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Pride of Anglia
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How City ended their nine-year wait
Norwich City's promotion campaign may have kicked off on a steaming hot August afternoon in Bradford but for most fans it started at the Colney training centre almost exactly a month later.
The opening weeks of the season had provided little hint of the drama to come, with the Canaries picking up a modest haul of seven points from five games, while making an all-too-familiar early exit from the League Cup.
City's squad had a commendably solid look to it, with summer signings Damien Francis and Marc Edworthy settling in well, but that little spark was missing and manager Nigel Worthington knew it.
He'd tried to bring in a 20-goal-a-season striker to Carrow Road during the summer, only for his search to end in frustrating failure, with the likes of Gareth Taylor, Rob Hulse and David Connolly all deciding their futures would be better served by moving elsewhere.
If that wasn't enough the City manager then lost the services of David Nielsen and Zema Abbey in the space of just three days, with the Dane opting to move back to his homeland for personal reasons and his strike partner picking up another serious knee injury.
Worthington had brought in Fulham reserve Elvis Hammond to boost his resources up front, but while the headlines 'Elvis spotted in Norwich' might have excited the supporters, the signing itself did little to lift morale after a particular low-key start to a ninth successive season in Division One.
As fans prepared themselves for an early 10-day break in the action following the 2-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest on August 30 there didn't appear to be too much to get excited about - until that is, City made a quite stunning announcement around lunchtime on Monday, September 8.
The signing of 6 ft 7in Aston Villa striker Peter Crouch on a three-month loan deal had been confirmed the previous week, and when the media were invited up to Colney it was assumed that they were merely being handed an opportunity to meet the tallest player in the club's history. But Worthington had a little trick up his sleeve and the whole course of the 2003-4 season took a dramatic twist as Darren Huckerby emerged from the dressing room to take part in an al-fresco press conference.
Suddenly Norwich had a potential match winner on the side, the sort of player with the ability to turn games with a burst of pace or a moment of brilliance. With a supremely gifted individual on board, skilful target man Crouch alongside him and two solid lines of four behind, the Canaries suddenly had the look of potential promotion challengers about them, with the acquisition of Portsmouth winger Kevin Harper later in the week merely adding to the feeling that the times they were a' changing.
Before looking at the impact made by the three Musketeers, it's only right to draw breath for a moment and praise Worthington for having the nous to bring three such talented individuals to Carrow Road and the City board for coughing up the cash to make it happen.
All three men dropped down from the Premeirship to try their luck in Norfolk, and had pay packets to match, with Huckerby in particular on the sort of money that had never been paid to a Norwich player before. It was a huge financial undertaking for a club who were to announce annual losses of over £4m later in the season, but the directors bit the bullet and made the money available and full credit to them for that.
I dare say the words "lack of the ambition" will crop up again some time in the future when describing the way the Norwich City do their business but for the time being at least that little jibe has been laid firmly to rest.
It didn't take the Canaries long to get a return on their investment of £400,000, the rumoured cost of bringing the new faces to Carrow Road for three months. City beat Burnley 2-0 in their opening game and by the time the trio had returned to their mother clubs the Canaries were threatening to claim top spot in Division One for the first time in five and a half years.
The financial gamble had paid off and, as far as Worthington was concerned, it was now time to take another one. He didn't follow up his interest in Harper, and was unable to acquire the services of the impressive Crouch on a season-long loan, but there was still Huckerby, who was unwanted at Manchester City and was desperate to make his move to Norwich a permanent one.
While Crouch and, to a lesser extent, Harper, had play their part in City's steady climb up the table, Huckerby was the undoubtedly star of a run which saw Worthington's lose just twice in 18 games. His huge impact was summed up in the final match of his loan spell against Cardiff when he turned in a quite superlative individual display to help the Canaries to a memorable 4-1 victory.
He had done the business for his temporary employers in spectacular fashion but there was one big problem. City had pushed themselves to the limit just to bring this high-earner to Carrow Road on loan. How could they possibly afford to bring him here permanently?
On the face of it the sums simply didn't add up. Kevin Keegan was likely to want in excess of £1m for a player who still had 18 months of his contract to run, while the man himself was earning around £1m a year at the Manchester City. It seemed as though Worthington was dreaming the impossible dream when he suggested he wanted to sign up the new fans' favourite on a full-time basis but, all the time, hard work was going behind the scenes.
With a new share issue bringing in some much needed cash, and all sides making one or two compromises, a deal was eventually struck and the second memorable unveiling of the season duly took place before City's Boxing clash with Nottingham Forest, with a beaming Huckerby saluting the fans alongside majority shareholders Delia Smith and Michael Wynn Jones. Delia admitted later that she shed a few tears that night. She was not alone.
By then Worthington already had two new strikers on board in the shape of Mathias Svensson and Leon McKenzie, with the latter scoring twice on his debut at Portman Road of all places to earn City a 2-0 victory that brought with it the leadership of Division One.
Could it possibly get any better we asked, as one of the sweetest victories against Ipswich Town in recent memory was swiftly followed by one of the most significant transfer swoops. The answer was an emphatic yes!
Since City's drop down to Division One a New Year has generally heralded a downturn in fortunes, but there was no slacking this time. True, the Canaries went three games without a win in January, with an FA Cup defeat at Everton followed by dropped points against Bradford City and Rotherham, but that turned out to be a mere blip.
A dramatic 4-4 draw at Millmoor was followed by three successive wins, including a pivotal 1-0 success over Sheffield United on January 31 that opened up a seven-point lead on the third-placed Blades and to be honest it was pretty much plain sailing after that.
With the three new strikers all finding the net on a regular basis, the Canaries were a joy to watch when they got into the opposition half, while at the back they rarely looked like conceding. Keeper Robert Green and the regular back four of Edworthy, Mackay, Fleming and Drury deserve a huge pat on the back for their contribution to the cause, as do Gary Holt and Damien Francis for their tireless work just in front of them. In fact everyone who pulled on a green or yellow shirt this season played their part in the team's success - you certainly can't remember too many substandard performances over the course of the campaign. Consistency was the key-word as City move impressively towards their goal.
There were a couple of minor scares in March, when the Canaries suffered consecutive away defeats at Cardiff and Crystal Palace. But Worthington quickly put a stop to any negative thoughts by declaring, publicly, that his side WOULD gain promotion, and sure enough that's just what happened.
The fans simply had to sit back and enjoy the show. There was no need for any nail-biting as undoubtedly the best team in this division secured a deserved return to the big time in some style and if there is any justice they will now hold off the challenge of Gary Megson's workmanlike West Brom side to clinch the title. If ever a group of players deserved medals for their efforts it's this one.
The big question now of course is how will City fare in the Premiership?
If Ipswich defender Fabian Wilnis is to be believed they will be down by Christmas if they don't sign 15 new players. That's clearly rubbish (and I'd use another word if this wasn't a family newspaper).
Worthington has already built up a solid squad, and with one of two further injections of quality they could certainly make a go of it in the top flight.
We are unlikely to see a repeat on the 1992-93 season, when Mike Walker's team pushed Manchester United all the way for the inaugural Premier League title. The Canaries might be able to give one of the big guns something to think about over 90 minutes. But over 38 games? I think not.
But the top flight isn't just about United, Chelsea and Arsenal. There are 16 other clubs to compete against clubs like Bolton, Southampton, Middlesbrough and, if they stay up Portsmouth - and I see no reason why City shouldn't be giving the Premiershiplesser lights a run for their money in four months' time if the necessary investment is made during the summer.
The Premiership may have changed out of all recognition since the Canaries were last there nine years ago. But there's still a place there for well run, provincial clubs like Norwich City and let's hope Worthington, his staff and players can now build on what they have achieved over the course of this wonderful season.
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Leroy!, Leroy!, Leroy! ---------------------------------------------
NEXT MATCH: Nottingham Forest Vs. Norwich City | City Ground (Nottingham) | Sat 22nd Nov 2008 | Championship
LAST MATCH: Norwich City 2-3 Swansea City | Attendance: 24,262
NEXT DOMESTIC CUP MATCH: TBA
LEAGUE POSITION: 19th (17 PTS)
TOP SCORERS: Leroy Lita (5), Arturo Lupoli (4), Darel Russell (2), Lee Croft (2), John Kennedy (2), Antoine Sibierski (2), Sammy Clingan (1)
TEAM FROM LAST MATCH: David Marshall, Jon Otsemobor, John Kennedy, Gary Doherty, Ryan Bertrand, Sammy Clingan, Matty Pattison, Mark Fotheringham (Wes Hoolahan 62), David Bell, Arturo Lupoli (Jamie Cureton 66), Leroy Lita
SUBS NOT USED: Stuart Nelson, Adam Drury, Elliot Omozusi
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i think if we win the championship crouch gets a medal as he played over 10 games for us 
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