Susannah George
We have all been blown away by Josh Sargent’s return from injury, the man just cannot stop scoring. Plaudits entirely deserved, it is hard to look back on the historically sarcastic chanting of ‘Sargent’s on fire’ without feeling a little sheepish. Thankfully the all too familiar NCFC ‘gallows humour’ is quickly becoming a distant memory.
Whilst in no doubt that Sargent will be pivotal to our ascension as the season draws to a close, we cannot and should not overlook the importance of a certain Mr Jonathan Rowe to this campaign – from whom Sargent has only just taken the crown of City’s top goal scorer for the season.
At the tender age of 20, Rowe stormed into the starting 11 and our hearts with his pace and sheer talent, not to mention the fact that this prodigy is a success story from Colney (cue the chant!) who also kept our beloved derby record firmly in tact (15 years, I hear) – automatically earning him legendary club status.
Throughout our string of injuries, we have relied heavily upon Rowe to bring home points. His impact cannot be underestimated in teeing up the charge to the top-six. Without Rowe we could be looking at a potential deficit of at least seven points from our current total which would see us down in 10th, relying on the misfortune of others to keep our promotion hopes alive. As it is however, we are tantalisingly close to playoffs, and the power is in our hands, in a large part due to Rowe.
Understandably touted for a Premier League move in the January transfer window, and now nominated for EFL Young Player of the Season, I have no doubt he is nowhere near his ceiling. But for his hamstring injury, I am sure those whispers would not have quelled.
Whilst it has only been a few weeks since Rowe’s last game pre-injury, his absence has felt much longer. Being a hopeless romantic, the second he was out, I had notions of a heroic return to Carrow Road on 6 April to send shivers down the spines of our East Anglian rivals, who must still be quivering from their last encounter.
But if we are to go beyond 4 May and make a play for Wembley and the top flight, getting Rowe fully fit is a priority. Whilst I am sure many of us hoped he would feature in Saturday’s game against Ipswich, the overall cost to the club if his hamstring took a set-back would arguably not be proportionate, albeit extremely tempting had he been available!
In whatever capacity Rowe returns, whether in the commentators box with Onel; banging in goals past our rivals; or indeed striding out in front of 40,000 City fans at Wembley, he is a remarkable talent whose legacy is only just beginning. And whilst I hope that Sargent’s streak is far from over, Jonny Rowe – we are lucky to have you, thanks for getting us to the home straight!
