“And Smith must score……” It’s one of the most famous commentary lines of all time. Because Gordon Smith didn’t.

There have been fanzines, podcasts and even Twitter accounts named in honour of that moment at Wembley in 1983. It was 2-2 in extra time in the FA Cup Final. With 119 minutes on the clock Smith was presented with a golden chance to score the winner against Manchester United. Instead, he hit the ball against the legs of goalkeeper Gary Bailey. Who was he playing for? Brighton and Hove Albion.

For Josh Sargent’s sake we must hope the latest spectacular miss in a Brighton game is not still being talked about in 40 years. At least it wasn’t in a cup final. The Seagulls went on to lose the 1983 replay 4-0 and have never been back to a final. To give Gordon Smith his dues he had already scored in the first game, putting Albion a goal up.

Eastern Daily Press: Norwich City's Josh Sargent spurns a huge chance in Brighton's Premier League visit to Carrow Road.Norwich City's Josh Sargent spurns a huge chance in Brighton's Premier League visit to Carrow Road. (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)

The same can’t be said for Sargent. Even the collective will of The Barclay couldn’t provide his tame shot with the momentum required to find the empty net. As the American striker stood with his hands on top of his red hair following Shane Duffy’s comfortable clearance it was impossible not to feel sorry for him. It would have been a first Premier League goal, a just reward for his impressive work rate and perhaps the moment that would finally provide the spark to give City’s season the lift-off it needs.

It was agonising watching that ball roll slowly towards the goal. Like a tailender trying to score the boundary that would win a Test Match, an under-hit putt on the 18th green of The Open or your bet in the Grand National getting caught after jumping the last in the lead. It never really looked like it had the legs to give City the lead in a Premier League game for the first time this season.

Much has been made since the Canaries’ promotion of the shortcomings of their defence. Each individual error that led to another goal being conceded was highlighted again and again in the opening weeks of the season. Yet the real issue for Daniel Farke to solve now seems to be at the other end of the pitch. It’s particularly costly to concede a goal when there isn’t much hope of one coming at the other end.

Since their last Premier League win against Leicester at the end of February 2020 Norwich have now scored three goals in 18 top flight games. Farke is always keen to point out the existence of a record-breaking Championship title winning season in the middle of that run but the consistent lack of a goal threat at the top level is impossible to ignore.

It’s now 26 matches since Norwich scored more than once in the Premier League. The last was a 2-2 draw with Tottenham over the Christmas period of 2019, a match more infamous for the Teemu Pukki goal that didn’t count because of a harsh VAR offside call.

Sargent wasn’t the only one who was profligate against Brighton. Pukki missed a couple of chances of the type that he has regularly scored since arriving at Carrow Road. There was also a host of set pieces, each one failing to cause Brighton any undue stress.

Fans of the Channel 4 gameshow Taskmaster would have been wondering whether its creator and star Alex Horne had left an envelope in the City dressing room containing a message which read ‘Get as close as possible to scoring a goal without actually scoring a goal. You have 90 minutes. Your time starts when the referee blows his whistle’.

It all leaves Farke on the crest of one of football’s moral mazes. The whole team gave everything he could have asked of them against Brighton. So at what point does an end product become more important than a relentless work rate?

Having a lazy striker or flamboyant star who scores goals but isn’t much of a team player goes against the spirit of everything that Norwich City have done during Farke’s time in charge. It would be difficult to justify leaving out Sargent in favour of that sort of player right now but is that just what the Canaries are lacking?

For now, I’ll have to promise to keep any phrases about ‘MUST’ scoring out of my commentaries. Nothing can be taken for granted. But the atmosphere at Carrow Road on Saturday suggested there is a lot of pent-up energy that will be released when City finally do score a winning goal at home.


What's in a nickname?

Saturday’s goalless draw at Carrow Road saw the Canaries take on the Seagulls.

The nicknames of professional football clubs are so familiar now they have all rather lost their impact. So, it was a joy to discover two that were new to me last week.

One of the teams no longer exists. Lowestoft Ladies won the WFA Cup in 1982 and the story of that triumph is told by the journalist Ali Rampling in a new book called ‘Football, She Wrote’. It reveals the team was known as The Waves which, with apologies to Brighton, is the best nickname for a coastal team I’ve heard to date.

King’s Lynn Town’s progress to the first round of the FA Cup came with a win over Peterborough Sports on Saturday. Their opponents are called ‘The Turbines’ which is the sort of nickname that might be more common if football was invented now.

I’ve never been quite sure what the point of a nickname is. The Canaries clearly wasn’t something designed to strike fear into opponents but it is evocative. Those that celebrate or say something about the history of the town or city the club represents are always the most enjoyable. I’d much rather that than going with the Reds or the Blues any day.

Perhaps in-line with our national stereotypes British club nicknames are less celebrated and more low key than those chosen by American sports. For instance, Jacksonville Jaguars beat Miami Dolphins in the NFL in London at the weekend.

There was horror when the owner of Hull City FC attempted to officially rename the club as Hull Tigers in 2013.

That’s how we like it in England. A nickname is something that one wears with a sense of pride but only around friends.