Tuesday 26 May 2015 16:55, UK
Norwich players and officials have left London after celebrating their Championship play-off final victory over Middlesbrough.
The Canaries struck twice early in the first half through Cameron Jerome and Nathan Redmond to book their passage back to the Premier League at the first time of asking with a comfortable 2-0 win.
Alex Neil and his players celebrated in the capital before heading back North but there will be no victory parade through the city of Norwich, with many players either going away on international duty or leaving for a summer break.
Captain Russell Martin said that many squad members had sampled life in the top flight before and were eager to get back to playing at the highest level.
He said: “It’s what we’ve worked so hard for this season and most of the players have been there before and played in the Premier League and they were desperate to get back there.
“Fortunately we’ve got there and we’ve got a few lads going away on international duty and then they can get away on their holidays and look forward to the fixtures coming out. Next season we’ll give it a right go under the management team we’ve got now.”
Defender Sebastien Bassong said: “We are getting back to where we belong – the club belongs in the Premier League.
“We had one year to fix everything and now we are going back up. It’s going to be something that we know already, that I know, but it is always nice and better to play at the highest level.”
Bradley Johnson said Norwich had worked as a team to ensure victory after two quick-fire first half goals.
He added: “We knew how much it meant to us and to the fans it was just a great day for everyone. We came out the traps and got the first two goals and I think we stunned them. They’re a good team but we defended well.
“In the second half they came at us and we defended well, all the way through from John Ruddy to Cameron Jerome upfront, the whole team defended as a team, we dug in and got the result that we wanted.”
Manager Neil, who took over at Carrow Road in January following the departure of Neil Adams, replicated what he achieved with Hamilton Academical last year, when he took them to the Scottish Premiership after a play-off penalty shoot-out win over Hibernian.
He will become the Premier League’s fifth youngest permanent manager when he takes to the dugout at the start of the campaign on August 8 at just 34 years and 60 days.
And Norwich joint majority shareholder Delia Smith reckons the Scotsman should be in line for a knighthood.
She said: “We’re just bowled over. He’s really incredible. He’s a lovely man, intelligent, self-confident and he’s not an ego and that is quite hard to be.
“I said to Stephen Fry just as the whistle had gone he should be knighted. I’m with the supporters on that one.”
