Pubs in Norwich had a triple whammy of good fortune on Friday evening as Good Friday, good weather and a nail-biting Canaries game brought people out in droves.
Around the city pubs and beer gardens braced themselves for the first day of the Easter bank holiday weekend which also saw Norwich City take on Sheffield Wednesday at home – with Vrancic's tension-relieving 97th-minute equaliser boosting good spirits even higher. The mood looks set to be replicated for the team's game against Stoke City today. Up to 8,000 fans will be watching the away game in a beamback at Carrow Road, and some are likely to wet their whistles in the pub beforehand.
Ant Wright, landlord at the Pig and Whistle, said the pub on All Saints Green was full from midday on Friday, helped by the bank holiday.
'Usually we get busy two hours before a match and people come back afterwards, but we were busy for all of the day,' he said.
'It was a really good atmosphere while the game was on. It has been nice having more Norwich games on the TV. It has been a welcome boost to trade.'
He expected that some regular customers attending the beamback would stop in for a pre-match drink today.
Wig and Pen pub manager Anna said: 'We had an extremely busy night on Friday. We did a lot more trade than we expected to do with the combination of the good weather, the bank holiday and the football.
'It was a really nice vibe. We had a lot of people here from Sheffield and it was a really good night.
'I am expecting it to be busy again on Monday.'
Steve Fiske, manager at the Whalebone on Magdalen Road, said he was not expecting much extra trade today as the pub would not be showing Norwich City's match and it was a bit too far north of the city centre to attract big crowds preparing for the beamback.
But he said Friday night had been incredibly busy.
'It was like New Year's Eve. It was a wonderful atmosphere. I thought we would be so down after the match then the last minute equaliser was scored and everyone cheered up and carried on drinking.
'It is going to be good for the trade and for the region if Norwich are promoted.'
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