A Long History Helps

As I have done in previous years, I will continue to post a historical head to head feature on Sing Up The River End! a few days before each match during the coming season. I have a lot of new research to undertake as a result of Norwich City's promotion back to the Premier League as only three of our nineteen opponents have been covered in the series so far.

So that I could start getting my thoughts in order, I decided it necessary for me to understand our historical place amongst some of the biggest football clubs in the world. I knew of course that we would not be the oldest nor the most successful amongst the top twenty. But my little exercise, shown below, does put into perspective the task that lies ahead for our players and management. That is not to say that history will have any bearing on events on the field at any time during the 2011-12 campaign but it does highlight just how difficult it has been for smaller and younger clubs to sustain a challenge at the top end of the game.

When the Football League played it's first ever season in 1888-89, twelve teams took part. Seven of those clubs will once again take their place at the top level of the English game next season. Norwich would not join the Football League until 1920-21, by which time these clubs, despite the set back of World War One, were all very well established. Look also even further back in time and compare our formation date with that of other clubs. We were significantly later than many others. It is no co-incidence that many of the great English footballing institutions are also the oldest. Their ability to get established in the early years before other rivals came along gave them foundations that lasted and financial strength that would be built upon in future decades.

There are of course exceptions to the rule, and four of the original twelve Football League clubs have dropped down the pecking order (Burnley, Derby, Notts County and Preston) with one disappearing altogether (Accrington FC). And also check out our first opponents for the new season Wigan Athletic, relative youngsters in the scheme of things and defying the odds in terms of their current status.

Three teams who joined the Football League when it was expanded after World War One will play in the next Premier League campaign and they are the clubs promoted from the Championship last year - ourselves, QPR and Swansea. Last summer I did a feature on this batch of clubs, which I called The Third Pioneers, and analysed the Canaries historical performance against what I considered to be their peer group. We actually came out of that exercise very nicely http://canaryseventyninety.blogspot.com/2010/07/third-pioneers.html though please remember the statistics are now a year out of date as you read it !

For 2011-12 we step out of that group and compete against many that had a much more stable start in life :


Arsenal
Founded :    1886 (as Dial Square)
Joined Football League :    1893-94
First year in top flight :    1904-05
Total years in top flight : 95
Last year in second level :  1914-15

Aston Villa 

Founded :    1874
Joined Football League :    1888-89
First year in top flight :    1888-89
Total years in top flight : 101
Last year in second level :  1987-88

Blackburn Rovers 

Founded :    1875
Joined Football League :    1888-89 

First year in top flight :    1888-89
Total years in top flight : 72
Last year in second level :  2000-01  

Bolton Wanderers

Founded :    1874 (as Christ Church FC)

Joined Football League :    1888-89

First year in top flight :    1888-89
Total years in top flight : 73
Last year in second level :  2000-01

Chelsea

Founded :    1905

Joined Football League :    1905-06

First year in top flight :    1907-08
Total years in top flight : 77
Last year in second level :  1988-89

Everton

Founded :    1878 (as St Domingo's FC)

Joined Football League :    1888-89

First year in top flight :    1888-89
Total years in top flight : 109
Last year in second level :  1953-54

Fulham

Founded :    1879 (as Fulham St Andrew's Church Sunday School)

Joined Football League :    1907-08

First year in top flight :    1949-50
Total years in top flight : 23
Last year in second level :  2000-01

Liverpool

Founded :    1892

Joined Football League :    1893-94

First year in top flight :    1894-95
Total years in top flight : 97
Last year in second level :  1961-62

Manchester City

Founded :    1880 (as St Mark's)

Joined Football League :    1892-93

First year in top flight :    1899-1900
Total years in top flight : 83
Last year in second level :  2001-02

Manchester United

Founded :    1878 (as Newton Heath LYR FC)

Joined Football League :    1892-93

First year in top flight :    1892-93
Total years in top flight : 87
Last year in second level :  1974-75

Newcastle United

Founded :    1892

Joined Football League :    1893-94

First year in top flight :    1898-99
Total years in top flight : 81
Last year in second level :  2009-10

Norwich City

Founded :    1902

Joined Football League :    1920-21

First year in top flight :    1972-73
Total years in top flight : 22
Last year in second level :  2010-11 

Queens Park Rangers

Founded :    1882

Joined Football League :    1920-21

First year in top flight :    1968-69
Total years in top flight : 21
Last year in second level :  2010-11

Stoke City

Founded :    1863 (as Stoke Ramblers FC)

Joined Football League :    1888-89

First year in top flight :    1888-89
Total years in top flight : 56
Last year in second level :  2007-08

Sunderland

Founded :    1879 (as Sunderland & District Teachers FC)

Joined Football League :    1890-91

First year in top flight :    1890-91
Total years in top flight : 81
Last year in second level :  2006-07

Swansea City 

Founded :    1912 (as Swansea Town)

Joined Football League :    1920-21

First year in top flight :    1981-82
Total years in top flight : 3
Last year in second level :  2010-11

Tottenham Hotspur

Founded :    1882 (as Hotspur FC)

Joined Football League :    1908-09

First year in top flight :    1909-10
Total years in top flight : 77
Last year in second level :  1977-78 

West Bromwich Albion

Founded :    1878 (as West Bromwich Strollers)

Joined Football League :    1888-89

First year in top flight :    1888-89
Total years in top flight : 74
Last year in second level :  2009-10

Wigan Athletic

Founded :    1932

Joined Football League :    1978-79

First year in top flight :    2005-06
Total years in top flight : 7
Last year in second level :  2004-05

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Founded :    1877 (as St Luke's)

Joined Football League :    1888-89

First year in top flight :    1888-89
Total years in top flight : 63
Last year in second level :  2008-09

(years in top flight include the forthcoming season)

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Time To Say Goodbye

The following player has left Norwich City FC :





Owain Tudur Jones
2009-2011    8 appearances 1 goal

He departs with our best wishes, and thanks for his service to the club
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Debutants 1906

Here is a list of all players who made their first team débuts for Norwich City Football Club in 1906 :

Willie Wood    17 March 1906 v Portsmouth  (Southern League)  (h) drew 1-1

James Chalmers    1 September 1906 v Fulham  (Southern League)  (h) drew 0-0

Fred Thompson    1 September 1906

Alexander Birnie    3 September 1906 v Leyton  (United League)  (a) won 4-2

Alex Liddell    3 September 1906

John Byrne    26 September 1906 v Watford  (United League)  (a) drew 1-1

George Lamberton    4 October 1906 v New Brompton  (United League)  (h) won 7-0

John Cannon    17 October 1906 v Brighton  (United League)  (a) lost 4-3

Tom Fitchie    1 November 1906 v Luton Town  (United League)  (h) won 4-0

James Lamberton    28 November 1906  v Crystal Palace  (United League)  (a) drew 2-2

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Norwich City Fan ? Susan Tully

really?....................well rumoured to be anyway, now or sometime in the past

Susan Tully - London born actress, Suzanne Ross in Grange Hill, Michelle Fowler in EastEnders, TV director on London's Burning, The Bill, and Silent Witness, keen supporter of The Meningitis Trust, fan of Norwich City Football Club?

They Wore The Shirt

........players who appeared in ten games or less for Norwich City Football Club 


William 'Dillo' Sparks - Norwich City's first ever goalkeeper, who played five matches in the 1902-03 season, including the club's first game against Lowestoft in the FA Cup. He previously played for the city's biggest team, CEYMS, and was often referred to as 'Dillo', which was actually the name of a local hawker, in whose company he was often found. His short career was ended by injury.

Bob Edwards - despite being ex Chelsea, and scoring 69 goals in 185 matches for Swindon Town, this left sided forward was restricted to just one game in City first team colours, against Chesterfield away on the 12th of December 1959. Fifteen months later he moved on to Northampton Town, despite a tidy goalscoring record in the reserve team at Carrow Road.

Neale Fenn - the former Spurs starlet came to Norwich on loan in March 1998, as a replacement for Robert Fleck who had just left for Reading. Striker Neale made seven appearances in total, and scored once, in the 5-0 beating of Swindon Town in the penultimate match of the season. He later played for Peterborough United and a number of clubs in the Republic of Ireland.
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The Team That Picked Itself

The Norwich City team on that day was : Ken Nethercott, John Duffy, Bill Lewis, Don Pickwick, Reg Foulkes (captain), Ron Ashman, Johnny Gavin, Noel Kinsey, Roy Hollis, Les Eyre, Tom Docherty.

What day ? Has this article been chopped in half I hear you ask.

No it hasn't. You haven't missed anything.

The team listed above was the one fielded by the Canaries on the 16th of September 1950. And the 23rd of September, and the 30th of September. In fact, it was the team Norwich City also fielded on the 20th of January 1951. And believe it or not, every game in between. Remarkably, 21 consecutive games unchanged, which consisted of eighteen Division Three South games and three in the FA Cup.

The run began with a home win over Swindon Town (2-0) and, coincidentally ended when City visited the County Ground (and lost 1-0). For the following match against Newport County in the 4th Round of the FA Cup, Len Dutton was brought into the side to replace Les Eyre, thereby bringing the sequence to an end.

Some readers could be forgiven for using this information to demonstrate that football, generations ago, was an easy occupation - no injuries, no competition, no squad pressures. Which could not be further from the truth. Included in the twenty one match sequence were four games in a week over the Christmas period. And no substitutes - players were generally expected to perform for the entire ninety minutes unless severe injury intervened.

And what of the playing record of this settled side ? Well, they won 13 of the matches and drew another 6, and included in their victories was a stunning 3-1 win over Liverpool in the FA Cup. No wonder manager Norman Low, in his first full season as Canary boss, was loathe to make any changes. And their reward at the end of the season ? Nothing. They finished second in the table behind Nottingham Forest, and back then only the division champions were promoted.

No, it wasn't easy being a professional footballer back in the 1950's. Far from it.
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Oh No, They've Scored A Goal......Ken Wagstaff

.....famous footballers who have scored against us - where, when and a short bio - plus a good excuse to acknowledge a few non Canaries I have admired over the years..........

scorer :  Ken Wagstaff

on :  26th September 1970

in :  Division Two

at :  Carrow Road
for :  Hull City 

result :  2-0 defeat

Hull City ran out comfortable winners in an early season clash between two sides hoping to join the initial pacesetters in Division Two. Wagstaff netted in the second half to double the Tigers' half time lead. It would prove to be a good season for Terry Neill's men, as they finished in fifth position, with the Canaries having to settle for tenth place. Ken Wagstaff was a regular for Hull City for 12 years between 1964 and 1976. He scored a massive 191 goals for the club during that time, earning him many years later the accolade of being the greatest Hull City player ever. Wagstaff was a short, rotund, no nonsense and physical centre forward who had an unbelievably sharp eye for goal. He was deadly in the box. For a few years, Hull City came into the Anglia TV region for Sunday afternoon football coverage. I swear, Ken Wagstaff scored in every game I ever saw him play in! Prior to Hull, he had played for Mansfield Town, his only other English club, between 1960 and 1964, scoring 93 Football league goals.

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Canary Lists - Norwich City Player Middle Names

a list for everything NCFC...........


Ten middle names of Norwich City footballers from the past  :

Damien  -    Kevin Keelan
Padre Gerard  -    Keith O'Neill
Stanford  -    Martin Peters
Wyn  -    Iwan Roberts
Halirou Bohari  -    Leroy Lita

Carl  -    Darren Huckerby

Adrian  -    Ruel Fox

Harcourt  -    Martin Chivers

James  -    Bryan Gunn

Fridhjof  -    Aage Hareide

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Canary Fact File

In 1925, the Football League introduced changes to the offside rule, with the number of opponents between player and goal reduced from three to two


Harold Crockford, who played twice for Norwich City in 1927, has Vicar of Wakefield FC listed amongst his former clubs. It was a pub in Coventry Street, Bethnal Green, London

Though Canadian by birth, City star of the fifties Errol Crossan moved to the Isle of Man with his family at the age of eight

Numbers on the backs of shirts first appeared in the Football League in 1939, just before the competition was suspended due to World War Two

On the 3rd of October 1960 the Canaries played a friendly at Chelmsford City, to commemorate the installation of floodlights at their New Writtle Street ground. Norwich won 3-2

Damien Francis signed for Norwich from Wimbledon in 2003, a club he had supported as a lad and been a ball boy for on match days

Stars Of The Past - Jock Mackenzie

John 'Jock' Mackenzie was born in Douglas, Lanarkshire, Scotland on the 28th of July 1885. He was a left back, who, by the time he reached his twenties and the peak of his footballing career, had found his way to Carlisle United in the North Eastern League. When his manager, Bert Stansfield, left to take up a similar post with Southern League Norwich City in 1910, Jock followed him. In the next five years, he would establish himself as one of the our earliest 'regulars', captain the Canaries, and write himself into the history books.

Jock Mackenzie made his début for Norwich on the 3rd of September 1910 in the 1-0 away win at Bristol Rovers. Norwich had tried a few options in the left back position since the career of the excellent Jimmy 'Punch' McEwen had been brought to an end through injury at the beginning of the 1908-09 season. Mackenzie proved himself more than able - playing in each and every game in his first campaign. And it was in this aspect that he would go down in history. Though the period saw the Canaries as nothing more than a mid to lower Southern League Division One club, Mackenzie was super fit and managed to escape any long lasting injuries. He missed only four league games in his five seasons with the club, playing 90 consecutive matches between December 1911 and January 1914. He became the first player to appear in 200 games for the club, and his final tally of 204 is the most by any man in non football league matches for Norwich City (his closest rival being Billy Bushell who was fifty games short of that mark).

What should be taken into consideration regarding Mackenzie's ability to play every week, was the abrasive nature of the game at that time, allied to the lack of medical facilities on offer. And recovery periods from bumps and bruises were no different to today - matches took place every Saturday afternoon, and also often involved long and arduous train journeys to away games. Norwich has never been close to anywhere in footballing location terms, and the 1910's were no different. Jock Mackenzie possessed the abilities of consistency and fitness beyond that of players who had come before him.

Despite his high number of games, he managed to find the net only twice - both at the Nest in 1911, in the 5-1 win over Watford and the 1-0 win over Brentford. The strikes were only six weeks apart, but Mackenzie played ten games in that period - another indication that professional football was a hard slog back in those days.

In 1910-11 he captained the Canaries ten times whilst regular skipper Sam Wolstenholme was out injured, and did so again in the next couple of campaigns. He shared the captaincy with George 'Pompey' Martin in 1913-14 but eventually Mackenzie was made captain in his own right for 1914-15, the final year that football took place in organised form before the onset of World War One. His final tally of matches as captain was 103.

In that 1914-15 season, he played in probably his most famous match as a Norwich City player - the 3-2 FA Cup 2nd Round victory over Tottenham Hotspur at the Nest. It was a great day for all concerned with the Canaries, but three months later, on the 1st of May 1915, Mackenzie represented the club for the final time, in a 0-0 draw at Portsmouth. Soon after, he would find himself serving in the Royal Garrison Artillery in Egypt - a far cry from happier days spent at Brighton & Hove Albion or Plymouth Argyle.

Little else is recorded about Jock Mackenzie, and I am indebted to information drawn from Mike Davage's Canary Citizens for much of what I have written here. Internet research suggests that he also played for Hearts, Millwall and Newcastle United, and that on the 27th of August 1921 he made his début for Division Three North side Walsall in a game against Lincoln City. At 36 years and 30 days of age, it makes him the tenth oldest man to make his Football League début. What we can be certain of is that he was a fine Canary of his time, and that without the intervention of war, he would probably have added a significant number of appearances to his final total for Norwich.

Jock Mackenzie passed away in 1940, aged 55.
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New Arrivals

It's time to welcome our newest arrivals - not just to Norwich City but also to Sing Up The River End! Hopefully they will play a fruitful part in our history. Here are their career records so far : 

James Vaughan



age :    23

position :    forward

signed from :    Everton

playing record     

Everton 2004-11    60 appearances  9 goals

Crystal Palace (loan) 2010-11    30 appearances  9 goals

Leicester City (loan) 2010    8 appearances  1 goal

Derby County (loan) 2009    2 appearances  0 goals

international honours    

England U17   6 caps 2 goals     U19   3 caps 3 goals     U21   4 caps 0 goals

Steve Morison

age :    27

position :    striker

signed from :    Millwall

playing record

Millwall 2009-11    95 appearances 40 goals

Stevenage 2006-09    142 appearances 76 goals

Bishop's Stortford 2004-06    58 appearances 28 goals

Northampton 2001-04    28 appearances 3 goals

international honours

England C   8 caps 3 goals    Wales   7 caps 0 goals

Elliott Bennett



age :    22
position :    winger/attacking midfielder
signed from :     Brighton & Hove Albion

playing record
Brighton 2009-11    100 appearances 17 goals
Bury (loan) 2008-09    71 appearances 4 goals
Crewe (loan) 2007-08    11 appearances 1 goal
Wolves 2007-09    2 appearances 0 goals     

Bradley Johnson



age:    24
position :    midfielder
signed from :    Leeds United

playing record 
Leeds United 2008-11    140 appearances 17 goals
Brighton (loan) 2008-09    10 appearances 5 goals
Stevenage (loan) 2006    4 appearances 0 goals
Ebbsfleet (loan) 2005-06    24 appearances 5 goals
Northampton 2005-08    61 appearances 10 goals
Cambridge United 2004-05    1 appearance 0 goals
Waltham Forest 2003-04    6 appearances 0 goals    

Anthony Pilkington



age :    23
position :    winger
signed from :    Huddersfield

playing record
Huddersfield 2009-11    107 appearances 25 goals
Stockport County 2006-09    91 appearances 19 goals
Atherton Collieries 2006    4 appearances 3 goals

international honours
Republic of Ireland U21    1 cap 0 goals

Ritchie De Laet



age :    22
position :    defender
signed from :    Manchester United (loan)

playing record
Manchester United 2009-present    6 appearances 0 goals
Portsmouth (loan) 2011    22 appearances 0 goals
Preston (loan) 2010    5 appearances 0 goals
Sheffield United (loan) 2010    6 appearances 0 goals
Wrexham (loan) 2008    3 appearances 0 goals
Royal Antwerp 2006-07    4 appearances 0 goals

international honours
Belgium    2 caps 0 goals

Kyle Naughton



age :    22
position :    right back
signed from :    Tottenham Hotspur (loan)

playing record
Tottenham Hotspur 2009-present   4 appearances 0 goals
Leicester City (loan) 2010-11   36 appearances 5 goals
Middlesbrough (loan) 2010   15 appearances 0 goals
Sheffield United 2007-09   52 appearances 3 goals
Gretna (loan) 2008   19 appearances 0 goals

international honours
England U21    9 caps 0 goals
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I'm Not Ready Yet..........

..............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

So, the worst of the summer close down is behind us. The pre season friendlies have started, the first team squad are in Germany getting fit and acquainted with one another. One would imagine, only a few, if any, new signings remain unannounced.

Why then, do I feel just a little subdued as August the 13th, and our opening Premier League fixture with Wigan Athletic gets closer?

I am sure it is entirely to do with the apprehension that comes with stepping into the unknown. Not me of course, but the players and management currently at Norwich City Football Club. It is very difficult to gauge just how effective we may be next season, or indeed how off the pace we may soon find ourselves. That period of sitting back as a fan and enjoying those marvellous feelings that came with promotion are temporarily discarded. Goodness, we are just weeks away from playing in the hardest club football competition in the world. I can't decide if I want that time to pass quickly, or whether I just want to watch England play India in a fifteen match Test series so that the summer just goes on and on forever.

I know that cometh the hour, I will be ready. It's a bit like a visit to the dentist. The days ahead of the appointment are the worst. Once in the waiting room flicking through Readers Digest, there really is no point worrying any more.

And by time the big kick off arrives, I will have put my thoughts back into logical and pragmatic order. 2011-12 is a bonus season for the Canaries. We are in the big time well ahead of schedule. The financial windfall enables us to re-schedule the payment of debts and put ourselves on a much sounder footing for the future.

But just now, I am nervous. I need to use the next three weeks wisely, if I am to be ready for August 13th !

I need to whisper this, in light of what I have written above, but I am going to miss the Championship. If the top flight of English football is the hardest competition in the world, then surely the second level is the most competitive and riveting - a league that rarely fails to deliver the most spectacular and ridiculous story-lines, week after week. Don't get me wrong, I am glad we are out of it. Probably at least fifteen clubs will fancy their chances of promotion this season. Some have spent heavily in the hope it will be them. A few need to build on last season. Others need simply to perform and put the disappointments of the last campaign into the filing cabinet marked 'history'. It will, once again be a fascinating season in the Championship, with much more excitement, notably in the top half of the table, than will be witnessed in the Premier League.

I will look down on it from a loftier height for the next nine months or so. With an element of disdain I guess. But I have promised myself that I will follow it with almost (but not quite) the same fervour as I did last season. It's a quagmire into which some clubs sink and don't emerge from for a very long time. If ever. But if you love football, you have got to love the thrill a minute Championship.
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First & Last - Keith Bertschin

First game :  29th August 1981 versus Rotherham away Division Two 4-1 defeat

Last game :  15th September 1984 versus Southampton away Division One 2-1 defeat



Signed from  :  Birmingham City
Next club  :  Stoke City
Played professionally : until 1991 (then non league until 1998)
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Time To Say Goodbye

The following player has left Norwich City FC :





Luke Daley
2007-2011    14 appearances  0 goals

He departs with our best wishes, and thanks for his service to the club
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Lost Opponents : York City FC

Norwich City's history against clubs no longer in the Football League or no longer in existence

Of all the sides that feature in the 'Lost Opponents' series, York City are one of a few that Norwich City might conceivably meet again some time soon. They are playing their football in the Conference, the fifth tier of the English pyramid, and so are just one promotion away from the Football League and a possible pairing with the Canaries via the League Cup competition.

The history between the two clubs is not a long one - just six matches. Norwich marginally hold the upper hand with three wins to York's two, with one contest ending in a draw. Paths did not cross until the 1959-60 season. Up until then, the regionalisation of the third tier meant the sides were separated by the north/south split. In the final year of that arrangement, York City finished 13th in the Third Division North, narrowly missing a place in the newly formed Division Three alongside Norwich. Instead, they took up a place as founder members of Division Four in 1958-59 and finished 3rd. This promotion was the reason they came into Football League contact with Norwich City for the first time.

The first fixture took place on the 16th of March 1960 at Bootham Crescent. Norwich won 2-1, courtesy of a brace from Bunny Larkin. The return fixture at Carrow Road attracted a crowd of 26,952, with Matt Crowe scoring the only goal of the game to hand the Canaries a 1-0 win. At the end of the season, the two clubs went separate ways once more. Norwich were promoted after finishing second in the table behind Southampton. York however went in the other direction. They ended up in 21st place and faced relegation back to the fourth tier after just one season. The other clubs who went down that year were Mansfield Town, Wrexham and Accrington Stanley - all of whom would go on to eventually lose their league status.

Ironically the following season, Norwich and York would still play two games against each other, as they were drawn out of the hat together in the 3rd Round of the 1960-61 FA Cup. The initial tie at York finished in a 1-1 draw, Bunny Larkin scoring again for Norwich. In the Carrow Road replay it was Matt Crowe's turn to get onto the scoresheet once more. He netted the only goal of the game in front of 27,464 people. However, no league fixtures took place in the sixties as York, apart from a single season in 1965-66 back in Division Three, established themselves as a fourth tier club. Fortunes changed for them though in the early seventies, as they worked their way up to Division Two for the first time in history.

It was there, in 1974-75, that saw the final two contests between the clubs. York managed a very creditable 15th placed finish whilst Norwich gained promotion back to the top flight at the first attempt, finishing third behind Manchester United and Aston Villa. York did however complete the double over City - winning 1-0 at home and 3-2 at Carrow Road (David Stringer and Colin Suggett scoring to get Norwich back into the game after York had scored twice in the first few minutes). The teams have not crossed swords since. York did not survive the following season, and were relegated again the year after back to Division Four.

York City were formed in 1908, six years after Norwich City, and competed in the Northern League as an amateur team. The First World War saw them stop playing and, just like Norwich, they went bankrupt in 1917, though in York's case this was brought about through their failure to pay bills for ground improvements that had previously taken place. They re-formed in 1922, and after failing to gain entry to the Football League, they joined the Midland League. Their home ground was at Fulfordgate, which eventually had a 17,000 capacity. However it was difficult to grow a fanbase there - car transport was not an option for many, and the countryside location of the ground was also difficult to get to by tram or train.

In 1929, they did get into the Football League, replacing Ashington in Division Three North and finishing sixth. In 1932 they re-located to their present home, Bootham Crescent. York remained at the third tier right through until the formation of Division Four. Their highest placed finish in the competition was fourth in 1954-55. That year also saw them reach the semi-final of the FA Cup, beating Blackpool and Tottenham Hotspur on the way before eventually losing to Newcastle United in a replay, just one step away from Wembley. Norwich City would of course achieve a similar feat, four years later. York throughout history have been able to boast a reputation of giant-killers in both cup competitions, claiming the scalps of Manchester United, Arsenal, West Bromwich Albion and Middlesbrough over the years, and twice holding Liverpool to draws.

The period between 1976 and 2004 saw York City in the third and fourth levels, but they lost Football League status at the end of the 2003-04 season. The closest the Minstermen have got to achieving a return was 2010, but they lost 3-1 to Oxford United in the Conference play-off final at Wembley.


Update :  On the 20th of May 2012, York City beat Luton Town 2-1 in the Football Conference Play Off Final at Wembley to win entry back into the Football League. They therefore can no longer be considered 'lost opponents' to Norwich City, as the clubs could be drawn together in the League Cup.


pictured : York City playing colours during the period they met Norwich City in the Football League (copyright Historical Football Kits - not to be reproduced without permission of the owners).
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Ground File : Carrow Road

The third in a series of three articles looking at the homes of Norwich City Football Club

The stadium that is currently the home of Norwich City Football Club is known as Carrow Road, and stands on the bank of the River Wensum.

The road took it's name from Carrow Abbey, which was once situated nearby.

Norwich City had to move ground at the end of the 1934-35 season after the FA brought safety issues at the Nest to a head. The new premises were purchased on the 1st of June 1935 on a twenty year lease from J&J Colman, and had been used as a sports facility by the Boulton & Paul engineering company.

The new stadium was built in 82 days and described as the biggest building project in the city since the construction of Norwich Castle back in Norman times. Norwich City FC officials called it, tongue in cheek, the 8th wonder of the world.

Earth and rubble from the Nest was transported down to Carrow Road in order to make an embankment at the southern end of the site, which would become known as the River End.

Only one side of the ground had a cover, the side that now houses the Geoffrey Watling City Stand. The white roof displayed a massive advert for Colman's Mustard, though the writing could only be seen from the air.

The northern end of the ground was originally named the Station Road End. At the start of the 1937-38 season, club vice president Captain Evelyn Barclay generously donated funds for a cover to be built, and ever since that area of the ground has been known as the Barclay.

Norwich City played their first ever league match at Carrow Road on the 31st of August 1935, a Division Two game against West Ham United which ended in a thrilling 4-3 victory for the Canaries. The first goal on the ground was scored by Doug Lochhead.

The first FA Cup match was played against Chelsea, in the 3rd Round on the 11th of January 1936. The game ended in a 1-1 draw. The first penalty by a Canary at Carrow Road was put away by Jack Russell in the 5-3 defeat to Manchester United on the 23rd of November 1935.

King George VI attended the match against Millwall on the 29th of October 1938, as part of his visit to the fine city.

Attendances grew steadily, further justifying the move away from the Nest. Progress was halted however by relegation in 1938-39, then the outbreak of war which saw competitive football suspended.

During World War Two, the Carrow Road ground suffered several near misses of a different kind - from German bombers aiming for the nearby Boulton & Paul factory, where aircraft turrets were made. Two anti aircraft guns were placed in the car park of the football ground, manned by the Home Guard.

In 1956, floodlights were installed, though the cost of £9,000 very nearly bankrupted Norwich City Football Club. They were used for the first time in a friendly against Sunderland on the 17th of October, and City lost the match 3-0.

The South Stand, named after director Arthur South (and not because it is on the south side of the ground, which it isn't !) was roofed following the famous and profitable FA Cup run of 1959.

The biggest ever crowd at Carrow Road came on the 30th of March 1963, in a 6th Round FA Cup tie against Leicester City. The attendance was 43,984.

The uncovered terraces of the much loved River End disappeared in the summer of 1979.

In 1984, the original City Stand was partially destroyed by a devastating fire, during which many of the club's historical treasures were lost.

Not until the 30th of August 1986 would the stand re-open fully, at a cost of £1.7 million.

The original clock had been removed from the stand for repair in 1982, and had not been put back in place. It therefore escaped the fire and was left in the safekeeping of legendary groundsman, Russell Allison. It was eventually restored to it's proper location in 2009.

Carrow Road became an all seater stadium in 1992 after the Taylor Report of 1990. The modern ground includes a Holiday Inn hotel.

The highest attendance in the all seater era is 26,532 for the local derby against Ipswich Town on the 28th of November 2010. The match was also shown live on BBC television.

The stands at Carrow Road are currently named : Geoffrey Watling City Stand (formerly the City Stand), Norwich & Peterborough Stand (formerly the River End), the Barclay (formerly the Station End), Jarrold Stand (formerly the South Stand), Thorpe Corner (also known as the Snakepit and located between the GWC Stand and the Barclay), and the Aviva Community Stand (between the Jarrold and N&P Stands).
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