Ecstatic Norwich City supporters celebrated their team clinching the Championship title outside Carrow Road.
About 200 supporters chanted and let off flares as they packed the pavement outside Carrow Road and the grass verge overlooking the ground from Koblenz Avenue.
Delia Smith led fans in chants of ‘Campeones’ from an upstairs window of the ground before manager Daniel Farke emerged to celebrate supporters including sharing a beer.
Despite the frustration of not being able to see the team inside the ground, many fans had travelled from across Norfolk hoping to see the players celebrate securing top spot in emphatic fashion with one game left.
Mark Jones, who had travelled from Dereham with sons Aaron, 14, and Liam, 11, said: “We left just as the second half started and drove down here so these two could come and have a look. “We’re hoping some of the players will come out. It’s a good atmosphere but it's obviously nowhere near the same as it would have been.
“It would have been great to have been in there to see it. It’s an amazing achievement.”
The team eventually emerged to a hero's reception and chants of ‘we are Premier League!’.
Shona and Stephen Wilkinson, from East Harling, said; “It’s brilliant but it is such an odd way to be celebrating it.
“There is a great atmosphere as long as everyone behaves themselves.
“Our last game was Leicester in the Premier League so I suppose we’ve completely skipped a season as they’ll be back in the Premier League when we next see them.
“But it would have been nice to see them particularly as they’ve done it so well. I’m just glad they’ve stuck by Farke.”
Norwich recovered from an early setback to secure the title with a thumping 4-1 win over Reading but it was expected by flag and banner sellers who turned up prepared for brisk business.
Steven Howell and Helen Hoyle, who had brought son Olly Howell-Hoyle, said: “We haven’t been to a game all season and I’m a season ticket holder for years. We are in the snake pit normally and we’ve missed it so much.
“We’d have loved to be in there to see it - and to have been going to away games too, but it’s the way it is. We haven’t seen any of the Championship, apart from on TV.
“We had Covid when some supporters were allowed in earlier in the season.”
Alex Salih said: “It’s such a shame not to be able to be at the games. I’ve missed going a lot this season. We managed to get to see a couple of the socially distanced games earlier in the season.”
Nicole Wise, who was celebrating with Alex, said: “It’s not what we are used to but still being able to celebrate even like this is still great.
“It would have been fantastic to be inside everyone together and celebrating the players, it’s a bit frustrating. But it is brilliant for us to be back in the Premier League, for the whole city and the economy and everything.”
Kath Cairncross added: “We’re ecstatic so it’s great to be here. It’s weird but it’s good to get some of the atmosphere that we would have had in the ground. It’s fantastic.”
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