It’s been little over five years since Mario Vrancic’s memorable late strike fired Norwich City to a thrilling Championship title at Villa Park.

Five years for City that have seen a pair of Premier League relegations, one other Daniel Farke-inspired triumph and most recently, two seasons under Dean Smith and David Wagner that despite reaching the play-offs, will not go down as classics in the annals of Carrow Road.

Vrancic’s winner that day propelled City a whopping 18 points clear of a Smith-managed Aston Villa as the hosts, who languished down in fifth as the campaign concluded, eventually banished the demons of losing in the previous season’s play-off final to navigate their way back to the Premier League.

Fewer than 2,000 days since that unforgettable afternoon in the West Midlands - without doubt one of the greatest days in my City-supporting lifetime - the Canaries are embarking on their third consecutive Championship season under the impressive Johannes Hoff Thorup.

And while it may feel like the young Dane is already getting the good times back rolling in NR1, something significantly more special is happening back at the scene of that 2019 glory.

The Villains’ 1-0 win over Bayern Munich at a raucous Villa Park capped a remarkable rise from second-tier obscurity to dizzy Champions League heights, a triumph fuelled by another Jhon Duran wonderstrike that triggered scenes we could only dream of at Carrow Road.

And as a City fan enviously watching on, it’s difficult to deny being disappointed that we have gone from a club so far ahead of Villa that season to one now so drastically behind them in the space of just five years.

Of course, Villa are – and have always been – a significantly bigger club.

And of course, they are blessed with considerably greater financial firepower when it comes to signing – and attracting – big name players and managers.

But regardless, it is still a justifiable source of frustration that the tables have turned so dramatically in such a short space of time and the two clubs’ fortunes have taken such different trajectories.

We all know what’s happened at City.

A combination of a lack of investment, particularly in that first top-flight season under Farke, coupled with inadequate recruitment when we did splash the cash after bouncing straight back up condemned us back to life in the Championship.

And while Wagner managed to guide us into the play-offs after succeeding Smith in the hotseat, fans have been crying out for a young, fearless breath of fresh air like Thorup to kickstart a bold new era.

As for Villa, it’s not all been plain sailing – they survived relegation by the skin of their teeth with a precious, Jack Grealish-earned point to stay up on the final day in their first season back.

But since then, they have enjoyed an inexorable rise back to the big time that despite the failed tenure of Steven Gerrard, led to the appointment of Unai Emery and a return to dining at European football’s top table.

While City missed their chance and slumbered back into a side struggling to escape the Championship, owners Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris have worked wonders at Villa that on Wednesday night, reached their spinetingling zenith as super sub Duran’s sensational lob emulated their triumph over the German giants in the European Cup final 42 years ago.

Watching those stirring scenes at full-time did beg the question – will we ever see the like at Carrow Road?

Of course, it’s not like City have been starved of European football forever – we famously beat the same opponents in their own backyard and duelled it out with eventual winners Inter Milan in the last 16.

But after being such a superior side to Villa throughout that joyous 2018/19 season, it does feel slightly deflating to see an even greater chasm emerge in the opposite direction.

Sadly, the reality of modern football and its increasingly money-driven nature means it is unlikely that City will be able to, or ever even could have, done what Villa are currently doing.

And again, Villa obviously dwarf the Canaries in terms of club size – and deserve nothing but credit for engineering such a rapid rise from Championship play-off winners to potential Champions League contenders.

But just five years on from Vrancic's goal at the very same end as Duran’s midweek magic, City fans can feel understandably envious about the polarised paths the two clubs have taken.