Derby day reminded Norwich City fans why they love football

Yes, I know I need to get over it. 

But hey, after the season we've had so far, surely we can be forgiven a little bit of chirpiness?

I've been thinking back to games in my 45 years or so as a Canaries' fan that I have enjoyed the most when the boys in yellow and green haven't won.

The dramatic 2-1 loss against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough in 1982 couldn't stop the amazing promotion back to the old Division One.

The draw in the Bayern Munich home game (which followed the famous win in the Olympic Stadium) remains one of the best atmospheres I've ever known at Carra.

The play-off semi final defeat at Wolves didn't prevent us reaching Cardiff in 2002 following the first leg victory.

Throw in that 4-4 unbelievable comeback draw against Middlesbrough, the 3-3 Christmas thriller against Nottingham Forest and another fantastic six goal draw against Liverpool in Steve Bruce's debut in 1984 when Mickey Channon levelled from the penalty spot.

I could go on - and I'm sure you will all have your favourites.

Also, these sorts of triumphs aren't necessarily just limited to big matches where cup progress or promotion or league points are at stake.

I met up with a couple of good mates and fellow Canary followers Steve Plunkett and Gary Hinchcliffe a few days ago.

Over a curry we fondly recalled playing in a five-a-side match in Dereham a little while back.

We are clearly all of a certain age and came up against a bunch of really cocky lads who were much less of a certain age.

They swaggered on and looked forward to running up a cricket score.

We refused to buckle, put every part of our creaking bodies on the line and kept a clean sheet to secure a momentous goalless draw.

Of course we always want to win games. Basically that's what football is all about.

But sometimes the joy of being a fan comes from beyond purely a victory.

And the goings on Portman Road (or we should say Portman Rowe-d) on Saturday very much fall into that category and will live long on the memory.

Let's be absolutely, abundantly, crystal clear.

Our noisy neighbours down the A140 were 100pc desperate to win.

I saw more than a few Town fans on social media before kick off saying it was the biggest derby in history. (They clearly have forgotten the little matter of a Milk Cup semi final and a play off tussle).

The scenes outside their ground before kick off were reminiscent of a club who had just won the Champions League, World Club final and the BBC Sports Personality Of The Year's team of the season.

Just another game? Mmmmmmmm.

Let's make no mistake about it, as we stand Ipswich are much better than we are.

The table makes is as clear as the nose on your face. There's a 21-point gap between the two teams.

Kieran McKenna is a cracking coach and one who big clubs will soon come hunting for.

The momentum the Tractor Boys have from last term is similar that we had under Paul Lambert during our back-to-back promotions.

And that is why the derby draw tasted so tasty.

Ed Sheeran's merry band of followers had been certain of winning by at least three goals.

Those flare-waving triumphalists who banged on the car window of an 82-year-old woman and yelled "scum" in her direction had only one outcome in mind.

And to be honest, plenty of us predicted the same (and thought the scoreline may be even more one-sided).

The home side should have been out of sight before our new derby day hero reacted quickest to throw water over the flares.

Once they levelled at 2-2 after Rowe had doubled his tally, they really should have gone on to end the long, long, long drought. But they didn't.

The 21-point gap remained. Ipswich still look a very good bet to go up. Questions remain about Norwich City and we may still be looking at a mid table finish.

However, for me the character which was shown in deepest Suffolk was tremendous. Defying the odds is so satisfying.

I'm sure I'm not alone in having doubted at times this season why I bother with football. The number of empty seats at lots of home matches proves that a large number of supporters have voted with their feet.

Days like Saturday are a sparkling reminder why we love the great game so much.

Could it really be a significant turning point?

The nine-day festive period starting with with the visit of the Terriers to NR1 this weekend will go along way to answering that question.

"14 years, 14 years, 14 years...."

OTBC. 

Well done ref

One man who I feel needs a mention after Saturday's game is referee Josh Smith.

Regular readers of this column will know I'm not always the biggest fan of match officials.

However, I thought the man in the middle was very good. He allowed the match to flow, wasn't fussy and didn't throw cards around like Father Christmas.

If he had pulled out some yellows early on, there could easily have been reds as the game went on and none of us really want to see that.

Derbies should be full of passion. Of course really bad foul play has to be punished. But fortunately common sense prevailed on the day.

Another refreshing thing was that with no VAR, the painful delays we would have had to endure after the goals didn't happen.

It's certainly one benefit of not being in the Premier League!

We're proud of Alfie!

Over its 70 year history, I can't remember too many Norwich City links at the BBC Sports Personality Of The Year.

In fact, I'm struggling to think of any (let me know if I've missed any).

That has changed this year with our very own Canary supporter Alfie Hewett, who did fantastically to be in the six finalists for the main award.

England women's 'keeper Mary Earps lifted the overall trophy - and I'm delighted for her.

However, the profile Alfie got by being in the top six was richly deserved and his time may yet come.

He has enjoyed a stunning 2023, winning seven singles tournaments including the Australian and US Opens, and only narrowly missing out on a third Grand Slam title at Wimbledon.

We're proud of you Alfie - and among City fans you'll always be one of us.