The following players have all had connections with Norwich City and Swansea City :
. Edward Bennett (D) . Joe Brain (F) . Neil Davids (D) ** . Glyn Davies (W) . Ian Davies (D) . John Denoon (GK) ** . Adrian Forbes (M/F) . Roger Gibbins (F) . Jim Guy (M) * . Joe Herbert (W) ** . David Hodgson (F) . Albert Jones (D) . Leroy Lita (F) . John Middleton (F) . Jan Molby (M) . Matthew Rush (W) . Colin Sullivan (D) . Owain Tudor-Jones (M) *
* associated with Swansea City immediately before Norwich City ** associated with Swansea City immediately after Norwich City
All players listed made at least one competitive appearance for Norwich City. Their associations with Swansea City (or Swansea Town as the club was once known) may have come through first team, reserve or youth football. Wartime guest appearances are not included, or trials in friendly matches. .
The only man to manage both Norwich City and Swansea City is John Bond. The extrovert Londoner was hugely popular at Carrow Road during a seven year spell in the seventies, winning the Canaries a promotion and a Wembley Final appearance in the League Cup. His tenure at Swansea came between December 1984 and December 1985. He took over at a time when the Swans were in freefall from the top flight where they had appeared in 1982-83. Bond was able to fight off a third successive relegation from Division Three to Division Four by the narrowest of margins (just one point) but a poor start to the next campaign saw him replaced by Tommy Hutchison. Swansea went down to the basement division at the end of the season.
Former Canaries midfielder Doug Livermore was assistant manager to John Toshack at Vetch Field in the eighties and had an eight game spell as caretaker manager when Toshack left the club for a couple of months before returning to the hot seat. Livermore managed just one victory in that period. Jan Molby, who had a quick loan period at Norwich in 1995, was made player-manager of Swansea City in February 1996 at the age of just 32. Despite taking the club to the Division Three play-offs in his only full season in charge, he was sacked the following year, after his side struggled in the opening months. .
The clubs first clashed when playing non-league football in 1919-20, in the Southern League. Swansea were then known as Swansea Town and after their formation in 1912 they played in the second division of that league until the start of the First World War, before joining Norwich in Division One in 1919-20 (results not included in above figures). The first Football League fixture between the clubs took place the next season after both were admitted to Division Three. On the 16th September 1920, a second half cave in by the Canaries saw the Welsh side run out 5-2 winners, after a brace from Wally Bell in the first 45 minutes had left things level. The return match at The Nest on New Years Day 1921 finished 1-1, with a crowd of 7,000 watching Robert Dennison score for Norwich.
The sides were placed in Division Three South the following year and fixtures continued until 1925 when Swansea finished top and were promoted. The next run of games came in the second part of the 1930's after Norwich joined them in Division Two.
Norwich were relegated in the last season before World War Two, and Swansea suffered the same fate after just one more year once football resumed. Their stay at the third level however was short as they won the division at just the second attempt. It took until 1960 for Norwich to catch them up. A run of ten matches then took place and although honours were generally shared, Norwich had a fine time in 1962 - winning 3-0 at the Vetch Field (Brian Whitehouse 2 and Ray Savino) which was their last victory at Swansea, and 5-0 at Carrow Road (Terry Allcock, Jimmy Hill, Tommy Bryceland, Ollie Burton and Phil Kelly), their biggest win in the series. Sandy Kennon was the Norwich goalie keeping the clean sheets. The Swans however suffered relegation in the mid sixties and spent most of the next decade and a half in the third and fourth levels, therefore not meeting the Canaries. They changed their name to Swansea City in 1969.
The 80's were a remarkable period for the club. They reached the top flight in 1981-82 - moving from the bottom level in just 4 years, a record they share with Wimbledon - and finished 6th in Division One. However, they were relegated the next season and four years later were back where they started - in the basement division. It was 2008-09 before we clashed again in the league with Swansea achieving a Championship double over us. In the 2010-11 Championship, Norwich won 2-0 at Carrow Road where an amazing final ten minutes saw John Ruddy save a penalty just before the Swans scored an own goal. Simeon Jackson made the victory safe in injury time. In the return fixture Swansea gained revenge, beating Norwich 3-0 at the Liberty Stadium in front of the Sky TV cameras.
Swansea's best result in the series was a 4-0 victory at home in 1982, in one of the only two matches the clubs played in the old First Division. Norwich won the other 1-0 through a Mick Channon strike. With both clubs having gained promotion from the Championship in 2010-11, the following season saw the first ever shared Premier League status. Norwich ran out 3-1 winners of the first contest in this competition on the 15th of October 2011 with Anthony Pilkington scoring twice (the first after just 49 seconds) and Russell Martin getting the other.
There has been only one FA Cup match - two Keith Bertschin goals on the 8th January 1983 securing a 2-1 3rd Round win. The clubs have met twice in the League Cup, in 1994 and 1998 - both two leg ties with Norwich winning both on aggregate.
..............history isn't just about yesteryear, it's also happening right now, and is brought to you on a regular basis in The Canary Chronicles
Two current players have recently secured appearance landmarks with the Canaries. When Russell Martin came on as a substitute during Saturday's 2-0 win over Bolton, it was his 100th outing in a Norwich City shirt. It will be a wait until the next player hits this figure - closest to it is Korey Smith (who is currently out on loan at Barnsley) on 73, and then John Ruddy on 69.
The recall of Adam Drury to the left back berth to cover the injury to Marc Tierney, has pushed him over the 350 mark. His special day came in the visit to the Hawthorns in the cup on the 28th of January. He has since added another game to his tally (against Bolton) so there are two players in his sights - Daryl Sutch on 352 and Duncan Forbes on 357. Drury currently lies 16th in the Norwich City all time appearance list.
Wes Hoolahan is closing in on a personal landmark too - he is now just four appearances short of his 150th in all competitions.
The début of Jed Steer in that recent 4th Round FA Cup victory at West Bromwich Albion, makes him by our reckoning, the 1002nd man to play a first team competitive game for the club.
Grant Holt now sits on 62 goals for Norwich, leaving him as the 13th highest scorer in the history of the club. Another five goals will lift him to 9th - overtaking Ron Davies, Jimmy Hill, Ted MacDougall and Noel Kinsey in the process.
Thirteen men made their débuts in 2011, exactly the same number as in 2010. An amazing twenty nine newcomers were introduced in 2009 !
The 32 points won so far by City in this current season is just one less than the total number achieved in 2004-05, their last term in the Premier League. After twenty four matches of that campaign, only 19 points had been secured. .
Here is a list of all players who made their first team débuts for Norwich City Football Club in 1924 :
Sid Earl 9 February 1924 v Exeter City (Division 3 S) (a) won 2-1
John Murphy 9 February 1924
Alf Ford 3 May 1924 v Reading (Division 3 S) (h) drew 2-2
Archie Campbell 30 August 1924 v Plymouth Argyle (Division 3 S) (h) drew 1-1
Tom Coulthard 30 August 1924
Jack Duffus 30 August 1924
Frank McCudden 30 August 1924
Joseph Wilson 3 September 1924 v Bournemouth (Division 3 S) (a) drew 0-0
Ernest North 6 September 1924 v Bristol City (Division 3 S) (a) lost 2-0
Len Featherby 13 September 1924 v Swindon Town (Division 3 S) (h) won 4-0
Harold Osborne 27 September 1924 v Merthyr Town (Division 3 S) (h) won 1-0
Daniel McKinney 1 November 1924 v Swansea Town (Division 3 S) (h) won 2-0 .
Here is a list of things and people from recent history that I believe will still be talked about in 30 years time. It is not an exclusive list and readers will have other things to add no doubt. But every item here is likely to remain in the memory of Norwich City supporters for a very long time. I know because as I write about days gone by, there are some anecdotes and stories that everyone remembers and always crop up, whoever you talk with - like Ron Saunders and Mousehold Heath, Jamie Cureton and his green hair, and 'that' Justin Fashanu goal . And with the internet allowing more and more information to be recorded, it will inevitably lead to more being remembered. But here is a list of twelve (in no particular order) to get you started..........
Norwich City first team appearances in all competitions, including those from the substitutes bench. Friendlies and trial matches not included. Players still at the club omitted.
B
Mark Bowen 399
Barry Butler 349
Ian Butterworth 293
Tommy Bryceland 284
Bobby Brennan 250
Mark Barham 223
Alan Black 203
Geoff Butler 196
Steve Bruce 180
Ken Burditt 173
Max Briggs 170
Kevin Bond 161
Bill Bushell 154
Phil Boyer 140
Sam Bowen 139
Keith Bertschin 138
Jimmy Banks 136
Peter Burke 119
Gordon Bolland 118
Robert Beale 111
Charles Bradbrook 106
Wayne Biggins 97
Craig Bellamy 91
Laurie Brown 91
Fred Bemment 85
Dave Bennett 85
Sam Bell 79
Carl Bradshaw 74
Ollie Burton 73
Cecil Blakemore 70
Terry Bly 67
Tommy Booth 65
Paul Blades 62
Albert Bennett 60
Ryan Bertrand 60
Jackie Bell 58
William Brown 53
Oliver Brown 51
Darren Beckford 49
Jim Brennan 48
Jimmy Bone 47
Ralph Bibby 45
Ron Bacon 42
George Bell 39
John Benson 37
Ben Burley 37
William Bauchop 36
Percy Barnfather 34
Horace Brindley 32
Dick Birchall 31
James Broadhead 31
William Bertram 30
David Bentley 28
Kenny Brown 28
Langford Baker 25
Ron Barnes 25
Jimmy Bauchop 24
Chris Brown 24
Viv Busby 23
Charlie Billington 22
Roger Brown 21
Sam Bacon 20
David Bell 20
Gary Brooke 20
Graham Benstead 19
George Brown 19
George Bardwell 18
Robert Baker 17
Clive Baker 16
Tom Batey 13
Joe Brain 13
Alexander Birnie 12
Ged Brannan 12
Edward Bennett 11
Jim Blair 11
Julien Brellier 11
Garry Brady 10
Drewe Broughton 9
Geoff Barnsley 8
John Bowman 8
Keith Bannister 7
Geoff Barnard 6
James Bellamy 6
Trevor Benjamin 6
Jack Bradley 6
Larry Baxter 5
Cliff Birch 5
Keith Briggs 5
Leigh Bromby 5
Walter Bugg 5
Stephen Ball 4
Bill Barclay 4
Cecil Bradley 4
Ron Bradley 4
John Byrne 4
Matthew Bates 3
Bobby Bell 3
Wally Bell 3
Patrick Boyle 3
Cameron Buchanan 3
Lewis Botto 2
Thomas Brown 2
Arthur Bacon 1
Ned Barkas 1
Thomas Beevers 1
Arthur Brooks 1
A Brown 1
Frank Buckley 1
Alan Bullimore 1
Herbert Butcher 1
Percy Barnfather was born in the Byker district of Newcastle Upon Tyne on the 17th of December 1879. The son of an umbrella maker he was not a prolific Canary in terms of long service, but he did represent one of the very earliest attempts by Norwich City Football Club to introduce flair and entertainment to the ranks. His stay was just one season in length, but he proved to be a crowd pleaser for The Nest faithful.
Of slight build, he was reputed to have fast legs and fast feet. Playing as a right winger he was as tricky and creative as they came in that era, and had huge bravery, as he would later prove, away from the football field. He joined City for the 1909-10 campaign. The Canaries were embarking on their second season at their new ground, and Arthur Turner had returned to the role of manager. Barnfather moved to Norwich from Croydon Common FC, where he had helped the Robins secure a place in Division One of the Southern League the previous term - meaning they were in the same competition as City. He made his Norwich début on Wednesday the 1st of September 1909 in a 1-1 draw away to Luton Town. Amongst the others also playing for Norwich for the first time that day were Sam Wolstenholme (who also joined from Croydon Common) and Billy Hampson (from Bury). Those two went on to make significant contributions to our history, and the injection of such talented footballers such as these and Percy Barnfather gave an indication of just how serious the club were to progress.
Just three days later, the winger netted his first of four goals for City, in a home match against West Ham United. Disappointingly though, the match was lost 3-1, and was a sign of the sort of season the club would endure. Despite Barnfather's wizardry out wide, the team largely struggled, managing only a 17th place finish. He played in every match until the end of March 1910, hitting goals home and away against Watford and another in the 5-1 victory over Brentford at The Nest. But he played only four times in the last fourteen Southern League matches of the season, with his final Norwich appearance coming on the 30th of April 1910, another defeat, this time to Northampton Town. However his final tally of 34 games in the campaign was topped only by Wolstenholme and Tommy Allsopp.
Disappointingly for Canary followers he went back to Croydon Common, who had suffered swift relegation down to the Southern League Second Division. Barnfather had played against them in the away league fixture, which City lost 2-0 on the 27th of November 1909. The game was played at The Nest - their Nest not ours - for both clubs had grounds with exactly the same name !
It is impossible to write anything about Percy Barnfather without constant reference to Croydon Common FC, a club he clearly had huge allegiance to. In all, he had three spells with them with the one immediately before his brief break in Norfolk producing 43 goals in 108 matches - some record for a winger ! His first known club had been Wallsend Park Villa of the Northern Alliance, but he was 24 years old before he made it to the Football League. He joined Second Division Barnsley in 1903-04, a decent team in their day, and scored on his debut. Between 1904 and 1906 he appeared 40 times for New Brompton (the club we now know as Gillingham) in the Southern League. He also found time for a couple of spells back in the north east with West Stanley, and, it is believed, an association with Southampton.
His final hook up with Croydon Common came between 1912 and 1916. The Robins by this time were managed by a certain John Bowman, who half a dozen years earlier had held the reigns at Norwich City. Barnfather made over one hundred further appearances for the Surrey club, including time back in the top division of the Southern League in 1914-15, where the Canaries were still plying their trade.
World War One started in 1915, and competitive football closed down. Croydon Common, alas, did not survive the conflict, and were dissolved in 1917. Thankfully however, Percy Barnfather did survive, and emerged from those dark days as a war hero. Rising through the ranks from Private to Captain in the 17th Battalion Middlesex Regiment, he won the Military Cross.
When football resumed in 1919-20, Percy played four times for Merthyr Town, again in the Southern League. By this time he was forty years old, and it proved to be his swan song.
He goes down in history as a player we borrowed, for a short time. But his reputation as a player of skill has been recorded and lovingly preserved by many writers throughout the intervening years. There is no doubt, his talents would have been well enjoyed in the Rosary Road area of the city of Norwich, by all those blessed to have seen him.
Percy Barnfather sadly passed away on the 18th of December 1951 at the London Westminster Hospital, the day after his 72nd birthday. .
I sometimes receive communication from readers, regarding a Norwich City fact, or memory. If I can't help, maybe you can .....
????
Dear Aitch, As a life long supporter and season ticket holder I am very interested in the history of our great club and of my late grandfather who apparently played for Norwich City in the early days. I'm not sure if he ever made the first team but he is mentioned in an old hand book from 1920-21 that used to be owned by Mr Watling. This was sold to a private collector Benny Gray who told me that my grandfather's name was mentioned. His name was Herbert Haney, he was a blacksmith by trade, and I know he played football for the county. I have several of his medals from 1902 onwards. He played centre half and he lived in Norwich all his life, he would have lived on Peterson Road when he was playing. Can you help ?
I was able to advise Mick Haney that his grandfather is not recorded as having appeared in a first team game. However, is there anyone out there in possession of the 1920-21 handbook who can throw any more light on Herbert Haney and his footballing life ?
Please leave your reply as a comment, or email me (address at bottom of blog) and I will add. We all have things we remember that others have forgotten......here is your chance to help a fellow fan. Do you have any questions that are nagging away somewhere in your mind ? Something you can only half remember. Drop me an e mail (anonymously if you prefer) and I will try to sort you out, or add to the 'Who Knows' section .
Cigarette cards make a wonderful contribution to the history of football.
Pictured above is the back of a card produced by Gallaher Ltd which reads :
'Norwich City - joined the First Division of the Southern League in 1905-6 and have not yet ascended within reach of the championship. Nor have they established themselves as successful cup fighters'.
Which struck me as a bit like a report from a sports master at a school. I remember a woodwork teacher once wrote of me 'has no natural talent for the subject, has fallen behind in his work and shows no intention of trying to catch up'. Which was roughly the equivalent to the message on that Norwich City card of just over 100 years ago (I believe this series was first released in 1910).
Unfortunately I do not have any of the other cards of that series to see if the writer made any attempt to be a bit more creative about the other ninety nine teams. He certainly had us down as an outfit there to merely make up the numbers! Perhaps he genuinely didn't know what else to say about us, but given the fact we had in the couple of years prior moved from Newmarket Road to The Nest and changed our name from The Citizens to The Canaries, there are two things that instantly spring to mind that could have been used. And the little matter that we had been FA Cup giantkillers in both 1908 and 1909, over The Wednesday (who were cup holders at the time) and Liverpool respectively!
Perhaps the cards had been issued in 1910 but written some years earlier. The Norwich player featured on the front was Billy Bushell, who actually joined City in 1905, so that remains a possibility.
Or maybe there were Lawrensonesque forces behind the scenes as early as 1910 ! We may never know.
[This item has been updated, and was first published on the 28th of March 2010] .
Sing Up The River End! is well established with NCFC facts, figures, and trivia, and now we also bring you more general football history information from all eras. Each month we will also select the best links, news stories, sites and videos available on the net for those readers whose interest in the past times of football goes, occasionally, beyond the yellow and green
The Football League first came into being in 1888-89, but had only twelve participating clubs. A rival competition was also formed that very same year for clubs that had missed out and was called The Combination. It was a poorly organised event. Twenty clubs took part but soon it was realised that this was not viable. So teams were allowed to pick eight rivals to play on a home and away basis. However arguments ensued (often from defeated clubs) as to whether or not fixtures were friendlies or should count towards the league. Nobody had the faintest idea how to compile a table amongst the confusion, and in the end the league was abandoned. Some of the clubs involved went on to have glorious histories in association football - Newton Heath (later Manchester United), Grimsby Town, Lincoln City, Crewe Alexandra, Small Heath (later Birmingham City) and Burslem Port Vale.
In 1890, organisers had a second attempt at operating a worthwhile (albeit more minor) competition - this time with a realistic number of sides. The membership was made up of Burton Swifts, Chester, Denton (Manchester), Derby St. Luke's, Gorton Villa, Hyde, Leek, Macclesfield Town, Northwich Victoria, Stafford County, Witton and Wrexham. The first champions were Gorton Villa from Manchester. The Combination remained in existence until 1911, and later included Everton Reserves who won the title seven times in the first ten years.
The competition had no connection with The Football Combination, a competition for the reserve teams of Football League clubs that has run since 1915.
Is there anyone on a football pitch that is more important to the team than the goalkeeper ? Probably not. So specialised is the position, very few outfield players could ever hope to adapt to the role. In modern day football, these masters of agility and reflex have become vital to the success of all top teams. One thing that younger fans are unlikely to know however, is that for many years, goalkeepers did not wear gloves. In the fullness of football history, they are a recent addition to the kit room. Before the 1970's, keepers had only their bare hands to rely on - to beat away a stinging shot or clutch the ball from the head of a lunging centre forward. And in the early days of course, footballs were also heavier. The pain inflicted to frozen digits on a cold afternoon can only be left to the imagination.
The exact date of goalkeeping gloves first appearing in professional football has never been established. Certainly a keeper or two would have had the foresight to add gloves to his armoury from the very early days of the game. And a patent for leather goalie gloves was taken out as early as 1885 would you believe. But the concept of them being useful to aiding a clean sheet never caught on. Instead, brave custodians weathered the storm. In the 1960's, keepers started to wear gloves in poor conditions, but it took until the next decade for the idea to really gather pace. West Germany's World Cup goalkeeper Sepp Maier was one of the first stars to have gloves made specially for him. And soon, everyone wanted a pair. Since then, it has become big business, and been the subject of much technological research.
But have a thought for the legends of yesteryear. They were bruised and hardy souls for sure.
When World War Two started in September 1939, the Football League season was abandoned after only three games. Britain entered a period known as the Phoney War - Hitler was expected to bomb the country but he held back. And so a Football League War Cup competition was organised - an equivalent in some ways to the FA Cup. A total of 137 games were crammed into a nine week period, with matches played on a home and away basis. The final took place on the 8th of June 1940 by which time the blitz had actually started. But despite the obvious dangers, a crowd of over 42,000 descended on Wembley Stadium to see West Ham United defeat Blackburn Rovers 1-0.
This short but nice piece of nostalgia was kindly uploaded by MrDangerFourpence onto YouTube together with the following description : The 1940 Football League War Cup Final was contested by West Ham United and Blackburn Rovers. It was played on 8 June 1940 and kicked-off at 6.30pm despite fears that London would be bombed by the Luftwaffe. The wartime crowd included wounded members of the BEF recently evacuated from Dunkirk. As the match was played during wartime, no reception was held for the winning team. Some players went to the Boleyn public house on Green Street for a few pints whilst others returned immediately to their service units.
Celebrating West Ham players, from left to right, Corporal Norman Corbett, Ted Fenton, Charlie Bicknell, trophy holding ArchieMacaulay (who would of course go on to manage Norwich City and take them to a FA Cup semi final in 1959) and George Foreman.
(source : Spartacus Educational)
The following players have all had connections with Norwich City and Bolton Wanderers :
. Terry Allcock (F) * . Jack Bradley (F) * . Simon Charlton (D) * . David Cross (F) . Hugh Curran (F) . Malcolm Darling (F) . Robert Fleck (F) . Gaetano Giallanza (F) . Asa Hartford (M) ** . Sid Jones (W) * . Joe Lansdale (GK) ** . Alexander Liddell (M) ** . John Manning (F) ** . James Mills (F) * . Lionel Murphy (W) . Jon Newsome (D) . Jon Otsemobor (D) . Mark Seagraves (D) . Nicky Southall (GK) * . Fred Thompson (GK) . James Tomlinson (M) . Mick Walsh (D) . Mark Walton (GK) ** . Stephen Wright (M)
* associated with Bolton immediately before Norwich City ** associated with Bolton immediately after Norwich City
All players listed made at least one competitive appearance for Norwich City. Their associations with Bolton Wanderers may have come through first team, reserve or youth football. Wartime guest appearances are not included, or trials in friendly matches. .
Two men in history have managed both Norwich City and Bolton Wanderers. Bruce Rioch became manager of the third tier Trotters in May 1992 and led them to a runners up spot in Division Two the following season. A thrilling FA Cup run followed, then promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs and a place in the 1995 League Cup Final. Rioch's stock rose to such a level that he never managed the club in the top flight and took over the reigns at Arsenal instead. His winning ratio of over 48% from 172 games leaves him as arguably the most successful manager in Bolton Wanderers history. He lasted at Arsenal just one season, leaving after a dispute regarding transfer funds - a subject that raised it's head once more during Rioch's short career at Carrow Road between July 1998 and March 2000. In contrast, Gary Megson's ninety eight matches in charge at Bolton between 2007 and 2009 were largely taken up with battles against relegation from the Premier League, with just 27 wins being achieved during that period. Megson had begun his managerial career with the Canaries in December 1995, but only recorded five wins from his twenty seven matches at the helm.
Bolton Wanderers were one of the original twelve clubs that made up the initial Football League competition in 1888-89, when they finished in fifth position. Though mainly a top flight club for most of the first half of the last century, they did suffer from relegations - no less than four prior to World War One. They were back in Division One however for the twenties and early thirties but went down again after the 1932-33 season for a two year spell in Division Two and it was then that they crossed paths with Norwich City Football Club for the very first time in the Football League.
But it was not the first meeting the clubs had encountered. The FA Cup of 1922-23 paired them together in the First Round at the Nest. A crowd of 15,286 (the biggest of the season) filled City's small ground to see the famous Wanderers win 2-0. It was the start of a great cup run for the Lancashire side. They went all the way to Wembley where they defeated West Ham United in what is now known as the White Horse Final.
The Canaries fared no better in the two league fixtures of that 1934-35 season. Bolton came to the Nest for the final time (Norwich moved to Carrow Road the following year) on the 1st of December 1934 and won 3-2, the City goals coming from their top strikers Jack Vinall and Ken Burditt. Norwich suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat in the return game at Burnden Park in the April of 1935. They did however complete their mission of staying safe of relegation. Bolton went back up to Division One though - finishing second in the table behind Brentford - and they remained a top flight club thereafter until the mid sixties. In 1937 however, the clubs did meet twice, again in the FA Cup. A Jack O'Reilly goal gave City a tremendous 1-1 draw at Bolton, and only an extra time winner at Carrow Road in the replay put Wanderers through to the 5th Round.
The next meeting was in the League Cup competition of 1962-63. Bolton were still a division higher than Norwich at the time but the yellows had a taste for this relatively new trophy (having won it the previous year) and were victorious in the match 4-0. Jim Oliver netted twice, with Jim Conway and Terry Allcock getting one apiece. At the end of the following season Bolton lost their Division One status, and it marked the start of a long period in which they would largely be absent from the top flight. The 1964-65 season saw the clubs score twelve goals between them in the two league fixtures - Norwich winning 3-2 at Carrow Road and Bolton triumphing 5-2 at Burnden Park.
Division Two clashes continued throughout the sixties but the series was broken after 1970-71 when Wanderers finished bottom of the table and were relegated to Division Three for the first time in their history. The following season, Norwich were Second Division champions, and so, in a remarkable turnaround in fortunes, City now found themselves two divisions higher than Bolton. The demise of the Trotters did not last long though - they won Division Three in 1972-73, and with Norwich being relegated after two seasons in the top flight, 1974-75 brought two more fixtures, Norwich winning 2-0 at Carrow Road followed by a 0-0 draw in Lancashire.
The next twenty years however were turbulent for the Trotters and saw them playing in all four tiers of the Football League (they spent a single season in Division Four in 1987-88) and strangely this coincided with the best era in Norwich City's history as for most of this period they were a top flight team. Between 1978 and 1980 the clubs shared Division One status - Bolton won two games, Norwich one and another was drawn - and in 1981-82 they were together in Division Two for a single season. But that apart, the clubs went in different directions.
League encounters did not resume until the second half of the nineties. Norwich lost their place in the Premier League in 1994-95 with Bolton going in the other direction. However, twice in this period Bolton went up and then straight back down. The clubs met in the 1996-97 Division One competition, Bolton doing the double over City on their way to the title. A mini series of six second level matches followed between 1999 and 2001 which Bolton had much the better of - winning four times. Bolton have been a Premier League club since 2001. When Norwich made their way back to that division in 2004-05 they beat Bolton 3-2 at Carrow Road, storming to victory with a Matt Svensson brace and a Darren Huckerby penalty, but lost 1-0 in the return at the Reebok Stadium.
The next contest between the two clubs was on the 17th September 2011, when City won 2-1 away, goals coming in the first half from Anthony Pilkington and Bradley Johnson, the first either men had scored in Canary colours. Pilkington scored again in the return fixture, adding to a volley from Andrew Surman as Norwich ran out 2-0 winners, thereby completing their first double over Bolton Wanderers since the 1970-71 season.
Including the games mentioned, ten cup matches have occurred between the clubs in history - seven in the League Cup and three in the FA Cup.
Bolton Wanderers were founded long before Norwich City. In 1874 the Rev Thomas Ogden formed Christ Church FC. Three years later they became Bolton Wanderers - the suffice coming from the fact that they struggled to find a permanent home in the early years. They have spent longer in the top flight of English football without winning the league (72 years up to 2011-12 season) than any other club. They have however won the FA Cup on four occasions (1923, 1926, 1929 and 1958).
It's time to welcome our newest arrival - not just to Norwich City but also to Sing Up The River End! Hopefully he will play a fruitful part in our history. Here is his career record so far :
Ryan Bennett
age : 21
position : defender
signed from : Peterborough United
playing record
Peterborough United 2010-2012 85 appearances 7 goals
Peterborough United (loan) 2009-2010 11 appearances 0 goals
Grimsby 2007-2010 117 appearances 6 goals
international honours
England U21 1 appearance 0 goals
England U18 1 appearance 0 goals .
Some of the series I cover here on Sing Up The River End! are almost open ended, without start or finish. Others though will eventually run their course. And two have recently done just that.
The Born This Week feature is now a year old. I will continue to publish the dates every Monday by dragging the original item to the front page. I am still finding a few missing birth dates and will add these as I go. Occasionally information in the public domain changes, either the date or place of birth. If any readers spot inaccuracies, please do let me know.
All Norwich City League Cup results in history are also now recorded on the blog, and can be sourced via the index in the sidebar.
A few other series are well on the way to completion (such as Winning Years and Famous Fans) and I will keep these going through to the end.
Writing about people is probably the most fulfilling thing for me. Eventually I want every Canary to be featured in one of the relevant series (Biographies, Stars Of The Past, Short And Sweet, or They Wore The Shirt). A recent (and quick) calculation reveals that out of around one thousand former players and managers, less than ninety have been covered so far. I have a long way to go ! .
The following players have all had connections with Norwich City and Sunderland :
. Ben Alnwick (GK) . Keith Bertschin (F) . Alan Black (D) * . Joe Brain (F) * . Chris Brown (F) * . Geoff Butler (D) * . James Chalmers (F) . Archie Chappell (F) * . Bill Cleary (M) * . Kevin Cooper (M) . Calum Davenport (D) . Shaun Elliott (D) * . Stephen Elliott (F) . Dickson Etuhu (M) ** . Tom Halliday (D) . Arthur Hawes (F) . David Healy (F) . Paul Heckingbottom (D) . David Hodgson (F) * . Frank Pegg (F) . Lee Power (F) . Stan Ramsay (M) . Carl Robinson (M) * . Robert Robinson (GK) . John Rogers (F) * . Gary Rowell (F) * . James Russell (F) * . Mark Seagraves (D) . Colin Suggett (M) . Fred Thompson (GK) . Jimmy Thompson (F) ** . Jack Vinall (F) * . Darren Ward (GK) ** . Reg Wilkinson (M) ** . Chris Woods (GK)
* associated with Sunderland immediately before Norwich City ** associated with Sunderland immediately after Norwich City
All players listed made at least one competitive appearance for Norwich City. Their associations with Sunderland may have come through first team, reserve or youth football. Wartime guest appearances are not included, or trials in friendly matches. .
