Yell Army: Evening News reporter re-lives the memory of Norwich’s 2005 relegation
David Freezer, now a reporter at the EDP and Evening News, can't bear to watch on the last day of the 2005 season. Pictures:SONYA BROWNCopy:For: EDP/EN©EDP 2005. Here future EDP and Evening News reporter David Freezer feels the pain of relegation. - Credit: Archant
Evening News reporter David Freezer will never be able to forget the pain of Norwich City's relegation from the Premier League in 2005 - thanks to this photo. Here he remembers that fateful day.
Reporter and City fan David Freezer putting his voice to the test in preparation for the Yellarmy call to chant at Saturdays match against Reading. Photo: Steve Adams
Behind that hand and beneath that mop of rebellious teenage hair is the despairing face of an 18-year-old me.
I wasn't among the travelling Canaries support at Craven Cottage on Sunday, May 15, 2005, thankfully it would turn out.
As all Norwich fans will never be able to forget, Nigel Worthington's side crashed to an embarrassing 6-0 defeat and were relegated.
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I was among the many packed into pubs and bars around Norwich who were ready to celebrate an excellent end-of-season scrape to survival.
But as City imploded on a dramatic final day of the season - Survival Sunday as it was billed on TV - that mood soon turned very sour.
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I watched the game unfold in the now defunct Brannigans bar in Riverside, where Evening News photographer Sonya Duncan was taking photos.
This was still well before I started working for the Evening News in 2010 but unfortunately the photo has come back to haunt me.
I know I don't ever want to experience such an excruciating top-flight relegation again - so I'll be joining the Yell Army tomorrow and singing at the top of my lungs to try and help our team get the victory against Reading that we so badly need.
