One year ago today the Norwich City players and staff were swapping their mountain climbing tools for Champagne and beer bottles, as a remarkable promotion to the Premier League was sealed in style.
All that stood between Daniel Farke’s team and promotion being sealed at Carrow Road for just the second time ever and for the first time in 59 years, to the day, was mid-table Blackburn.
It could have made for a nervy evening but an early strike from Marco Stiepermann and a quite brilliant long-range thunderbolt from Mario Vrancic inside 22 minutes kicked off the party early.
Lewis Travis pulled a goal back for Rovers within two minutes but from there on the eventual champions made sure of the victory they needed, with Onel Hernandez hitting the bar and Emi Buendia seeing a bicycle kick saved as part of a fine display when the pressure was on.
City knew that a point was enough to seal promotion and reclaim top spot with one game remaining, sparking memorable scenes of celebrations as the final whistle arrived with the Canaries in the driving seat for the title after their 2-1 win.
Farke, with hair slicked back thanks to celebratory booze, eventually made it to his press conference and avoided talk of the following weekend’s title decider at Aston Villa and said: “It is a fantastic achievement. It is an absolute sensation.
“A little miracle we earn promotion under this financial pressure with so many young lads. To achieve this and in the style we did is something extraordinary.”
Sporting director Stuart Webber, majority shareholders Delia Smith and Michael Wynn Jones, as well as players including Stiepermann, Christoph Zimmermann and newly crowned Player of the Season winner Teemu Pukki all spoke to the media in among the celebrations.
But goalkeeper Tim Krul revealed Farke’s added impact on the special victory: “He’s one of us, he’s the boss, he can lose his head – like on Friday in training, he proper lost his head because the boys weren’t really on it.
“That’s what you need. He can put an arm around your shoulder but it would have been funny if some cameras were there!
“But we need that. It’s been a crazy ride but, my word, what an achievement.”
- You can watch videos of that special night above and see the links below to re-live more of the occasion
GALLERY: Norwich City promotion celebrations at Carrow Road
REPORT: Vrancic stunner finally seals promotion on incredible Carrow Road night for the ages
MORE: Stiepermann just can’t stop smiling as Canaries seal promotion
REACTION: Delia and Michael savour City’s Championship promotion
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