Opinion: 'It’s nacht over until the final whistle'
Susannah George
The last time Norwich City played on Saturday 27 April was five years ago. For those who may not recall, this was the day when we secured automatic promotion against Blackburn Rovers. We all know how beautifully the season ended, with the Canaries being crowned champions.
Norwich City’s hallmark that season was their unwavering ability to score last minute goals, and there were plenty to be had, in fact the 31 late goals comprised 33% of our total that season. Now whilst autos is not on the table this season, and our goal tally following the 75 minute mark is only half of that of the 2018/19 season, we have still demonstrated sufficient resolve and stamina to re-create some of those magic moments. Approximately 50% of our late (post 75 min) goals this season – if my calculations are correct- went on to be determinative and translated into points.
As the pressure mounts heading into our final games and hopefully playoffs, whilst in theory we have more than sufficient talent to put games to bed early, if we find ourselves looking to grind out a win, who are we looking to?
Given the overall stats you could be forgiven for assuming Rowe, Sargent, Sainz, Sara and even Barnes are the “likely candidates”. However, upon closer inspection, it transpires that when we focus on the post-75 minute mark goals this season, those leading the charge are in fact Adam Idah and Christian Fassnacht.
With Idah on loan, perhaps Fassnacht is the secret weapon we are looking for in the final moments of the upcoming games against Swansea and Birmingham. Fassnacht is our joint 4th highest scorer alongside Sainz, Idah and Barnes. If my sources are correct, in terms of goals per 90 he actually betters Sainz, Barnes and to my surprise, Gabriel Sara.
Me along with some of my fellow lower Barclay season ticket holders have often likened Christian Fassnacht -with his style of play, execution and intelligence - to former Norwich City player (and legend) Marco Stiepermann.
Now aside from the date symmetry and the fact we were also playing at Carrow Road, it was interestingly Marco Stiepermann who teed up that win on Saturday 27th April 2019. I for one am therefore 'fassnachted' (it had to be done) to see whether Christian can achieve similar heights. If we need a hero when the clock hits 60 minutes, he is the sub I am calling for.
