Along Come Norwich Flashback – Norwich City 6-1 Watford (1984 – H)

Story of the match

John Deehan scored four goals as Norwich trounced/routed/thrashed/caned/hammered Watford 6-1 at Carrow Road, in a game that was covered by ITV’s The Big Match. 

The pick of the goals was Deehan’s second to make it 3-0; an absolute thunderbastard from just outside of the area in front of the River End. He then scored two penalties in the second half, sealing a massive win for City and shooting them ten points clear of the relegation zone with 8 games to play. 

Long term significance

This is still Norwich’s largest ever top flight win margin, despite 16 top division seasons since 1983-84. 

Coincidentally, Deehan scored another hat-trick against Watford in a 3-2 win early the following season. He is only one of two Norwich players to score two hat-tricks in the top flight, and one of nine to score one at all (well, unless someone new scores one on tomorrow right? RIGHT?!).

If you can name the eight others, including the other Canary who scored two of them, comment below with the list and you could win a “One City Strong” scarf!

You might have forgotten that

Look up the colour photos from this match. It’s football design pornography, right down to the Cinzano advertising hoardings behind the goal. Both teams were playing in absolutely gorgeous kits that have subsequently become iconic designs in each club’s history. Norwich were in the Adidas pinstripe Poll Withey kit (of which not much else needs to be said), and Watford were in an Umbro Iveco white away shirt – this being a rare change shirt outing for them at the time. OH! And the ball in use was an Adidas Tango. Mmm…

What happened in the rest of that season?

This win proved to be invaluable as, even though Norwich finished Division One that season in what sounds like a high 14th place, they didn’t win for the remainder of the campaign (“Along Come…” etc etc) and ended up only three points off relegated Birmingham in 20th – as eight sides scratched around close to each other in the bottom half of the table trying to avoid that 20th spot. Rather irritatingly, Ipswich, who were in 20th after that weekend’s fixtures, ended up finishing two places above Norwich after going on a streak that included a 2-0 win against us at Portman Road. Bastards.

Despite this pasting, Watford finished three places above Norwich in 11th.