The Best Free Kick I've Ever Seen by a Norwich City Player

[Thirsty Lizard 2,731]

Dowell, yesterday!

I've been around long enough to see plenty of great City free-kick takers. Paddon, Peters, Ryan, Crook, Adams, Snodgrass, Pilkington, Maddison and Vrancic to name just some of them.

However, technically speaking, Dowell's goal yesterday was the best I've ever seen.

We often hear how a free kick can sometimes be too close, in that it's very difficult to get the ball up and over the wall and then down under the bar again.

Dowell's free kick yesterday was only a yard outside the box from only a slight angle and yet he not only got it up and down again, but did so at a speed so fast that the goalie was never going to save it in a million years. By comparison Vrancic's free kick against Sheffield Wednesday (although brilliant in its own right) was much slower - and had the goalie gambled by taking a step to his left just before Mario struck it he would probably have saved it. Marshall wouldn't have saved Dowell's effort yesterday even if he had gambled in this way.

Technically brilliant from Dowell. 

[It's Character Forming 1,101]

Funnily I was just thinking the same, it was definitely too close to the edge of the box to be ideal free kick territory and we've been used to Vrancic recently as the best FK taker.  But to get that one on target at speed from there is even better so I'd say Dowell is now first choice on that side regardless of who's on the pitch with him.

[TIL 1010 4,103]

Martin O'Neill away at the Scum to seal a 3-2 win back in the early 80's sticks out for me.

[Thirsty Lizard 2,731]

9 minutes ago, TIL 1010 said:

Martin O'Neill away at the Scum to seal a 3-2 win back in the early 80's sticks out for me.

Yes, good shout TIL,  that was a brilliant free kick as well. With the outside of the boot if I remember correctly so technically brilliant in a slightly different way. 

[dylanisabaddog 3,515]

3 minutes ago, TIL 1010 said:

Martin O'Neill away at the Scum to seal a 3-2 win back in the early 80's sticks out for me.

Only just got my voice back

[Matt Juler 119]

Think I can recall Pilkington scoring one quite similar, maybe a little further out. 

[Thirsty Lizard 2,731]

24 minutes ago, Matt Juler said:

Think I can recall Pilkington scoring one quite similar, maybe a little further out. 

This is probably the one you're thinking of Matt - away at Villa. Brilliant free kick, but as you say from a little further out, and he actually went to the keepers side rather than over the wall. 

 

[Branston Pickle 3,098]

I think Lappin scored an important one at Luton a few years back, and of course Mario has had a couple of decent efforts, but Dowell’s was top class

Edited April 11, 2021 by Branston Pickle

[duke63 427]

So not this one?

 

[Ken Hairy 3,104]

Yeah Dowells was great, but Vrancic v Sheff Weds was better. 

[Thirsty Lizard 2,731]

15 minutes ago, duke63 said:

So not this one?

 

I've explained above why technically  Dowell's free kick yesterday was better than this one. Dowell's free kick was from closer (therefore making it more difficult) and in spite of this Dowell hit his free kick quite a bit harder than Mario hit his.

(As I said in my OP, Mario's free kick against Sheffield Wednesday was brilliant in its own right). 

[Thirsty Lizard 2,731]

9 minutes ago, Ken Hairy said:

Yeah Dowells was great, but Vrancic v Sheff Weds was better. 

Technically speaking it absolutely wasn't!!!!!

[Ken Hairy 3,104]

Just now, Thirsty Lizard said:

Technically speaking it absolutely wasn't!!!!!

Technically speaking it absolutely was , not much difference in the distance but with so much more added pressure it was better in EVERY aspect than Dowells. Dowells was great though. 

[MORDENCANARY 59]

1 hour ago, TIL 1010 said:

Martin O'Neill away at the Scum to seal a 3-2 win back in the early 80's sticks out for me.

I remember Martin O'Neill's last minute winner at Portman Rd back in 1982. I was right in line with it behind the goal.

[TIL 1010 4,103]

25 minutes ago, MORDENCANARY said:

I remember Martin O'Neill's last minute winner at Portman Rd back in 1982. I was right in line with it behind the goal.

That's the one.

[kick it off 1,894]

No keeper in the world would have got to dowell's yesterday. It was truly spectacular. The pace on it was ridiculous.

Absolutely the best free kick I've seen from a norwich player.

Mario's was brilliant, but could have been saved as outlined above. Would have been a world class save to get there but it was stoppable.

[Darth Canary1 91]

Crook's against Forest in the first year of the premier league always jumps to the forefront of my mind when thinking about free kicks.

[sonyc 4,873]

2 hours ago, Thirsty Lizard said:

Dowell, yesterday!

I've been around long enough to see plenty of great City free-kick takers. Paddon, Peters, Ryan, Crook, Adams, Snodgrass, Pilkington, Maddison and Vrancic to name just some of them.

However, technically speaking, Dowell's goal yesterday was the best I've ever seen.

We often hear how a free kick can sometimes be too close, in that it's very difficult to get the ball up and over the wall and then down under the bar again.

Dowell's free kick yesterday was only a yard outside the box from only a slight angle and yet he not only got it up and down again, but did so at a speed so fast that the goalie was never going to save it in a million years. By comparison Vrancic's free kick against Sheffield Wednesday (although brilliant in its own right) was much slower - and had the goalie gambled by taking a step to his left just before Mario struck it he would probably have saved it. Marshall wouldn't have saved Dowell's effort yesterday even if he had gambled in this way.

Technically brilliant from Dowell. 

I thought the same Thirsty and almost posted on the match thread that we had found our new Mario. It was hit so hard too and was unstoppable. Worthy of winning the match...and it was.

Mario's was more important in the context of the season probably because of how significant it was for our promotion hopes and crucially it was taken under the pressure cooker atmosphere of a hopeful Carrow Road. Mario needed nerves of steel. Dowell's was without the crowd and probably felt more like a training ground exercise ("Can i get this in the top bin" going through his mind!). 

Whatever, agree with your post, thanks and we have a real find in Kieran. It won't be his last from a free kick I'm sure (I chose him to score in the Pup's thread but my pick wasn't selected ).

Edited April 11, 2021 by sonyc

[PurpleCanary 4,967]

Referees are much better nowadays at getting the wall back a proper 10 yards, with the spray cans, which helped Vrancic and Dowell.

[Yellow and Green 325]

I won't get into which one was better, but I'll add my appreciation to Dowell's free kick.

What I admired was how inch perfect it was - a few inches above the wall and a couple of inches under the bar. Incredible, considering the speed he hit it at.

*Cue loads of jokes about inches...

[Thirsty Lizard 2,731]

11 minutes ago, PurpleCanary said:

Referees are much better nowadays at getting the wall back a proper 10 yards, with the spray cans, which helped Vrancic and Dowell.

And what helped Mario even more with his was the sneaky way he moved the ball back a couple of yards when the referee wasn't looking. Watch it again and when he is fouled Chris Goreham says on the commentary "free kick to Norwich in the D" and yet by the time Mario takes it the ball is a good 2 yards further back. 

[Gordon Bennett 630]

40 minutes ago, Darth Canary1 said:

Crook's against Forest in the first year of the premier league always jumps to the forefront of my mind when thinking about free kicks.

You beat me to it, totally agree. Live on Sky too. 

[AJ 1,170]

Mario's kick for the occasion was probably a "better" goal, but in terms of actual free kick taking they was absurd by Dowell and would have left any keeper flapping at it. 

Didn't Maddison score a belter the season before he left from a free kick in a similar position?

[AJ 1,170]

https://youtu.be/ln4_SNKbS_U

[It's Character Forming 1,101]

Also re-watching the Huddersfield highlights, Emi could easily have had a cracking free kick goal there, it only needed to be inches lower !

 

But I still agree with the OP, that one by Dowell from so close in was absolutely the best.

[WD40 710]

By the true meaning of ‘technically’, Dowell’s was technically better than Mario’s. The technique was better. 

[keelansgrandad 6,341]

Mal Lucas scored a screamer with the outside of his boot at the Barclay end in the 60s.

And twice more in the same season, smashed similar efforts against the bar and Ron Davies followed up and headed in.

[The Great Drinkell 49]

any free kick that goes in directly is a good free kick - but if you watch Marios again the keeper does "take a step" I thought Dowell's was literally unstopable.

[Crabbycanary3 994]

Martin O'Neills's and Mario's were amazing in their own right, because of the pressure and the execution, but Dowell's was, technically speaking, a 'Worldy'  

[wcorkcanary 4,251]

To achieve such a flat, powerful trajectory is not easy.  It's about as sweet a strike from that position that  you'll  see.