adminLONDON. — Promotion and the £120million jackpot belongs to Norwich and for their manager Alex Neil a season which started in front of a crowd of 730 ends with a glorious Wembley celebration.
Cameron Jerome and Nathan Redmond struck early, with two goals inside three first-half minutes to stun Middlesbrough who never fully recovered, and secure a return to the Barclays Premier League a year after relegation.
It closes a 12-month crop circle for the Norfolk club and it completes an incredible personal journey for Neil, their young manager who hails from Bellshill, the same North Lanarkshire town as Sir Matt Busby.
A year ago to the day, the 33-year-old Scot was leading Hamilton Academical into Scotland’s top-flight with victory in the play-offs against Hibernian.
His first game of this season was in front of a crowd of under a thousand in the Scottish League Cup first round against Arbroath but by the time he left in January, Hamilton were second in the Scottish Premiership.
Norwich were seventh in the Championship, but Neil quickly made them upwardly mobile, finishing third and negotiating a two-legged victory against East Anglian rivals Ipswich which ensured the club’s first trip to Wembley for 30 years.
Promotion was completed against Middlesbrough, who have never won at Wembley. Aitor Karanka’s team turned up late after their bus was stuck in traffic and started too slowly in a breathless opening passage of play, when the woodwork was soon shaking at either end by thunderous volleys.
Norwich were briefly unsettled but they resisted well, and eventually made it over the line quite comfortably. Premier League, let’s be having you, as Delia might say. — Daily Mail.
Online Reporter