Bradley Johnson has looked the real deal in the Championship – and the midfielder believes Norwich City are the real deal as they push for a Premier League return.
The international break interrupted the Canaries on 10 points from their opening five games of the campaign – with back-to-back trips to Cardiff and Brentford respectively, on the horizon following this weekend's return to action.
And as Johnson, 27, adjusts to life back in the second tier following three seasons in the top flight, his new lease of life is driven by the struggles of last term.
'I've played a lot of games for this club and I was part of the team that went down, so it's right for me to stay here and help them try and get back to where they want to be – and that's in the Premier League,' said Johnson. 'I just feel like we've got a great squad here and this is the best time for us. If we want to do it, we can do it. I'm going to fight for the club, for the team and hopefully get us back up this year and I know the other players feel the same.'
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There have been a few notable performances since City's disappointing opening weekend defeat at Wolves – a five-match unbeaten run in league and cup that has seen Norwich rise to fourth in the early Championship table. But Johnson's star has been one to shine brightest – especially hitting key goals to ensure Carrow Road wins over Watford and Blackburn. The latter has already provided one of the iconic celebrations of the season to date.
'It was a massive pleasure for me to score that goal (against Blackburn) – 88th minute, thinking it was going to be the winner and the crowd were terrific that night for us,' Johnson told the club's website.
'It's good celebrating goals – I like scoring and it's not very often that I do. It was the meaning of that goal too, all of the lads went over to the corner and we celebrated together. The supporters stuck with us last year and we knew they would be there in their numbers again.'
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