Norwich head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup told goal hero Amankwah Forson to enjoy the moment after the substitute scored twice in stoppage time to earn his side a scarcely believable 2-1 win over Coventry.
The Ghanaian midfielder has had few chances to shine in recent months after a bright start to his Carrow Road career but took centre stage in no uncertain fashion to turn the match on its head.
“I normally tell players not to take too much notice of the what the press say after games but on this occasion I have told him to take it all in,” said Thorup, whose side are now just four points off the play-off pace after a third win in four games.
“It is well deserved because it hasn’t been easy for him, a new player in a new country who hasn’t been in the side much recently.
“He has found it difficult to settle, as many players do in this situation, but the other players have helped him and to have that happen at the end was very special for him.
“Overall, I was very proud of the way the players stuck to their task and kept believing they could get something out of the game despite not taking the many chances we created.
“It has been a good run but we have to stay cautious because we know in the Championship it can swing one way and then another. All we can do is keeping working hard.”
Coventry had got their noses in front in the 24th minute after an incisive counter-attack which saw Jake Bidwell cross for an unmarked Milan van Ewijk to convert.
The visitors defended well after that, riding their luck at times, and looked as though they were heading for a hard-fought win until the dramatic conclusion.
Substitute Forson, who had been introduced in the 84th minute, was the unlikely hero.
He equalised with a superb curling effort from the edge of the area after pouncing on a loose ball and then completed the fairytale comeback a couple of minutes later, firing home via a deflection after fellow substitute Onel Hernandez had burst clear down the left and picked him out.
“I feel desperately sorry for the players after that, they gave everything but those sort of things can happen in football sometimes,” said Coventry boss Frank Lampard.
“I thought it was a good disciplined performance for 90 minutes, with everyone working hard, but then the lad puts one into the top corner and that changes everything.
“We can’t do much about that one and then another one goes in off a deflection.
“Up until then we had done really well against a good team. Brandon (Thomas-Asante) had a good chance to make it 2-0 and I’m sure we would have won it from there – but that’s the ups and down of football.
“Obviously the lads are devastated but I have told them that I was very pleased with their overall performance.”
