Three points. It’s hard to even start reviewing this game without describing how important those three points are. They are – of course – what’s at stake every game; the reward doesn’t change. However, these three points feel different than those three points that were won earlier in the season. It doesn’t signal a change in fortune, or that a resurgence could be on the horizon, but rather that Norwich can actually grind out a result. Not a performance to be remembered or lauded, nor a result to be desperately proud of, yet it evoked a huge sense of relief in Canaries’ fans all around the globe – not less the 1,000 fans in the away end at the DW Stadium.
The afternoon wasn’t filled with optimism. With the announcement of the rather unorthodox and defensive line-up, Norwich fans were queuing up to have their say and express their surprise and criticism of Adams’ tactics. I will hold my hands up and say I was one of those. Four central midfielders – with the exclusion of Redmond from the starting line-up – did not fill fans with hope. The back four was, again, criticised for the presence of Steven Whittaker at right back and Russell Martin at centre back. The absence of Turner was touched upon less due to his poor display against Reading, yet he had been a relatively strong and consistent performer before then. A debate on whether John Ruddy should be included occurred, but he produced a monumental display to keep a clean sheet – a fine triple save denied Wigan a late equaliser.
All voices of discontent were quickly silenced when, on five minutes, Ruddy’s long ball was collected by Hooper who laid the ball off for Jonny Howson to drill a low shot into the corner of Scott Carson’s net. It was the start Norwich needed, but the comparisons with the defeat to Nottingham Forest were soon to be drawn upon. The first half, Norwich dominated. There were fears that City would need another goal and the requests for them to kill the game off grew ever more frequent. Whether one goal be enough for three points was the conundrum Norwich fans would ask themselves again and again over the coming hour.
Thankfully, Adams seemed to have learnt from the Forest defeat and made changes in the second half. Lafferty and Murphy came on for Hooper and Jerome, with the pair doing a very good job of winding down time and doing their fair share of defensive work. The intelligence of Murphy to hold the ball up late on showed just how far the youngster has come this year. Wigan, however, had chances to level but the lack of cutting edge hindered their attempts. When they finally did get near the Norwich goal, they found themselves thwarted by Ruddy. Great praise must go to the Norwich ‘keeper, who has picked himself up after his horrifying performance last week to prove himself as Norwich’s first choice today. As well as Ruddy, Adams must accept praise. A far more direct Norwich carved out more chances than against Reading, although it did lead to a more hit-and-run approach. However, a win’s a win. At this point in Norwich’s season, with the run we were on, the way we were playing, nothing mattered more than a win. It may well have just kept Adams in his job for at least another week. Was it a perfect performance? No, far from it, but that doesn’t matter now.
Looking at that Wigan side and their performance, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were relegated – at the very least, they’ll be involved in a relegation scrap for months to come. Towards the end, Norwich fans were half-expecting a defensive mishap to give Wigan the equaliser, but it never materialised. That was the difference today; that was what had happened in previous weeks. There were not any individual errors that could have cost Norwich the game. The criticism towards Adams will not disappear overnight, as that is not how football works – in fact, it’ll be stronger than ever if Norwich lose next week. “Papering over the cracks,” is likely to be a much-used phrase in the coming days, with the comparisons towards Hughton grinding out a point or win here and there. What I would suggest is to enjoy the good. Enjoy this win; we haven’t had many lately.
