Cameron Archer was more the player we hoped he would be, including scoring the first goal
Manager: Liam Manning
Manager: Will Still
After scoring Saints second goal, Fraser was quickly congratulated by Mads Roerslev (L) and Ross Stewart (R)
|Four games into the Season: 2 early wins followed by a draw at Ipswich, then a home defeat to table-topping Stoke. Mark Robins was delighted to leave SMS with 3 points, describing Saints as “a very good side”. His team certainly did a number on us.
Back to the League Cup at Carrow “Let’s be ‘Avin You!” Road. Norwich have lost both their home games 2-1 (to Boro’ and Millwall) but won by the same score at Fratton and Watford in this competition. Josh Sargent has scored in every game. Liam Manning usually sets up 3-4-2-1, but sometimes uses a back four.
With Will still searching for answers, he will again field a strong team at Norwich. With both Bree and Welington injured, will we finally see a back four with Mads and Manning flanking THB and Jack? The holding midfielders pick themselves, and I’d try AA, Matty and JR with The Loch Ness Drogba up top.
The Gaffer won’t want to lose this one, so I’m expecting a better performance from his side. Our squad when we last met Norwich in January last year looks somewhat stronger than the current crop. Let us hope that is no longer the case when we go there again in December.
|After threatening his “strongest side”, GWS made 7 changes from the Stoke defeat. Only Wood, Downes (captain), Charles, and Fraser remained, as McCarthy, Mads, Edwards, Quarshie, Manning, Stewart, and Archer joined them. Liam Manning only kept Darling and Topic from their Middlesboro side with 9 fresh faces.
Our ref was EFL stalwart Tom Nield, and the Sky+ commentator was Cameron Pope. Both sides lined up in their home kits.
Both sides had gone strong for the first round, but the impact of so many changes tonight was a chaotic first half hour as players struggled to get to grips with positions and relationships. Both were set up with 3 at the back. Norwich had a midfield 4 with two 10s playing behind Kvistgaarden. Saints, however, had Downes as a single pivot with Shea and Wee Man between the wingbacks and Stewart and Archer as twin strikers. Took me a while to see that Shea was not sitting but getting forward down our left.
The initial untidy play saw Saints win the first corner, which Fraser took and Norwich cleared. When the ball was recycled, Grimshaw was able to beat Stewart to the ball. On 9m Wood fouled their striker, and Norwich began to pen us in.
McCarthy collected the header from the original free kick, but as we played out, Norwich won the ball back and threatened us again. Wood blocked Topic’s shot for a corner. Gibbs’ cross was met by Darling, but his header was blocked. We then saw the big #6 launch two huge throws into our box, which we were able to clear.
There was a brief respite until LND fouled Darling, and Norwich got at us again. Kvistgaarten had a shot from the left, which McC turned away. Both sides struggled to hold the ball as misplaced passes kept turning over possession. The commentator used the term “disjointed” which I thought worthy of writing down.
On 18m, Saints got down the left and Fraser fired in a cross, but LND could not get a touch and Norwich cleared the ball. Next, it was Charles down our left, driving into the box. The ball broke to Stewart, who turned and shot, but a block saw the ball loop up and into the keeper’s gloves.
On 22m, Wood fouled their striker within shooting range of the goal. Jurasek took it on, beat our wall, but not McC, who tipped it over the bar. It was at this point that I realised the folly of watching Saints in the evening without a drink and resolved to get one at HT.
On 29m, Wood and Edwards went to head the same ball, but neither got it. Topic set up Jurasek, who drove a low shot, but McC again thwarted him, turning it past the post. The corner was delayed as Wood was bleeding and had to go off to have the wound stitched.
The corner came in, and Mads put it behind for another. Wood sprinted back to defend it but Darling won Gibbs’ cross, then stuck his header wide. On 36m, Mads progressed down his wing before finding Archer, whose shot cannoned off Darling for a corner.
Kvistgaarten knocked the ball behind for a corner, but ended up on the ground and needed the magic sponge. We’d seen brief glimpses of the Still Press, and it worked for us when Norwich next tried to play out, and every yellow shirt was marked. They coughed the ball up to Stewart, who found Cam Archer. He took one touch before curling the ball around the defender, the keeper and into the top corner. 0-1. Not since Northampton (A) had we taken a lead in a match.
Our next foray saw Shea cross from the left with Mads furthest forward but unable to connect. The Saints fans were giving us OWTS as +4m was displayed. Shea set up another decent chance for Ross, but he was again unable to get a touch. Perhaps try putting the ball in the air??
A string of niggly fouls filled the rest of the added time, and we reached half-time with a lead for the first time this season. Time for a G&T! That’s better.
Kvistgaaten didn’t reappear for the second half. Norwich sent on Makama to lead their front line. Shea got down the left and his cross earned the first corner of the half, but Manning’s cross was cleared. As Jurasek tried to bring the ball out, Josh stopped him in his tracks. He was shown the only yellow card in a match where the referee let a lot go.
We then won a corner on the right. Wee Man took this and found Edwards at the far side, but his header flew wide. Norwich’s next attack saw Makama win a corner off Josh down their right. Gibbs sent it over the wrestling mob in the box towards Schlupp on the far side. He hit a perfect volley and must have thought he’d scored, only for McCarthy to dive to his right and turn it away. He’d made some decent saves already, but that was a corker.
Their next attack saw Gibbs find Makama, but this time McC was able to watch his effort fly beyond his left post. Wood then left the pitch again briefly as his head wound was bleeding again. Play continued, and he rejoined soon after. Downes then broke up a Norwich attack with Makama taking a dive. The referee signalled for him to get up, and the game carried on.
Saints were looking better in this half. Maybe they were just enjoying being in front, or perhaps Will had reminded them to move the ball quicker and press Norwich whenever we lost it. They were certainly playing the more cohesive game.
Fraser got down the left but skewed his cross behind, and as the goal kick was taken, there were signs of impending substitutions by the dugouts. Before any changes were possible, the ball reached Manning on the left touchline. Looking up, he saw Fraser making a forward run down the middle, and he hit a curling pass beyond the Scot and his marker. Fraser angled his run behind the defender who tried to intercept the ball - and missed. Fraser ran onto it and rolled it past the keeper. 0-2: simple game, football!
Both Fraser and Manning then came off, with Matsuki and Taylor replacing them. Manning also made 2 changes, sending on Crnac and McLean for Topic and Jurasek. Saints continued to press Norwich and seemed to be getting an appetite for this tactic. The home side certainly showed a degree of frustration.
On 69m, a beautiful Saints move engaged with Archer, finding Shea, who drew a decent save from Grimshaw. Our next move ended when the keeper rose highest to collect Taylor’s cross from the left.
Three further substitutions followed, with BBD and Downs replacing Stewart and Archer and Papa Diallo coming on in place of Schwartau for Norwich. Another chance fell to Shea, but this effort flew wide.
Norwich then enjoyed a long period of passing the ball, but our press continuously forced them sideways or backwards. Eventually, a long forward pass evaded all comers and was scooped up by McC. On 76m, they finally got a shot away when Makama found Crnac, but the Croatian sent it wide.
Saints were looking increasingly comfortable, but the best was still to come. On 81m, Matsuki picked the ball up just inside their half. With the defence falling back, he carried the ball for several strides before unleashing a fearsome drive from way outside the box. It flew past Grimsdale, and that was 0-3. Goodnight, Nurse!
Gibbs was replaced by Slimani, but the contest was over. Will took off Flynn Downes to give a debut to England U18 midfielder Moses Sesay, who enjoyed his game time. As the minutes ticked away, Sky’s cameras showed Delia and her hubby, both looking as miserable as bastards on Father’s Day.
Downs engineered a chance for BBD, which was blocked, and in the +4m, one of ours blocked their last effort from Crnac, and all McC had to do was field another hopeful long ball that had sailed way beyond their forwards.
Full time: 0-3, and a good night’s work by our team.
|That was a good team performance, which makes it difficult to select an individual given an unusually high number of candidates. Our reward for seeing off the Canaries is away at Anfield in Round three: bugger that for a game of soldiers.
I toyed with the bloodied and bruised Wood but recalled he needed McCarthy to prevent him from scoring at our end when it was still 0-0. Furthermore, the keeper had made plenty of saves in the first half, plus a worldy in the second.
McCarthy has had a lot of criticism (not least from me), but has now played both cup ties and kept two clean sheets. Credit where credit is due, let’s be ‘avin’ ALEX MCCARTHY as our Man of the Match.
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