Norwich City will hope Celtic, West Brom transfer miss doesn't haunt them in the play-offs: View | OneFootball

Norwich City have put themselves in pole position for the final play-off spot in the Championship this season, with their superb form since the turn of the year seeing them steal a march on many of their rivals.

Only three clubs have picked up more points than David Wagner’s side since New Year’s Day, with their return of 54 points in 2024 bettered only by Leeds United,Southampton and local rivals Ipswich Town.

Victory over Preston North End last weekend further cemented their position in the top six, with one of their nearest challengers seen off thanks to a Gabriel Sara strike four minutes from time, leaving them with a six-point buffer heading into the final few matches of the season.

If the Norfolk side do make it into the end-of-season lottery, they may come up against a player they were rumoured to be interested in during the recent January transfer window, and will hope he doesn’t have the last laugh in the race for the Premier League.

Mikey Johnston continues to impress for West Bromwich Albion after Celtic switch

West Bromwich Albion’s Mikey Johnston has been a revelation since joining the club in January, with the Celtic loanee thriving in his time south of the border.

With seven goals and one assist to his name during his time at the Hawthorns, the Irish international has produced countless moments of quality to aid his side’s playoff push in the second half of the campaign.

The sight of the tricky winger cutting in and converting audacious efforts time and time again will be hard viewing for those of a Norwich persuasion, with the East Anglians said to be interested in a move for the 25-year-old earlier in the year.

Alas, it was the Baggies who won the race for the Celtic man’s signature, and they haven’t looked back since being able to call on his services on the left side of attack in recent months.

After a couple of substitute appearances after making the move from Glasgow, Johnston wasted no time in getting on the scoresheet in his first start for Albion, with a goal within the opening minute in a 2-0 victory over Cardiff City.

The Irishman continued to make a name for himself from there on, with some superb strikes earning his side points in February in March, as Plymouth Argyle and Coventry City will know all too well.

Those two goals were almost carbon-copies of one another, as the wide man glided past defenders from his post out on the left flank, before unleashing an unstoppable drive into the corner to get his name on the scoresheet.

Further strikes against Queens Park Rangers and Huddersfield Town followed, before notching his latest goal for the club in a 2-2 draw with Stoke City earlier this month, while continuously causing havoc among Championship defences.

The way the Albion loanee can skip past would-be tacklers as if they aren’t even there is such a powerful weapon to possess, and the Baggies have been utilising that to their advantage since his arrival.

West Bromwich Albion, Norwich City Championship playoff picture

With the playoff picture looking how it does at the moment, it looks as if West Brom and Norwich will avoid each other in the playoff semi-finals, with their most likely meeting coming in the showdown at Wembley should both teams make it that far.

The issue for the Canaries if they come up against Johnston is their susceptibility for conceding goals away from home, with only the bottom two in the Championship - Rotherham United and Sheffield Wednesday - conceding at a more frequent rate than their 1.86 concessions per 90 on the road.

Although Wembley is a neutral venue, without the home comforts of Carrow Road surrounding them, City will have to be at their best to contain any opposition advances if they were to reach the 90-minute showdown for Premier League football.

It would be a cruel twist of fate if Johnston was to be the man to seal their fate this season, with all those with yellow and green at their heart left ruing a missed opportunity in the transfer market, and left staring another season of second tier football in the face.