Robin Sainty: Excitement levels are through the roof!

Normally, at this stage of a season in which relegation and promotion are realistically out of play, I would be turning my thoughts to cricket, holidays and barbeques and looking forward to a break from football.

Not this time. I simply cannot wait for August to come around and see where the Philippe Clement revolution can take Norwich City next.

The juxtaposition between that state of mind and the sheer misery and fatalism that I felt in mid-November as League One beckoned is quite incredible and a testament to what has been achieved.

I think that the excitement is also exacerbated by the fact that we have moved on from the days of having to sell to buy and it’s clear that Norfolk Group are happy to back Clement’s squad building over the summer, so exciting times lie ahead.

This week could have seen a winding down, and Saturday’s first-half performance certainly suggested that, but thereafter the passion shown on the pitch has been incredible, even if a degree of quality was lacking on Tuesday evening.

Liam Gibbs - deserved his winner against The Rams (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)

It’s also been another big week for Mo Toure. Since his return he has, unsurprisingly, looked somewhat rusty, and in all fairness his overall performance in both games showed a degree of inexperience and naivety in his general play, but, like any natural striker, when chances have arisen he has buried them.

He might not have the elegance of a Paris Maghoma or an Anis Ben Slimane, but he has power and pace to burn and at just 22 and hungry to learn he is going to be a real force to be reckoned with.

While his penalty on Tuesday was poor, his goal was sensational, and if he can improve his hold-up play and decision-making, he will make an even bigger impact next season.

This week’s two games have also been tours de force for the partnership of Harry Darling and Jose Cordoba, who were impressive in both, but particularly against Derby where they had a really physical battle against Ben Brereton Diaz and Carlton Morris.

Brereton Diaz must regret his early tangle with Cordoba which only served to make the Panamanian even more obdurate and committed, while Darling did superbly to ensure that Morris’s aerial prowess never generated much of a threat until the 96th minute when he was foiled by the brilliance of Vladan Kovacevic.

The quality of performance by that trio was clear to all, but I’d like to highlight the contributions of two of the lower-profile squad members.

The first of these is Amankwah Forson, who has noticeably bulked up since Clement’s arrival and demonstrated that on Tuesday night with a hardworking and robust performance which also contained moments of genuine quality, such as the first-time effort that just cleared the bar and the reverse pass for Toure’s goal.

If he can stay fit, he could be a very useful option next season.

The other, of course, is Liam Gibbs, who did a job at left back at Bristol before transforming into a left winger on Tuesday evening for an even more impactful showing, including that winning goal.

Every successful squad needs players like Gibbs who can slot in wherever needed and be relied upon to do a job for the team. His ability to do that during the height of the injury crisis was absolutely invaluable and his moment in the spotlight on Tuesday was a just reward for his unselfish hard work.

Finally, a word for the crowd. The support was brilliant again on Tuesday, particularly in the closing stages as Derby threw the kitchen sink at City.

Every tackle and clearance was cheered to the rafters and must have given the players a huge lift, while the roar at the final whistle was as loud as any I’ve heard since the title winning seasons.

Can’t wait for this afternoon!