After a week’s holidaying in North Norfolk I arrived back in the City on Friday afternoon and eased my way towards the big fixture against Scunthorpe. Driving through Kelling, near Cromer, on Friday morning I remarked to my good lady that the primary school football pitch at the small village school was the sort I used to ply my trade on in the early-to-mid 1980s while I was at Hingham Primary School. “We used to sometimes turn up with eleven players and we’d have to give the other school a couple as they used to be short - sometimes we’d play nine against nine.” And it was this thought that was in my mind after half an hour of this match against lowly Scunthorpe. New Iron manager Alan Knill had just seen his side reduced to ten men after a trip on Grant Holt and the skipper tucked away his penalty to give Norwich a 2-0 lead. I suppose had we leant them Elliot Ward and maybe given them Holt too, that may have made an even contest of it. It was safe to say that in this game, a nine man Norwich side would probably have beaten a 12-man Scunthorpe side, such was the gulf in class. Hopefully the two sides will both be in different leagues this season, with Norwich heading for the Premier League. Today at least, the gulf was massive. With striker Aaron Wilbraham ruled out for the season, recent loan addition Dani Pacheco was given a start alongside Grant Holt up front and it took just ten minutes for the two to combine to give Norwich the lead. Holt’s penalty made it 2-0 and with half an hour left, City wrapped up the points with Holt grabbing his hat-trick. Game over then, but more was to happen. Wes Hoolahan limped out of the game, Grant Holt was rested and City handed a debut to their second recent addition, Sam Vokes, who ended the game up front alongside Simeon Jackson. Jackson grabbed a fourth and then a fifth and in stoppage time helped himself to an unlikely quick-fire hat-trick. Plus points from today? Well, Pacheco looks a great player and seemed to effortlessly slip into the City system. Praise too for Marc Tierney who pelts forward with all the pace and purpose of Ashley Cole. At sometimes it seemed both he and Russell Martin were actually playing up front. The crowd too were excellent today, and it was great to see former City man Michael Nelson get such a great reception. He was a top servant when the club went through tricky times, but I can’t be alone in thinking it was great to see him again at Carrow Road and not in a Norwich shirt!
Saturday, 2 April 2011
Effortless Norwich put sorry Scunthorpe to the slaughter
After a week’s holidaying in North Norfolk I arrived back in the City on Friday afternoon and eased my way towards the big fixture against Scunthorpe. Driving through Kelling, near Cromer, on Friday morning I remarked to my good lady that the primary school football pitch at the small village school was the sort I used to ply my trade on in the early-to-mid 1980s while I was at Hingham Primary School. “We used to sometimes turn up with eleven players and we’d have to give the other school a couple as they used to be short - sometimes we’d play nine against nine.” And it was this thought that was in my mind after half an hour of this match against lowly Scunthorpe. New Iron manager Alan Knill had just seen his side reduced to ten men after a trip on Grant Holt and the skipper tucked away his penalty to give Norwich a 2-0 lead. I suppose had we leant them Elliot Ward and maybe given them Holt too, that may have made an even contest of it. It was safe to say that in this game, a nine man Norwich side would probably have beaten a 12-man Scunthorpe side, such was the gulf in class. Hopefully the two sides will both be in different leagues this season, with Norwich heading for the Premier League. Today at least, the gulf was massive. With striker Aaron Wilbraham ruled out for the season, recent loan addition Dani Pacheco was given a start alongside Grant Holt up front and it took just ten minutes for the two to combine to give Norwich the lead. Holt’s penalty made it 2-0 and with half an hour left, City wrapped up the points with Holt grabbing his hat-trick. Game over then, but more was to happen. Wes Hoolahan limped out of the game, Grant Holt was rested and City handed a debut to their second recent addition, Sam Vokes, who ended the game up front alongside Simeon Jackson. Jackson grabbed a fourth and then a fifth and in stoppage time helped himself to an unlikely quick-fire hat-trick. Plus points from today? Well, Pacheco looks a great player and seemed to effortlessly slip into the City system. Praise too for Marc Tierney who pelts forward with all the pace and purpose of Ashley Cole. At sometimes it seemed both he and Russell Martin were actually playing up front. The crowd too were excellent today, and it was great to see former City man Michael Nelson get such a great reception. He was a top servant when the club went through tricky times, but I can’t be alone in thinking it was great to see him again at Carrow Road and not in a Norwich shirt!
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