If Norwich City are to yo-yo their way back into The Premier League next season they must return as a more resilient beast.

Dean Smith has often talked about changing the mentality within his squad. Their previous two doomed top flight campaigns were blighted by a soft underbelly that left them far too easy to play against and score past.

It’s not easy to assess how much progress is being made in that department. The Championship can’t adequately replicate what it’s like to play against Mo Salah, Harry Kane or the incredible Erling Haaland who appears to be what happens when Soccerbot comes to life.

There was some encouragement on offer at Bloomfield Road on Saturday. The going definitely got tough. Norwich City were 1-0 up in the fourth minute of stoppage time and Blackpool were lining up a long throw-in. The wind was gusting around the ground and one of those seaside showers, the sort where the rain seems to be blowing in from all directions at the same time and is like being stuck in a washing machine during a cold rinse, was in full swing.

There can’t have been a Norwich City supporter inside the ground who didn’t have a sinking feeling about what was likely to occur. Sure enough the ball was propelled towards Tim Krul’s goal but the seemingly inevitable didn’t happen. The Canaries cleared the ball away with the minimum of fuss and it wasn’t long before the final whistle blew on their seventh win in eight Championship games.

There was a sense of relief as well as celebration among the Norwich City fans. I can say that with some confidence because at Blackpool we had the good fortune to be commentating from almost in amongst the Canaries supporters.

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One of the downsides of watching football from the commentary box (and there really aren’t many, I know how lucky I am) is the enforced distance from the most important people in the ground.

Anyone who is fortunate enough to work around football must never lose their sense of wonder. Before it became a job we were all supporters and a day like Saturday provided a welcome opportunity to remember what it’s like to watch a match with fellow fans.

More than 1,700 Norwich supporters made that long trip at the weekend. What makes so many people take on such a journey at a time when finances are so tight? It’s because being part that travelling ‘Yellow Army’ is such good fun, regardless of what’s happening on the pitch.

Very few go to display their astute tactical knowledge, that’s for the serious ex-pros on the TV sofas. An away day from a fan’s perspective is about a sense of togetherness, being part of a big community and escaping the stresses of real life.

This was best illustrated when the flow of my commentary during a tense first half spell was disrupted when an inflatable beach ball bounced off the desk in front of me. I have a suspicion that us squares in the press seats were being used as target practice by the City supporters. It’s great when your team wins and it is disappointing when they lose but that doesn’t mean the 90 minutes has to be the entire focus of your day.

The bond between players and fans is now healing after lockdown was followed by an underwhelming Premier League campaign. I’m now more familiar with the lyrics to some of the latest hits from the City songbook. As witty as they may be, very few of them are broadcastable.

The mutual appreciation between players and fans at full-time as they saluted each other was also a joy to be swept up in.

The mood was only briefly dampened by the realisation that it was now the turn of the supporters to file out of the stand and into the swirling, pouring rain. It all added to the legend of a good football road trip. A waterproof attitude comes in handy when you dedicate your weekend to following Norwich City. Perhaps we all need to be toughened up in time for the next shot at The Premier League, whenever that may be.


'A nice young man'

There is no getting away from the relentless passage of time.

There are occasions when it all just catches up with you.

We had one such experience during BBC Radio Norfolk’s post-match Canary Call show on Saturday. Presenter Rob Butler and former City winger Mark Rivers were in full flow with the reaction to a hard-earned victory at Blackpool. I returned to the Press Box with an interview I had just recorded with on loan midfielder Aaron Ramsey.

As it played out on the radio the three of us all agreed that he seemed like ‘a nice young man’. It’s one of those phrases that it’s impossible to utter without feeling like a character from Last of the Summer Wine.

Ramsey has been one of Norwich City’s best players over the last month or so. He arrived on loan from Aston Villa with very little fanfare during the summer. Anyone who assumed that he might have been Dean Smith’s teacher’s pet from his former club has been proved wrong.

At just 19-years old he’s forced his way into the team ahead of others who have much bigger Championship and Canary reputations. He was born in January 2003 which is when Mark Rivers was a key member of Nigel Worthington’s first team. It really doesn’t seem that long ago.

There is no guarantee that potential at the age of 19 will flourish into a fruitful career but Aaron Ramsey seems to have all the attributes. The way he handled his first set of post-match interviews since joining the club suggested a maturity and attitude to match his ability on the field.

It was only while we were packing up our broadcast equipment after the show that we realised Mark Rivers was wearing a woolly hat with a hint of green to it. That must make him our version of Compo. Rob and I were left to fight it out over the roles of Clegg and Foggy.

There was plenty of time to discuss that as we travelled back to Norfolk on Saturday night, downhill in a bathtub.