FRESH from Saturday's game and celebrations that saw City clinch the League One title with a 2-0 win over Gillingham, goalscorers Darel Russell and Michael Nelson with their skipper Grant Holt spoke to the media after the game.

City midfielder Darel Russell opened the scoring after 74 minutes with a great long-range effort hitting the underside of the bar and bouncing behind the line.

The goal was his second of the season - his first came also against Gillingham back in September, a last-gasp equaliser in a 1-1 draw at Priestfield Stadium. 

"Maybe it's one of those teams you score goals against," he told the Norwich Evening News. "But I'm really glad I did get a goal, especially in front of the home fans. I would have been extremely disappointed if I didn't get a goal at Carrow Road this season.

"I've been playing a little bit deeper and the chances come few and far between but it just fell to me and I just managed to catch it right and get it round the 'keeper.

"The referee seemed to take an eternity just to blow the whistle to make it official.

"But I'd seen the lino flagging for a little while so I was pleased - fantastic, it was just nice to wrap it up and be part of it."

Defender Michael Nelson popped up to score City's second goal against Gillingham on Saturday - his second in two games having clinched the Canaries' promotion at The Valley just one week earlier.

And Nelson told the Norwich Evening News he was thrilled to score his first goal at Carrow Road to help confirm City as League One Champions.

"I'm really pleased to score here," he said:  "The other two goals came away from home. I managed to get the ball in the net twice here but they've both been disallowed so it's nice to get it done and very pleasing that it was in such an important game.

"Grant Holt had a little word as we were lining up in the box and said he was going to go one way and I was going to go the other way just to fool the defender. He bought it, Grant blocked him and I had a free header."

It is a first title success for Nelson, who has yet to play at Championship level.

He said: "It's the first time I've done it. I've had a promotion before but just as runners-up, been to a play-off final and a play-off semi, but it's nice to do it with a bit of breathing space before the end of the season.

"The gaffer said before the game and after last week's game no one remembers the runners-up, people who finish second. So it's nice to go out and do the job and finish it and I hope by the end of the season we can be top of the league with quite a number of points gap, just to prove that we fully deserved it."

Norwich captain Grant Holt had every praise for his team-mates after the game, including for goal hero Michael Nelson.

"He's an unsung hero," the City skipper told the Eastern Daily Press. "He heads it, he kicks it and people sometimes don't realise and they get on his back a little that he doesn't keep the ball, but he's playing on the left-hand side and he's a right-footed centre-half.

"But I'd say in the last three or four months he's probably been the most solid performer we've had and he's doesn't really get the plaudits.

"Today he had Rene Howe and (Dennis) Oli, a handful up front, and I think he probably won 95 per cent of his headers, and he deserves this. He's a great lad and it was fantastic to see him get the goal last week and get the goal today."

He continued: "It's great. I've enjoyed my time here at the football club and it's an absolute honour to be captain of this football club and to lift the trophy too will be absolutely amazing.

"It's been a long time coming. We've been waiting for it to come and now we've actually done it probably the realisation will kick in this week that we're going to do it and I can't wait to get my hands on it and get us back in the Championship.

"It's been a long slog, it's been hard, we've been to some tough grounds and teams that have come here and sat in and tribute to the lads in there, they've been absolutely fantastic every game.

"You see today a performance which wasn't great. I thought we were a bit sloppy on the ball, but we dug in again - that's how we've done it all year. We've dug in, backs against the wall we've come out fighting and today we've got another 2-0 win and it's absolutely fantastic to top it off to win the league.

"We didn't want to bow, we didn't want people to do us any favours, the likes of Leeds losing, we wanted to do it off our own bat. We knew obviously the fans would come for a party and we tried to get our heads around it a little bit and realise that we hadn't done it, it wasn't mathematically done it. We were a bit edgy first half, but I'm sure the fans will go away absolutely delighted, like all the lads are in there."

He added: "This league's a tough league and I think people don't give it as much respect as it really deserves," said Holt. "It's not easy. You look at Leeds - they've been in it a lot of seasons now. And Forest, they came down, and Sheffield Wednesday, it took them a while.

"It's not easy and to bounce back at the first attempt we're absolutely delighted and I think it's more relief in there and more enjoyment that we have actually got the job done.

"The manager, a few games ago, when we played at home to Southampton, said, 'do you want to win the league?' and we bounced back and it's great for him today.

"Unfortunately he was in the stands seeing it, but I'm sure he will enjoy the next two weeks."