Oh I’m going to enjoy this.

 

It was a game of blood, sweat and tears- for the Canaries, but for the tractor boys it was blood, sweat and cheers!

 

With Price and Supple struggling with injury our glove man today is loan signing Mike Pollitt, Town also say hello to new signing Bates who plays in defence with, De Vos, Bruce and Harding. The midfield saw the familiar faces of Roberts, Walton, Legwinski and Richards, Clarke and Lee once again partner attack and we welcome back Owen Garvan to the squad with Supple, Naylor, Macken and Haynes on the bench.

 

The Canaries starting 11 were Gallacher, Drury, Shackell, Huckerby, Earnshaw, Chadwick, Hughes, Etuhu, Colin, Doherty and Robinson.

 

Bates first touch for Town sends an easy ball out for a throw to the Canaries.

 

On 2 minutes Lee wins a corner for Town which Richards takes but the ball is a poor one which no one can get onto.

 

On 3 minutes Pollitt is the skinniest keeper I have seen since Craig Forrest, I hope the wind doesn’t pick up or it will be picking him up! Oh and a spider web flies across the pitch.

 

On 5 minutes De Vos jumps like a fairy, well what can you say to that?! And Etuhu produces a good challenge to take the ball from Roberts and gives Town a throw, Thank ya very muchly. Lee shoots so far wide it is possible he may have been aiming for the away fans. 

 

Our Northern neighbours are defending well in the 9th minute after a Town corner (which was poorly delivered again) but that’s not to take anything away from the solid wall of green and yellow.

 

On 10 minutes a 5 year old announces to block JJ that Earnshaw is an alien.

 

Meanwhile Lee is held down in the box and Clarke has a shot for which wide isn’t quite the word.

 

Town win a free kick when De Vos goes down in the 13th minute, the free kick is poor and finds a canary from which they break and put the pressure on Town, the attack is finally stopped when the linesman finally notices a Canary offside

 

Roberts is penalized for a foul against Huckerby, the free kick just outside of the Town box causes no problems for loan keeper Pollitt.

 

The pressure continues to mount from the Canaries in the 20th minute and surely we couldn’t rely on luck for much longer, and sure enough we couldn’t, on 26 minutes the Tractor boys luck ran out as the Canaries finally get a shot on target and hit the back of the net as the Town defence are no where to be seen and Richards inside the box makes a crucial mistake allowing Luke Chadwick to get the visitors a goal up.

 

I sit in dismay for a few minutes watching the pathetic events before my eyes but unable to look away, maybe it had something to do with the sun reflecting off of Richards’s bald head having a hypnotic effect.

 

On 29 minutes the game falls to a halt when the Town skipper goes down with a head injury in the visitors half having to go off for treatment, it hurts having sense knocked into you doesn’t it skip.

 

 De Vos returns on 34 minutes with some rather unflattering head gear, I recon Alan Lee got jealous.

 

The game is rather boring over the next 6 minutes with the ball just seeming to bob around and the Canaries look happy to go in at half time with their 1 goal lead, but from experience we know you can’t do that and we showed them why with a Legwinski slammer (Oh that could be a new drink) and the home team are back level before the break.

 

The Tractor boys keep possession well for the remaining 5 minutes and 3 minutes injury time, during which Clarke shoots to Earnshaw’s home land (space) and De Vos climbs on and knocks over team mate Alan Lee, who was not amused (unlike myself).

 

The match re starts in front of a crowd of 27,276 with Town starting in the same positive form which they finished the first half in.

 

For the first few minutes Town are clearly dominant but as usual once inside the box they all turn as shy as a 5 year old school girl on a playground full of boys.

 

On 49 minutes Etuhu goes down and Colin defends well for City.

 

On 51 minutes City win a free kick for an apparent foul from Richards on Chadwick, but the free kick got the Budgie boys nowhere, Oh well.

 

I’m getting increasingly worried about Clarke, not because he looks like a tomato, that’s normal, but because he was totally marked out of the first half and now that he is getting through he is struggling to do anything with it and quite frankly looks soo uncomfortable you would be forgiven for thinking he had been given a wedgie and hung off a coat peg.

 

On 54 minutes when the ball falls to Richards in the box he kindly passes to the upper North stand.

 

Onto 59 minutes Walton is fouled right on the edge of the City box winning a free kick, then immediately winning another as Hughes is booked for a handball, This free kick is taken by Roberts and flies just over the bar before Dion Dublin replaces Hughes.

 

The Canaries regain play and leave Town chasing looking like a game of cat and mouse, then on 63 minutes Simon Walton is booked followed by a Legwinski booking on 64, I have no idea of the reasoning for either.

 

Huckerby takes the ball from Clarke with ease on 66 minutes, but never fear when Legwinski is near who with a brilliant challenge won the ball back for Town.

 

Carl Robinson is booked on the 67th minute for fouling Bruce, from the free kick Lee is held down but nothing given, as frustrating as it is I think Lee has dug his own hole with the referees.

 

Harding and Richards are once again partnering well on the left and a Legwinski strike is well saved by Gallacher.

 

Frustration has turned to anger watching Clarke continuing to struggle and Earnshaw points out that he is still there with a shot on goal, which he misses, awww.

 

On 72 minutes Clarke can take no more and falls down needing treatment eventually being replaced by Haynes on 75 minutes. Also in the 75th minute Richards shoots at the corner flag and even misses that.

 

On 77 minutes a lovely ball comes into the box from Roberts perfectly placed for Haynes to hit home and give Town the lead. 2-1.

 

City have a corner on 78 minutes and there is a plastic bag on the pitch.

 

Pollitt produces a good save from the corner but lets ignore what happened next, but no fuss, it’s still 2-1.

 

On 80 minutes a fantastic challenge comes in from Bates on Chadwick, well, urm, he didn’t get up again.

 

On 82 minutes I feel like I’m watching Tennis and Eagle comes on as injured Chadwick’s replacement. He looks like a girl and got treated like one too.

 

Harding and Richards again play well on the left, Town win a corner from which Lee hits the cross bar then Roberts shoots over.

 

On 87 minutes I am half hiding behind my notebook as the Canaries have a corner, Town defend well but it’s not long before they have another, oh it’s so scary I can’t not look. Ah I can breathe again as Pollitt collects.

 

4 minutes injury time is added, I figure Town must be trying to give me a heart attack, but then Town settle the ball falling again for Haynes who strikes it past Gallacher, with the ball bouncing in off the post, 3-1 to the Tractor boys.

 

Funky sock competition was a draw today with some great competition for my sheep and polka dot socks.

 

The only disappointment I felt today was from the fact that we didn’t get to see true blue Naylor play against our rivals against home fan for what I expect is the last time. But hey we won, the sun was out and life is wonderful.

 

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