Peter Steward

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Norwich City Blog Entry No 8

Well don’t say you weren’t warned. I said in my last blog that I would get all nostalgic and so here we go with my early memories of supporting the Canaries.

I first started supporting Norwich City during their famous cup run of 1959, at which time I was just seven years of age.

It was shortly after this time that I began to spend alternate Saturdays at Carrow Road watching the Canaries in the second division (that’s what the Championship used to be called).

During my time at the Norwich School I was a fanatical supporter, attending all the home games. It was not until I left school, however, and went to journalism college at Harlow in Essex that I began to travel to a number of away games as well.

This wandering co-incided with what can justifiably be claimed as City's greatest ever season - that of 1971/72.

Many would argue that subsequent games in Europe and seasons when the Canaries flew high in the top league eclipsed 1971/72, but I do not agree.

There was a wonderful magic about that season when the side won the second division championship and went into the old first division for the first time ever. It was probably just and atmosphere thing.

I still have vivid memories of that season as it built to a crescendo.

Looking back well over 30 years later it is hard to see how a team without any great stars could have done so well. It was all a matter of teamwork and the discipline of manager Ron Saunders who will forever be remembered for his granite jaw and demanding training schedules which saw the players forced almost to breaking point.

Stories abounded of players having to run up hills at Mousehold with weights attached to their legs and often being physically sick.

That team spirit shone through, however. I will never forget the determination during the 2-1 win at Orient which assured them of promotion. The goals by Ken Foggo and Graham Paddon have been obscured by the mists of time. What I remember is the frantic defending in the last 10 minutes as City desperately clung on to that lead. It was epitomised by full back Alan Black who received the biggest cheer of the evening from the Norwich fans when he blasted the ball clear of the stand with just seconds remaining. That was how determined they all were.

After the game there was an impromptu street party down Brisbane Road as Norwich fans celebrated.

Another fascinating fact about that season was the fanatical support which regularly saw home gates top the 30,000 mark and which peaked on April 4th when 35,076 attended the game against Bristol City. That support continues today as is evidenced by a full Carrow Road for virtually every game.

Those were the days of heady attendance figures all round. Almost 41,000 crammed into St Andrew's when City lost 4-0 to Birmingham.

There was little hint of what was to become at the start of that season, however, when gates for the early matches hovered between 11 and 13,000 and there were calls for chairman Geoffrey Watling to resign.

But those calls became nothing stronger than whispers as Norwich began to rack up the points with eight wins and five draws before their first defeat, away at Millwall.

Of all the matches that season the away trips to Millwall and Orient are freshest in my mind. The Den was a cold, unwelcoming place as the two top teams clashed on October 22nd, 1971.

City were unbeaten and Millwall had lost just once - to Middlesbrough the previous week. It was a tough game with Dave Stringer giving Millwall the lead with an own goal only for Peter Silvester to equalise. Millwall won the game with a second half Barry Kitchener strike and it felt as if the world was crumbling.

Millwall was an intimidating place in days when soccer violence could rear its ugly head almost at will. I can remember fights breaking out on the terraces and the announcer being almost in tears as he asked for peace.

"Please stop fighting. I love this club and you are destroying it" were his choked words. I can still remember them vividly today.

I found it difficult to return to college on the Monday as one of my classmates was a very keen Millwall fan. I know that he still is as we spoke a few years ago.

After that game the Canaries went seven more matches without defeat - a figure matched by Millwall. By the turn of the year things were getting very interesting.

City never scored many goals - just 60 from 42 games but they conceded well under a goal a game. Gradually Birmingham and Queen's Park Rangers began to challenge for the title. Indeed Birmingham finished the season with 12 wins and six draws in their last 18 matches and that included a 4-0 win over Norwich at St. Andrew's.

It shows how good that Norwich unit were as a team when you look at some of the outstanding players in the Birmingham ranks. They included Trevor Francis and Bob Latchford.

Defeat for Millwall at Burnley on April 22nd meant that Norwich needed a win against Orient on April 24th to secure promotion. As already mentioned they clung to a precarious lead.

I was unable to make the final game of the season at Watford due to what I felt was a crummy trip with British Rail as part of our college course. I seem to remember one of the officials complaining about the behaviour of some of our course and ironically the rail trip went to Birmingham, just about the last place I wanted to be on this particular day.

I remember seeing some Norwich fans bedecked in club colours in a loo at Waterloo and wondering whether to attach myself with them and pretend that I was lost.

In the end I went to Birmingham and Norwich struggled for a point which nevertheless was good enough to give them the title. This time Dave Strnger scored at the right end in the 1-1 draw. It was something of an anti-climax as Watford finished bottom of the division by a clear 14 points and took less points than any other club in the four divisions.

In addition City got to the fifth round of the League Cup before losing 0-1 at Carrow Road to Chelsea. They were knocked out of the FA Cup by Hull in the third round.

None of that could detract from a wonderful season so full of memories. And that is simply why I would rate that season above any other – even the forays into Europe/ You just had to be there to really appreciate it.