The charge of the yellow and green brigade

By HAMILTON NEMO

Tuesday night was a poor performance by our team and a great disappointment to the 3,000 plus City fans who travelled to Leyton Orient on Tuesday. Many Canary fans are now looking at our injury list and suspensions, and fearing meltdown. Hearts are beating wildly, and nerves are jangling. Surely we are not going to do a Leeds?

But on Saturday the Yellow and Green Army will again be present in London in large numbers and this time will descend on the Valley. Last time we were at the Valley we were also in good heart before the match. Anybody who was in the away fans pub near the ground last season will never forget the songs, the chanting, the camaraderie, the optimism, and the banter.

Fortified by a couple of pints, we dared to hope that things would go well for us, that we could beat a Charlton side already relegated, and that Plymouth would do us a favour by beating Barnsley. On that occasion our optimism was cruelly dashed within a few minutes.

Dare we hope that this time our visit to the Valley will be a happier occasion and that when we leave the Valley on Saturday we will have smiles on our faces and joy in hearts?

Dare we hope that Chrissie Martin, Stephen Elliott, Gary Doc, and Oli Johnson will each score a hat trick, and that Stephen Hughes, Adam Drury, Korey, and Rusty will each weigh in with a couple? Or at the very least between them they score more goals than Charlton manage to notch...

Football is all about confidence. About keeping a cool head when all those around are losing their cool. About not blaming each other. About inspiring each other instead. About holding firm in adversity. About fans remaining confident and letting the team feel our confidence and being inspired by it. About willing the team to victory and never giving up until we have overcome the shock of losing an early goal and not only equalised but established a lead of at least two goals over the opposition. About sucking the ball into the opposition net by the sheer force of our collective will.

Now is the time for all good City fans to come to the aid of the team. Our cause is not by any means hopeless. We have a six point lead over the second place team, and a seven point lead over the third place team, plus a superior goal difference. There are only twelve points to play for. Some of our rivals still have to play each other. Huddersfield host Millwall tonight. It is possible that the Terriers will do us a favour. Depending on the other teams' results, we only require two more victories at most. Perhaps even one more win will suffice. Grant Holt will be back in the team for the Gillingham match, and Wes Hoolahan is returning to full fitness. He too may return for the Gillingham game. The finishing line is in sight and we hold all the aces and advantages...as long as we keep our nerve, remain confident and play to our full ability.

We need not be fearful. Remember the prime aim is to gain promotion and get out of this division. We are very close to achieving that goal. The title too is tantalisingly within our reach. We have two relatively easy home games and two not impossibly difficult away games. One or two wins and we can really begin to celebrate.

Three thousand City fans at least will be present in the away fans section of the ground at the Valley tomorrow. Many more, such as me, will put on our best cockney accents, quote our London addresses, and attempt to infiltrate into the Home sections of the ground. We shall try to remain quiet and unemotional when Norwich score, and not cheer too loudly nor smile too broadly. During the game that is. Once the final whistle is blown and victory is secured we will join in the general outpouring of joy. I may even conga my way home. Last season's capitulation at the same ground will seem like a bad dream.

“Dare to struggle” said Mao Tse Tung “and dare to win”. What he meant to say was:

On the Ball City.

Keep the Faith. In Lambert we trust.

Happy Valley here we come!