Norwich City interim boss Scott Emmerson was thrilled his side managed to "put on a show" for their supporters at Carrow Road on Monday evening as they thrashed Wroxham 6-0 in the final of the Norfolk Women's County Cup.
A narrow loss to Ashford Town on the final day of City's league season ended their ambition of completing an undefeated campaign but the Canaries put it behind them to secure some regional silverware for the second consecutive year.
Fifth tier Wroxham managed to restrict City to a single Natasha Snelling goal in the first half but the difference in quality really began to show thereafter as the Yachtswomen tired.
As well as Snelling, who headed in her second of the night after the break, Katie Knights, Hope Strauss and Ellie Smith also scored on a memorable night for City and Emmerson.
“It’s an amazing feeling," he said. "To do it under the floodlights at Carrow Road - what an amazing experience. It’s been brilliant tonight.
“The occasion is just fantastic. Obviously a different experience being in an away dressing room tonight, but the girls were brilliant.
“To be fair to the County FA, with the turnaround that we had, to get a thousand people in here with a week’s notice has been fantastic.
“It shows the support that all the players and the club have. They’ve been absolutely spot on and it’s been an appreciation for what they’ve done.
“We’ve tried to put on a show to finish our season off in style, and we definitely did that in the second half.
“It doesn’t matter about the opposition, it just needs them (City’s players) to trust and rely on each other.”
Wroxham manager Adam Race also offered his assessment on the match, declaring that he and his players would take a lot from the experience despite it ultimately ending in disappointment.
Race stated: "We showed what we were about in the first half. It's a shame we dropped off in the second but Norwich are a quality side as you can see from this season, picking up great results.
"When Norwich turn it on, they're a good outfit. So a hard one to take, but it's a good lesson for the girls going forward.
"They (Norwich) have already played here twice before this, and obviously last season as well. They're all really established, experienced players who are used to nights like this, and they adapt quicker.
"Although the scoreline wasn't flattering for us, I think we did ourselves proud against a really solid outfit."
With all of City Women's competitive matches for the season now complete, supporters will be intrigued to find out who is chosen to manage the team ahead of 2024/25, as Emmerson was only ever appointed on an interim basis.
When asked if he has applied for the vacant head coach role at the club, Emmerson said: “I can’t really comment on it.
“I want to say thank you to the club and Flo (Allen) for the opportunity, and for what they’ve given me.
“This is an amazing group and you can see it with the background staff as well. They’ve been absolutely amazing.
“I can’t thank everyone enough and what a way to finish. Whether it is the last game or not, we go from there, and the story may continue or it may not.”
One player whose City story on the pitch came to an end on Monday was the departing Anna Larkins, who the squad were especially determined to produce a positive display for, according to goalscorer Knights.
She said: “We really wanted to come here and put on a good performance tonight, score some goals, and finish on a high. And I think we did that.
“It was so important for us to get that win for Anna tonight after everything she’s done for the club.
“(It was) a lovely moment for her to come off and get that reception.”
Wroxham: Williams, Newcombe, Clarke, Cossey, Kett, Hodgson, Densley, Russell (c), Middleton, Alexander, Gambell. Subs: Connell, Bullard, Eagle, Robson, Copland.
Norwich City: Quantrill; Flye, Larkins (c), Strauss, Parker; Knights, Morran; Kennard, Smith, Hailes; Snelling. Subs: Daviss, Symonds, Tomlinson, Shaw, Pernet.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel