Long Balls has always been suspicious of pro athletes who talk of "peaking at the right time," convinced it was simply a convenient excuse for the fact they'd been half-assing it for the majority of the season up until that moment.
But we do grant that there are instances, special periods of time, in which skill, dramatic fortune and plain old-fashioned perseverance combine beautifully for an athlete. And they do so at a time when his team and the city or country he represents absolutely need it most.
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His three goals in one match, including the game-winner with the game's last kick, allowed Norwich to hold on to second place in the Championship and the automatic promotion to the Premier League next season that comes with it.
Jackson has eight goals in six matches. And it's truly amazing how fortunes can turn in a matter of days. For most of the European season Long Balls has been not so subtly highlighting how Jackson's goal-scoring ability had deserted him completely. Now he's the toast of the town amongst Norwich supporters. The same supporters that, along with managers, tend to have a short memory. Jackson's end-of-season scoring tear will surely leave a lasting imprint in management's mind when it comes to deciding who stays and who doesn't in the Premier League.
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Other notable Canadian performances from the week.
Julian Uccello, Casale (Italian fourth division)
The Ontario native did not play in his club's 1-0 victory over Montichiari on the weekend, but he's at the centre of some additional positive news relating to Canadian internationals. The Serie B club Uccello is on loan from - Crotone - sit mid-table, five points out of a playoff spot for Serie A promotion with five games left in the season.
Yes, Uccello suiting up in the Serie A would require winning numbers on several longshot bets - Crotone making the playoffs, Crotone making it through the playoffs, and Crotone deciding to keep Uccello around once they arrived in the top flight - but the fact these bets even exist means that Uccello joins Rob Friend (already promoted to the Bundesliga), Simeon Jackson and Marcel de Jong in a group of Canadians who could potentially be playing at the absolute top level in world football next year.
Josh Simpson, Manisaspor (Turkish first division)
He played 72 minutes in a 2-1 loss to Bursaspor on the weekend. You're starting to worry us a bit here at Long Balls Josh. You've concocted a wonderful season for yourself but you haven't scored in Turkish league play since February 27, your longest run this season without a goal.
Issey Nakajima-Farran, Horsens (Danish first division)
The Canada Mens' National team David Usher doppelganger (based on only a partial resemblance and lazily nominated so by Long Balls) was subbed in at the 76th minute and scored in a 2-0 victory over Lyngby. Canada manager Stephen Hart will be pleased to see his most consistent choice from the subs bench scoring after coming on as a sub.
Rob Friend, Hertha Berlin (German second division*)
The asterisk beside the word 'second' is there because Hertha have won promotion to the Bundesliga next season. Friend had 23 appearances for 1,125 minutes and four goals with Hertha in 2010-11. Let's hope he's still there next year.
Fifth paragraph corrected to show that Simeon Jackson has eight goals in six games, not six goals.