Norwich City hero Grant Holt issues cheeky Ipswich Town dig | OneFootball

Norwich City icon Grant Holt has poked fun at Ipswich Town ahead of the biggest East Anglian derby clash in years at Carrow Road...

Norwich City hero Grant Holt has poked fun at Ipswich Town ahead of the biggest East Anglian derby in years, with the pair both in the battle for promotion from the Championship this season.

Norwich City can dent Ipswich Town's automatic promotion hopes with victory on Saturday, while also needing a win to keep any play-off hopes alive with five games to go. Realistically, Philippe Clement's side need to win all of their remaining games to have any chance.

It's the biggest this fixture has felt since the pair met in the 2014/25 Championship play-off semi-finals, with Norwich coming out on top 4-2 on aggregate. Overall, the Canaries have a fantastic record in this fixture over the last 17 years.

A 3-2 loss in April 2009 was then followed by eight wins, six draws, and just the one defeat. However, that loss came this season in October, with Liam Manning lasting just six more games after the 3-1 defeat at Portman Road.

Grant Holt pokes fun ahead of Ipswich Town's trip to Norwich City

Grant Holt played for Norwich for four years between 2009 and 2013, including two seasons in the Premier League and one in the Championship. In his one season of second tier football, he met Ipswich in two memorable clashes.

That season, they won 5-1 and 4-1. Holt played in both matches, and three times against Ipswich overall in his career. He scored three and assisted two in those matches, which includes a hat-trick in the 4-1 triumph back in November 2010.

The last Norwich player to score a hat-trick against Ipswich in the East Anglian derby was Holt, which remains one of the most iconic moments in Norwich's modern history. The centre-forward was someone who led the line with power and intelligence in terms of his movement.

It was a display of ruthless finishing, with Holt dismantling their fiercest rivals in a 4-1 victory at Carrow Road. It also wasn’t just a hat-trick, but a legacy-defining display that cemented his place in Norwich folklore forever. Ahead of tomorrow's clash, Holt reminded Ipswich of that fact.

Now an ambassador for Norwich, Holt posted the above on X (formerly Twitter) teasing their rivals. He said: "Good morning, sometimes videos don't need words. See you all tomorrow 😃"

Is Grant Holt perhaps hinting at a score prediction here? What is yours ahead of tomorrow? Comment below!

The video includes the signed match ball from the very day he struck three goals, with Holt zooming in on the 4-1 scoreline, before picking up a Norwich mug with 4-1 on the back of it.

Grant Holt's Norwich City legacy

Holt scored 38 goals for Rochdale, which was the second most in his career and a whopping 40 behind his Norwich record. In fact, Holt scored 78 and notched 35 assists in 168 games for the Canaries.

It cannot be argued that he left an indelible mark on Norwich across four unforgettable years, evolving from a lower-league signing into a modern club icon. His goals fired Norwich to back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League, too.

His 30-goal haul in the 2009/10 title-winning campaign set the tone. Holt’s physical presence, leadership, but also knack for decisive moments made him the focal point of Paul Lambert’s side. Norwich were an impressive force.

His unforgettable hat-trick against Ipswich may be what immortalised him among supporters, but it was his performances in the Premier League, including bagging 15 goals in 2011/12, which proved he could deliver at the highest level. Talismanic, Holt embodied the club’s resurgence, ensuring his legacy as a true Carrow Road hero.