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Norwich City 4-1 Town
Norwich City 4-1 Town
Sunday, 28th Nov 2010 15:33 by TWTD.co.uk

A Grant Holt hat-trick condemned 10-man Town to a disastrous 4-1 defeat to Norwich at Carrow Road. Holt appeared to handle the ball in the run-up to the opening goal, but Town struck back through Delaney soon after. Holt added his second before Delaney was red-carded for hauling down the Norwich skipper, then after the break Holt netted his third and sub Wes Hoolahan completed the scoring.

Defender Darren O’Dea was back from Glasgow, where he has been with his expectant girlfriend, to take his place on the left of the Town defence, while Márton Fülöp returned in goal in place of Brian Murphy.

Otherwise, Roy Keane’s side was largely predictable with Gianni Zuiverloon coming in for his debut at right-back and Tamás Priskin starting ahead of Jason Scotland up front. Town’s second new loan signing, striker Rory Fallon, started on the bench alongside Argentinian midfielder Luciano Civelli, who was back in the Blues 18 for the first time since suffering a multi-ligament injury 20 months ago.

Town hit the game’s first shot on goal in the second minute, Jason Scotland laying the ball back to Grant Leadbitter just outside the area and the former Sunderland man shooting to John Ruddy’s left, the former Cambridge keeper saving comfortably.

A minute later there was an early outbreak of handbags when Canaries skipper kicked Jack Colback from behind, Leadbitter reacting angrily and shoving the one-time Forest frontman. Most of the rest of the players joined in before referee Keith Hill regained control and booked Holt and Leadbitter.

On nine there were appeals for a Norwich penalty when Chris Martin was found in space in the area, however, his first touch took the ball away from him towards winger Andrew Surman and the two collided with Blues right-back Gianni Zuiverloon appearing to have little to do with their coming together.

The home side went ahead in the 12th minute in controversial circumstances. A Town corner was cleared to halfway where O’Dea was put under pressure by Holt, who used his hand to take the ball away from the on-loan Celtic defender, before taking it into the box and beating Fülöp.

The Blues looked to hit straight back, Ruddy pushing Priskin’s low cross into the middle of the penalty area but with no Town man on hand to take advantage. Moments later, Holt headed wide from a Surman cross.

Scotland struck a weak low effort to Ruddy in the 23rd minute, then on-loan Arsenal man Henri Lansbury curled a shot over Fülöp’s bar from the edge of the area.

The Canaries had got on top since their goal and in the 25th minute they came close to adding a second from a corner, Leon Barnett’s first effort deflecting to Andrew Crofts, who lobbed the ball into the grateful Fülöp’s arms.

Priskin headed a Leadbitter freekick over in the 27th minute, then two minutes later the Blues were on terms. Leadbitter sent in another freekick, this time from deep on the left, Tamás Priskin nodded the ball down and Damien Delaney stooped to head home at the post.

The home side went back in front in the 36th minute when Holt made a sharp run behind Delaney and Smith, O’Dea playing him onside, before tucking Lansbury’s pass beyond Fülöp.

Town’s afternoon got worse within a minute. Delaney dallied after intercepting a hook forwards on halfway, allowing Holt to dispossess him. The Norwich skipper had a free run on goal until he was upended by the Irishman, who was shown a straight red card for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity by referee Keith Hill. The only argument might have been the distance Holt was from Fülöp’s goal.

Zuiverloon was in ahead of Holt in the 41st minute to prevent the striker from netting his third as a Russell Martin’s cross flew in from the right, prior to the Blues swapping Jason Scotland for Colin Healy.

Delaney’s red card had seen O’Dea move to centre-half and Colback to left-back. Healy slotted into the left of midfield to shore things up with the Canaries having dominated since the red card.

Neither side particularly threatened in the closing stages and it was the home fans who cheered the whistle.

Town had been unfortunate that Holt’s handball hadn’t been spotted on the first goal, although O’Dea ought to have dealt with it more decisively, and did well to get back into the match via Delaney’s header.

The double blow of the Canaries’ well-worked second and Delaney’s sending off looked to have given the Blues an impossible task, although in the latter stages they had one or two dangerous moments on the break.

Leadbitter struck the second half’s first strike through to Ruddy off a defender, then Crofts shot just over Fülöp’s bar from 25 yards.

David Fox’s effort flew low to Fülöp’s right in the 53rd minute, the keeper saving, then at the other end Zuiverloon saw a shot blocked with the Blues continuing to look something of a threat on the break but without seriously testing Ruddy.

Holt headed straight to Fülöp on 58 with the Canaries dominating possession. On 61 David Norris was booked for a foul on Lansbury.

Norwich went close to going further ahead in the 66th minute when Lansbury crossed from the right and, after Zuiverloon had only managed to get a slight touch, Fülöp blocked Martin’s shot. Soon after, Rory Fallon replaced Zuiverloon for his Town debut, joining Priskin up front.

Lansbury shot over after a corner had been half-cleared, prior to Grant Holt completing his hat-trick in the 76th minute. Town failed to clear on the Norwich left and Martin eventually cut the ball back to Holt and the Canaries skipper slammed the ball across Fülöp and into the net for the first East Anglian derby hat-trick since Alex Mathie’s in the Blues’ 5-0 at Portman Road in 1998.

Two minutes later and Town’s afternoon had got even worse. Martin played the ball into Hoolahan’s path as he broke into the area on the Canaries’ left and the sub flicked the ball over Fülöp for his side’s fourth.

O’Dea headed wide prior to Troy Brown taking over from Tamás Priskin, then with five minutes remaining Holt was subbed to a standing ovation from the home fans.

Leadbitter sent a freekick into Ruddy’s midriff, then Healy sent a dangerous ball across the Norwich area but no one could add the final touch. Moments later, Ruddy blocked from Colback as the on-loan Sunderland man tried to play the ball across the edge of the six-yard box. Soon after, the midfielder was booked for throwing the ball away at a freekick.

In the game’s final minute Simeon Jackson, who once spent time training with the Town academy, went to ground inside the box under pressure from Carlos Edwards, referee Hill feeling the Canadian had made a lot of the contact and showing the ex-Gillingham man a yellow card.

The whistle went to inevitable cheers from the home fans, derby pride this time going their way. At 2-1 it had looked an even game, but the sending off tipped things firmly in the home side’s favour. Delaney’s foul had been rash with Holt having a lot to do before he could have converted the chance.

Town defended as best they could in the second half but as they looked to press more for an equaliser the third and fourth goals came.

The result — the Blues fourth successive defeat — will heap more pressure on manager Roy Keane, already under fire from significant numbers of supporters even before today’s heaviest ever loss to Norwich City.

Town: Fülöp, Zuiverloon (Fallon 69), O’Dea, Delaney, Smith, Leadbitter, Norris, Edwards, Colback, Scotland (Healy 42), Priskin (Brown 80). Unused: Murphy, O’Connor, Livermore, Civelli.

Norwich City: Ruddy, R Martin, Lappin, Barnett, Ward, Fox, Crofts, Lansbury (Smith 81), Surman (Hoolahan 65), C Martin, Holt (Jackson 85). Unused: Rudd, Nelson, Johnson, McNamee. Referee: Keith Hill (Hertfordshire). Att: 26,513.

Story syndicated from TWTD.co.uk

Photo: Action Images



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