The moment that perhaps best summarises Norwich’s revival this season is not a goal or a win. In fact it didn’t even happen on the pitch.

It was New Year’s Day and took place at about 12 noon as the Magpie and Crown pub was opening. One of the Norwich supporters groups had sent a message to the club’s board to see if one of them fancied joining fans for a drink prior to the away match against Brentford. As the pub opened, not one but all of the Norwich board members - including joint majority shareholder Delia Smith - entered. They then spent the next couple of hours drinking with the Norwich and slightly disbelieving Brentford fans, while in Smith's case happily posing for selfies.

Such a move was typical of a club where the owners and supporters enjoy a positive relationship that is becoming increasingly rare. In a period that has seen clubs like Blackpool, Coventry and Charlton suffer so badly in this regard, Norwich offers a reassuring counterpoint.

The harmony off the pitch has translated to stunning results on it. After a run of six straight wins, Norwich are four points clear at the top of the Championship and on the verge of promotion.

For a team that finished 14th last season and then sold James Maddison and Josh Murphy for a combined £33.5m in the summer, it has been a remarkable turnaround.

Things looked bleak last summer when Norwich sold star player James Maddison to Leicester credit: Getty Images

And in the context of a division where Birmingham City have just been deducted nine points for reckless spending, and others - including Aston Villa, Derby County and Sheffield Wednesday - are fearful of similar punishments, Norwich’s progress has been a victory for careful planning and team building.

There's also the fact that while much has been made of how the Premier League would benefit from Leeds’ return, Norwich too would be a welcome re-addition. They have the pedigree of a third-place finish in the first ever Premier League season, the vibrant fans in yellow and green who stayed loyal in the dark League One days, and come from a corner of the country that is currently unrepresented in the top flight.

So as they close in on a Premier League return, this is how Norwich have put themselves on the verge of a minor footballing miracle.

Farke Life

Nowhere has the club’s patience been more rewarded than with manager Daniel Farke, a smart tactician whose 1990s-style centre parting gives him the air of an ageing rocker. Following that disappointing 14th-placed finish in his first season after joining from Borussia Dortmund’s reserve team two years ago, most clubs would have been tempted to end the experiment there and then. But Norwich’s owners - and in particular the man who hired him, sporting director Stuart Webber - thought differently. Recognising that Farke’s expansive, play-it-out-from-the-back philosophy would not yield results overnight, they stuck with him.

The results this season have been spectacular. After a slow start that saw Norwich win just one of their first six games, the players have adjusted to Farke’s methods and flourished. The team's high-tempo approach has consistently overwhelmed Championship opponents, and they are currently on a run of eight victories from nine matches.

Darren Wilson, a 43-year-old carpenter who organises the South West Canaries fans group, reflects the mood at the club when he says it’s the most exciting team he can remember in his 30-plus years of supporting Norwich. Discussing his style, Farke sees himself as a disciple of Pep Guardiola and Thomas Tuchel, and admits: “We want to be the protagonists. If we could choose, we would have the ball for 90 minutes. We want to play with passes. We can't guarantee success but we can work on having a big opportunity to win games.”

Those “big opportunities” have increasingly been seized by his players, most notably at the start of February when Norwich destroyed Leeds 3-1 at Elland Road. And if you want to see Farke-Ball in action, look up Norwich’s three first-half goals at Bolton last month, and witness the dizzying speed with which they move play from one half to the other. At times like these, Farke’s Dortmund background can be seen writ large.

Daniel Farke has formed a close bond with the Norwich supporters credit: Getty Images

This relentless approach has often left opponents panting come the final stages of matches. It’s at this point that Norwich, like a seasoned marathon runner, sense their moment to kick on for the finish line. In the last 15 minutes of games, Norwich have picked up comfortably the most points and scored the most goals of any team in the Championship this season. Scoring twice in stoppage time to beat Millwall 4-3 and then doing so again to salvage a draw 3-3 against Nottingham Forest have been among a number of memorable late shows.

Farke’s influence also extends beyond tactics and team talks. In keeping with the club’s culture, he has immersed himself in the community, and in February attended a midweek fans’ forum at Carrow Road hosted by former winger Darren Eadie. After answering supporters’ questions for more than an hour, he stayed for a further hour to sign autographs and have his picture taken.

For a family-friendly outfit, Farke is the ideal face - warm, engaging and someone who genuinely seems to love the area and the club. He says he has two homes - one in Norfolk and one in Germany - and routinely describes Norwich as a “massive club”.

With such excellent results and public relations, it's easy to see why Farke has been compared with his compatriot and fellow Dortmund alumnus Jurgen Klopp.

Shrewd signings

Another similarity with Klopp is Farke’s eye for a bargain. Despite selling Maddison and Murphy in the summer, Farke’s transfer budget was minimal. So he got creative, and pulled off a number of masterstrokes - most notably bringing in striker Teemu Pukki on a free, and playmaker Emiliano Buendia from Getafe for just £1.5m.

Pukki, a 28-year-old Finn whose only previous exposure to British football was a disappointing season at Celtic, has been a revelation. He has scored 24 league goals in 35 matches, and provides the cutting edge that was so missing from Norwich’s play last season.

Buendia meanwhile is adored on the terraces and provides the guile and creativity to unlock deep-lying defences. Or, to borrow a phrase from the Norwich faithful: “He's 5 foot 7, he's football heaven.”

Farke’s knowledge of German football has also seen him raid the lower leagues there and bring in previously unknown talents like midfielder Marco Stiepermann and Onel Hernandez for a pittance. Both have been key in the promotion push and managed to help offset the seemingly devastating loss of Maddison and Murphy.

Hernandez endeared himself further to supporters in January when he declared his love for Argos. "It has everything and I've never seen anything like this in my life before," Hernandez said, instantly achieving cult hero status in he process.

Teemu Pukki has been a huge success since joining Norwich in the summer credit: Getty Images

The kids are alright

As well as cheap signings, Farke has also turned to another staple of the cash-strapped manager: giving youth a chance.

The full-backs Jamal Lewis, 21 and Max Aarons, 19 have been especially impressive - and epitomise the fast, dynamic football that Farke demands. Both have been named in the Championship team of the season, with right-back Aarons drawing comparisons with Kyle Walker and representing many supporters’ choice for player of the year. Farke said of Aarons amid rumoured interest from Tottenham: “He totally buys into our philosophy and our idea of how we want to develop him.”

The versatile 21 year old Ben Godfrey meanwhile has looked so accomplished as a ball-playing centre-back that Manchester United are reportedly weighing up a £10 million bid. Academy graduate Todd Cantwell, also 21, has managed to break into the side this year - though recent injuries have stalled his progress.

With so much at stake, Farke’s willingness to rely on youngsters and allow them to make mistakes has been extremely refreshing.

All for one

Augmenting Farke’s brave selections has been the support of his more experienced players - even those who have been sidelined this season.

Take Jordan Rhodes for instance, who has been peripheral since arriving from Sheffield Wednesday on loan in the summer. It would have been easy for Rhodes to feel resentful at his reduced status, but instead he has acted as a cheerleader and helped ensure the squad remains united. After a brief cameo against Rotherham in Norwich’s most recent match, he celebrated feverishly with his team-mates as if he’d played all match rather than for a single minute.

The ability to manage a squad is a prerequisite for any title-chasing team, and Farke has done it primarily by enforcing a consistent, meritocratic approach. No player is bigger than the team, and throughout the season players who have come in and performed well have kept their place. Take Christoph Zimmerman and Godfrey for instance, who have seized their chance and left former mainstays Tim Klose and Grant Hanley unable to force their way back into the side. Midfielders Tom Trybull and Kenny McLean are among others who have made themselves undroppable.

Competition for places is fierce as we enter the home straight, with players knowing that only performances - not reputations - will see them stay in the team.

Off-pitch harmony

Speaking to Norwich supporters, it is striking how impressed they are with the club’s hierarchy. Andrew Richley, the chairman of the Capital Canaries group, has been going to Norwich games for more than 50 years and says that the board’s willingness to engage makes a huge difference to how supporters feel about the club. Smith in particular remains very popular, and is a regular at Capital Canaries events.

Away from the board level, there is a feeling that everyone at the club - irrespective of their seniority - is working in the same direction. This has created a powerful energy for Farke to harness and has helped to build what looks like unstoppable momentum.

Delia Smith epitomises Norwich's committed approach at board level credit: Getty Images

Sporting director Webber, who previously worked at Huddersfield and was the man responsible for hiring Farke, has been similarly adept at feeding off the supporters’ enthusiasm. Like Farke and Smith, he has attended fans events and gives the impression of being available and passionate about the club.

Then there are fans’ favourites from years gone by, like Eadie and Darren Huckerby who remain visible at the club - helping to foster a sense of identity. Former striker Grant Holt meanwhile joined the academy’s coaching staff when he retired last summer.

None of these things will guarantee a club is successful, but for Norwich this season they have built a powerful sense of unity in a league where many of their rivals are ridden with factions and divisions.

The final furlongs

With eight games left and a five-point lead over third placed Leeds, Norwich should have enough to get over the line. Farke would then have to perform miracles on a shoestring budget to keep the side in the Premier League.

There is hope that the team’s expansive style of play will suit the top division, but also a feeling that a new goalkeeper - current first choice Tim Krul has not always convinced - and an additional striker will be essential to their hopes of survival. Not signing Ricky van Wolfswinkel for a club-record fee would also be welcomed.

Thankfully, it’s extremely unlikely that Norwich will spend beyond their means to try and cope. A look down at the Championship clubs below them underlines the folly in such an approach.

Instead they would hope to prove, as they have done this season, that community spirit, patience and planning can still be a successful formula in modern football.