Jonathan Rowe: Positive vibes at Norwich after Ipswich draw
- Published
Jonathan Rowe scored twice in Saturday's 2-2 draw with rivals Ipswich
Norwich's Jonathan Rowe says "the vibes are positive" going into the Christmas period after his two goals earned a draw in the East Anglian derby.
The 20-year-old scored either side of half-time to put the Canaries in front before Wes Burns equalised for Ipswich.
Norwich academy product Rowe has now scored 11 goals in all competitions.
He said his first derby experience had been "a bit overwhelming", adding: "I love it, this is what I live for. This is what football is all about."
The first East Anglian derby in five years did not disappoint as Nathan Broadhead opened the scoring before Rowe showed his predatory goalscoring instincts in an impressive breakthrough campaign to put the Canaries 2-1 ahead.
Burns' fine finish on the hour mark levelled it at 2-2 and that was how it stayed as Norwich stretched their unbeaten run in the fixture to 13 games.
Rowe praised his team-mates for their hard work and singled out Sam McCallum for his performance on his return from injury.
"I'm happy for the boys who put in the shift. Sam (McCallum), he was my man of the match. After not playing for a while it's hard to come back into the team and get up to speed," said Rowe.
"I'm happy for the draw and we've got to keep pushing on. We've had some tough games this season where we've had to dig in.
"We've got to take out the mistakes and lapses in concentration but we came away with something, we're in a good run of form and the vibes are positive going into the busy Christmas period," he continued.
Rowe now has 11 goals in all competitions this season
Rowe has scored 10 of his goals in the Championship, which makes him the joint-third top scorer in the league.
He showed good reactions for his first against Ipswich, as he was off-target with a bicycle kick but hit home the rebound when it came back to him.
"It was a relief. The first chance I missed it just by a second but when you are aiming for the top you've got to have that mentality of no matter how many chances you miss, you have to keep believing you are going to score and that's what I kept doing," he said.
Canaries on the rise
Norwich, who have been used to having the bragging rights over Ipswich in recent years, have had to contend with seeing the Tractor Boys sit in the Championship automatic promotion places for much of the season.
But David Wagner's side have found some form with a four-match unbeaten run which has seen them rise to 10th, four points outside the play-off spots.
"The manager made it clear before the game that derby days all across the world are to be fought and today it wasn't a matter of playing football, outplaying them, it was about outfighting the opposition and trying to come away with something, especially away from home," 20-year-old Rowe said.
"It's big to the fans and big to us as players so it was really important we got stuck in from the get-go.
"We have to keep giving our all every time we step on the pitch."