It felt, at the time, like a season full of promise was petering out. After an impressive autumn, Norwich were tenth in the Nationwide Division 1, had just lost 1-0 at home to Birmingham in front of a paltry 18,258, and had seven games to go. Four days later, just 16,000 Carrow Road regulars groaned as Iffy Onoura put Gillingham ahead. The flip-flops were well and truly out on the Costa Del Colney.
No-one really knows what happened at half-time on March 19, 2002. Perhaps Nigel Worthington desperately played his favourite motivational videos once again. What happened next, however, was a faintly magical journey that ended with Norwich in the Playoff Final at the Millennium Stadium. It began with two relatively unheralded goals in 20 minutes from Clint Easton and Darren Kenton.
As Norwich contemplate the playoffs for the first time in 13 years – and given that Read Norwich is (rightly and encouragingly) a forum for a new generation of football writers – for many of you the playoffs of 2002 will probably be a dim and distant memory of early childhood. It does not do your elderly correspondent any favours to recall that there was distinct excitement when someone on the packed away end at Barnsley (of which, more later) got out an intriguing, brand new music player called an “iPod” at half-time, to great interest.
This time, the differences are marked – and not just because we’ll be checking the time (and heartrates) on Apple Watches. It’s worth remembering that in 2002, Norwich hadn’t been anywhere near the Premier League for seven years. So there was a sense of real, disbelieving joy (which, as we still pick at the scab of the Hughton/Adams era, is probably missing in 2015) as Worthington’s men began to rack up the victories needed to creep in to the playoffs.
The Green-Mackay-Fleming-Drury defensive combination was miserly and dependable, Palace and Bradford were beaten and automatic promotion contenders Wolves shut out for a valuable point. A Rotherham-in-2015-style late equaliser by Grimsby was a seemingly knock-out blow, but after dispatching Barnsley in front of 4,000 travelling fans, City knew that on the final day they had to better Burnley’s result to get into the playoffs.
When you need a win by as many goals as possible and the opposition goalkeeper gets sent off after 42 seconds, you tend to feel as if destiny might be on your side. Norwich beat Stockport 2-0, Burnley could only put one past Coventry, and a titanic playoff semi-final with Wolves awaited.
All of which is a long-winded way of saying the main difference between 2002 and 2015 is that Norwich had genuine momentum 13 years ago. The Alex Neil renaissance has been incredible, full of moments of great drama, but it’s not just age which tells me “it was much better back then”. Neil has quite a task to get his clearly tired team to ‘go again’ for potentially another month, when for some time now the dream, the end-point, has been automatic promotion on May 2.
That’s why of all the potential minefields ahead, it may be better to face Ipswich or Derby rather than Brentford or, ironically, Wolves. Beware the pleased-just-to-be-there team who have snuck in to the mix on the final day. On the other hand, losing to Middlesbrough last week means it’s not as if the disappointment of having to settle for a play-off campaign will be raw for Norwich.
Of course, such amateur sports psychology ignores one key fact about 2002. Norwich didn’t actually win the final. It was heartbreaking stuff, a defeat on penalties after being 1-0 up (and don’t get me started on why we brought on Daryl Sutch for an attacker with nearly 20 minutes to go) the worst way to lose. Norwich can put that right, 13 years on – and a full 30 since our last Wembley outing (which, tragically, I am also old enough to remember fondly).
But first they have to get there. And you sense it’s a playoff semi-final that will need as much mental preparation as physical or tactical – though there will be many discussions about how to fit an on-form Hooper into the side in the weeks to come.
Anyway, if you don’t remember the 2002 campaign, take it from those who were in the thick of it back then: it’s great fun. There is nothing like the drama, the excitement, the occasion of being among friends and family as you watch your team not just competing in a major final, but battling to get there in the first place. It helps, also, if you win.
