worthy of Strictly’s famous glitterball trophy if not the Barry Butler. Perhaps the Norwich City Player of the Year isn’t really about facts, figures and stats that us commentators love so much.

An award voted for by supporters should be mainly vibe based. It ought to go to someone who has got you off your seat and provided the most memorable moments. That’s why Sara won it last year. 

Then again, football fans don’t like to be predictable. Remember 2003-04 when Nigel Worthington’s Norwich City stormed to the title and returned to the Premier League for the first time in almost a decade?  It was the year that Darren Huckerby arrived and arguably made the biggest immediate impact of any Canary signing in living memory. He transformed a solid team into league winners. However, it was one of the stalwarts, defender Craig Fleming, who picked up the 2004 Barry Butler Trophy.

If it’s a great servant you’re looking for then what about Kenny McLean? He’s started all 43 league games and been influential as a midfielder, a centre back and a captain. We don’t know how this Canary team would do without him because they never have had to find out. He has had a storming season, even minus the goal scoring exploits of those mentioned above.

This year’s winner? It should be Sargent. Or maybe Gabriel Sara. Then again Jonny Rowe and Kenny McLean have been superb. I’ve just remembered some of those vital Angus Gunn saves too. Commenting on public votes is hard.

So many contenders can only be a positive sign. It’s almost as if football is a team game and not about individual glory after all. Perhaps the most memorable moment of this season is yet to happen.

Has football ever made you cry?

The first and (I think only) time for me was the 1992 FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough. Top flight Norwich City beaten 1-0 by Sunderland, who played a division lower.

It was the year that this nearly 10-year old felt certain he was going to see his team play at Wembley. What a useful life lesson that turned out to be. They did get there in the end, but I was 33 and a commentator by the time they did.

Those painful memories have come flooding back this week. John Polston, who played in defence for Norwich in that semi-final, is selling his shirt from the game.

At the time of writing the top bid is at just over £2,000. I’m not sure what’s most surprising, that Polston had kept something that can’t bring back many good memories for 30 years or that someone, presumably a City fan, wants it so badly.

Maybe it’s a fashion thing. That early 1990s Asics strip is a thing of beauty. I still have my replica shirt from that era. I wondered whether I was perhaps sitting on something that would be worth a few quid. Then I remembered that I was 10 at the time. No 10-year old is going to be interested in buying that or have the disposal income to pay the Polston dollar.

The foresight to purchase an adult-sized shirt to grow into was sadly lacking. Another life lesson harshly handed out by Norwich City.