Josh Sargent’s stellar performance in the Championship has garnered praise from both Norwich City fans and interim Sunderland manager Mike Dodds.
His decisive goal against Sunderland secured a crucial 1-0 victory for Norwich at Carrow Road, further propelling their pursuit of a top-six position in the league standings.
With an impressive tally of 11 goals in 15 matches this season, including eight goals in 11 games since his return from an ankle injury, Sargent has played a pivotal role in Norwich’s resurgence.
Despite enduring a challenging period earlier in the season, his comeback has provided a significant boost to the team’s campaign.
Notably, Norwich has suffered just one defeat in matches where Sargent has been included in the starting lineup this season, underscoring his importance to the team’s success.
Dodds, having experienced firsthand the impact of Sargent’s abilities during Saturday’s match, attributes the American striker’s quality as the deciding factor in the closely contested game at Carrow Road.
As Sunderland grapples with a slump in form, Dodds is determined to address the team’s issues and vows to find solutions to improve their performance.
“Being brutally honest, they’ve got one of the best number nines in the league,” Dodds said at his pre-match press conference. “You can’t get away from that. I think he’s got 15 goals or something like that. So, I think that’s a factor.
“I think sometimes and I don’t like using this, the reality is the ball falls for you and sometimes it doesn’t. At the moment, it feels like we’re not getting the rub of the green a little bit. The type of coach I am, I don’t like to rely on that and you make your own fortunes.
“We’ve spoken about that internally with the players. We’ve got to just keep turning up and doubling down every day. If we stick to our processes, stick to how hard we’re working, one result will change our fortunes. Hopefully we’ll snowball from there.”