Another week, and still the sword of Damocles hangs over our heads as the seemingly inevitable season end drop nears.

Another match has been added to the defeat column, despite all the pre-game talk of a possible upset on the cards. Once again, the conceding of an early goal left the team with a mountain to climb, though on this occasion we showed some spirit and gave supporters hope with two excellent goals before the final blow of Ronaldo’s hat-trick completing free-kick finish.

Even though Man United are having a poor (by their standards) campaign, and there was discontent amongst their fans, we were still second best on the day. There were errors and mistakes that left us playing catch up, which seems to have defined our season. That long wait for our first win, our delay in getting games called off when the squad was decimated by Covid, persisting with line-ups and formations when they weren’t getting results. In the Premier League it can be just a split second between comfortably getting the ball away and gifting the opposition a chance in the box. To dither can be costly at any level, but in the top flight it’s so much harder to regain lost ground.

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Ultimately the brave defeat against the Red Devils changes little on paper. Our five wins have all come against teams in the bottom half of the table, and two were against sides we will likely meet again next year, as they also drop down a division.

There has been little to cheer about this season, with many below par performances and players who have failed to live up to expectations. There were moments when Mathias Normann and Josh Sargent promised excitement, but then injury and illness came along to spoil the party. Instead we have had to rely on established squad members to give us some respite. Tim Krul aerobatics have saved us from further embarrassments and helped us to cling on to the few points we have. And up front we have Teemu Pukki, who notched up his 76th goal at the weekend in just four seasons for the Canaries.

The contribution of the Finnish striker to the team is impossible to overstate. His work rate and deadly finishing have been vital to both Championship titles, and this season he has been our most consistent player again, reaching double figures in the goals with games to spare.

He was left much of the season ploughing a lone furrow up front, often needing to create his own chances. With a change in formation for the last couple of matches he has once again got the support up front that he thrives on. This has resulted in some classic one-two moves and Pukki finishes, proving that he still has the movement to lose defenders and pinpoint accuracy that leaves goalkeepers flailing.

The travelling support, which still turns out in impressive numbers despite the results, were singing in the sunshine until the last minute on Saturday. The City side had given them some hope, goals to cheer and for periods of the game played some of that free-flowing football that’s a joy to watch. With any hope of survival long since faded away, what we want to see now is some pride in the shirt and some football to admire. Particularly as the defensive and cautious approach has brought us few points and led us to the brink of relegation.

The Norwich fans that left Old Trafford on Saturday were disappointed with the result but full of praise for the fight and desire shown by the team. There are six games left to play out, for those of us who follow the Canaries we want to be entertained for those nine hours of football. Give us a reason raise our scarves above our heads and sing On The Ball City with gusto!