Story added: 24th June 2024

Norwich City Powerchair team to face Nomad Knights in WFA playoffs

Norwich City’s Bateman Groundworks Powerchair team concluded their regular campaign on 2nd June with four straight victories to secure a playoff spot in the WFA Powerchair Championship.

Whilst most teams in the division would now look forward to the summer break before the new campaign, our Norwich City team’s script was still yet to be fully written.

The Canaries’ third-placed finish ensured play-off football, setting up a tie against Cheltenham-based Nomad Knights. The Knights, who finished third-from-bottom in the WFA Premiership, will need to win against our in-form City side to retain their top-flight status for the 24/25 season. Our NCFC team will know they just need a win in the one-off fixture to guarantee a return to the Premiership for the first time since 2014.

The Norwich City Powerchair team have had a season to remember – 12 wins, 5 draws and just the 5 losses have seen them rack up an impressive 41 points to grasp play-off football in the final game week.

The season began way back in September in a disappointing manner – with the opening weekend seeing the team in yellow pick up just four points from their opening four fixtures. A 0-0 draw against Middlesbrough followed a 3-0 defeat to eventual champions Greenbank PFC and a 2-0 loss to Leeds Dynamo, with a 2-0 win against West Brom meaning that the East Anglian outfit returned home from the first round of fixtures with just the one win on the board.

In November, City were back in action, looking to build on the four points gained from their opening games. An improvement in both results and performance were noticeable almost straight away, as the Canaries’ sailed to a 3-1 victory against Bournemouth in their opening game. High-flying Greenbank PFC put a dampener on spirits however, as they claimed their second victory over Norwich in just a matter of months. Knocked by this most recent defeat, City could only manage a 0-0 draw against a struggling Sale United in their next game.

Keen to put wrongs right, Norwich responded with a narrow 1-0 victory over Teeside Steel before dismantling Nottingham Forest 6-0 in their final fixture of the game week. The three wins in their most recent round of games had seen a climb in the league standings for our battling City side, with the team sitting comfortable in mid-table after two rounds of fixtures.

Before they could return to league action, the City team would have to line up against Surrey-based Farnham PFC in the first round of the WFA Cup. With Farnham competing a few divisions below the Yellows, the game proved to be comfortable for our Powerchair team, who cruised to a 9-0 victory.

Two weeks later, the Canaries were back ‘up for the cup’, this time facing Villa Rockets Lions; a team competing in the same division as Norwich. A close game ultimately finished 1-0 in favour of the Rockets, seeing City’s 2023/24 cup journey come to a premature end.

With the distraction of the cup now well out the way, attentions could turn back to the league – with the sole intention of climbing up the championship ladder and battling for promotion.

The next round of games laid down a clear marker of the Canaries’ intentions. Three wins and a draw saw the team in yellow propel themselves even further up the table, with automatic promotion now a real possibility. A comfortable 3-0 victory against Manchester City was followed by statement wins against fellow promotion contenders WBA Dudley and Muscle Warriors PFC. A clean sweep of victories was only denied by the ever-stubborn Villa Rockets, who held Norwich to a frustrating 1-1 draw.

Now, with only two rounds of fixtures left of the regular season, every point was pivotal in the Canaries’ promotion push. The penultimate set of games didn’t make it easy for our Powerchair promotion hopefuls – with City lining up against second-placed Middlesbrough and cup-rivals Villa, as well as tough games against Manchester City, Leeds Dynamo and Muscle Warriors.

Villa rubbed salt in the wounds of our City players in the opening game, completing an unbeaten treble against the Canaries as the team in claret and blue claimed a 1-0 victory. Norwich responded well with a 3-0 win against relegation-threatened Manchester City before falling to a 1-0 defeat against a strong Middlesbrough side. Two draws against Leeds and Muscle Warriors ensured that the Canaries’s fate would be decided in the final game week.

Heading into their final four fixtures, automatic promotion was still on the cards, although chances were admittedly slim. Middlesbrough were current occupants of the final automatic spot, with league leaders Greenbank home and dry after an incredibly impressive league campaign. City sat in sixth, with four to play.

The chasing pack alongside City consisted of, Leeds, WBA, Muscle Warriors and Villa Rockets, with the Canaries knowing that only four straight victories and a Middlesbrough slip-up would see them snatch second place and a place in the WFA Premiership.

City’s first match was a relatively routine affair – a 3-0 victory over Sale United set the team up nicely for the final push.

The team were made to work hard in the next game, as the Canaries held on to clinch a 1-0 win over relegated AFC Bournemouth.

A sensational 7-0 victory against Nottingham Forest, combined with slip ups in the Leeds and WBA games, left the Canaries on the brink of, at the very least, securing third place and the playoff position.

With final opponents Teeside Steel guaranteed championship safety and with nothing to play for, all the pressure was on Norwich to deliver when it mattered and finish the season with success.

Teeside proved to be a stubborn opponent – difficult to break down and well-organised throughout. In the end, a single goal decided it, confirming Norwich’s place in the WFA Playoffs.

The 100% record in the final four games also saw City man Mike Coleman win player of the round for both his outstanding individual performances and his role in ensuring the team not only secured third place, but did so in the final game week without conceding a single goal.

The Canaries now have a chance to put themselves back in the top flight of English Powerchair football, a division they haven’t played in since their relegation in 2014. On the 13th July, the team will have the chance to decide their own fate, in a one-off match against Nomad Knights.

Irrespective of next month’s result, it’s been a season to be proud of for our Norwich City Powerchair team, who put behind an indifferent start to the season to rise up the division and finish just shy of automatic promotion, scoring 46 goals across all competitions.

Everyone involved with the Powerchair team would like to thank official partner Bateman Groundworks for their continued support of the team.

Check out the team’s full results here.