The events of that thrilling afternoon have left us in an incredibly strong position to bounce back to the big-time. But we mustn’t get ahead of ourselves, and I’m sure Kieran McKenna will make sure his players don’t count their chickens.
That long-awaited victory at Norwich really was a McKenna masterclass. He got every big call absolutely spot on.
Ben Johnson was a surprise starter on the right wing – and it worked perfectly (Image: PA)
I don’t suppose I was the only Town fan who was perplexed to see Ben Johnson lining up on the right. Nothing against Johnson – he’s done a great job at left-back in the absence of Leif Davis. It just seemed overly cautious and defensive. But what do I know? It worked a treat.
McKenna also learned a huge lesson from our defeat at Norwich two years ago, in one of the limpest displays in our thrilling promotion season.
Back then, McKenna tried to treat the derby as “just another game.” That was a mistake, and our display was lacklustre in the extreme. This time he rightly treated the game as a huge, emotional one-off occasion, the players showed real passion and more than matched Norwich in terms of intensity.
The celebrations from the team after the game showed how much the victory meant. Of course the three points were huge in terms of the promotion push, but winning at the home of our rivals was equally sweet. Our last victory there was the Danny Haynes “handball” game in 2006. An eternity ago!
Terry enjoyed Marcelino Nunez’s cameo at Carrow Road (Image: PA)
In purely technical terms, it wasn’t a great spectacle, but it had everything else you want from a local derby. We even had the panto villain cameo from Marcelino Núñez.
For me, McKenna handled the appearance of the former Canary perfectly. If he’d started, I think we all know the most likely outcome. So to hold him back, and to make his introduction a big moment, was brilliant thinking.
It certainly distracted the Norwich players. At a time when they should have been trying to get back in the game, they just focused on winding up their former team-mate, trying to get him sent off. In other words, they lost the plot.
Lots of people are saying Núñez deserved a red card, but I beg to differ. Not for the only time in the game, the referee made a rod for his own back. Was Nunez’s first yellow card really warranted, or was it because of the ridiculous over-reaction of the Norwich players?
At the end of the day, I think Nunez’s controversial and slightly bizarre cameo has further endeared him to Town supporters, and has enhanced his status as a real cult hero.
Talking of the ref, was it really a game of ten yellow cards? He backed himself into a corner by flashing his cards too early and too often. I was amazed no-one saw red in the second half.
Terry says Kieran McKenna got everything right on derby day (Image: Ross Halls)
He also did us a huge favour with a pretty soft penalty. Thank goodness there’s no VAR. Yes it was lucky, but who cares? We’ve had plenty of decisions going against us.
The big Town heroes were our central defenders, Dara O’Shea and Jacob Greaves. They repelled wave after wave of Norwich attacks, making sure that Christian Walton enjoyed a relatively untroubled afternoon. The home team dominated the ball, but created very little clear cut.
Statistically, we have the best defence in the division, a fact that seems to be overlooked. It’s the foundation for a promotion campaign.
So, six games to go, starting with the trip to Portsmouth on Tuesday. Be honest – did you work out how many points we need after Saturday? You probably know it’s ten to guarantee promotion. Ten points from six games…
But I’m doing what I mustn’t do – getting ahead of myself. One game at a time. I know it’s the oldest footballing cliche, but it’s true!