First & Last - Ashley Ward

First game :  10th December 1994 versus Chelsea home Premier League 3-0 win

Last game :  9th March 1996 versus Portsmouth home Division One 1-1 draw



Signed from :  Crewe Alexandra
Next club :  Derby County
Played professionally :  until 2005
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Debutants 1929

Here is a list of all players who made their first team débuts for Norwich City Football Club in 1929 :

John Gardiner    19 January 1929 v Charlton Athletic  (Division 3S)  (h) lost 1-0
Archie Chappell    2 February 1929 v Brighton  (Division 3S)  (a) lost 3-0
Lewis Botto    9 March 1929 v Torquay Utd  (Division 3S)  (a) won 3-0
George Anderson    31 August 1929 v Fulham  (Division 3S)  (h) lost 4-0
William Brown    31 August 1929
John Jarvie    31 August 1929
Doug Lochhead    31 August 1929
Jimmy Thompson    31 August 1929
Norman Thomson    31 August 1929
John Scott    2 September 1929 v Luton Town  (Division 3S)  (a) drew 1-1
Bob Graham    9 September 1929 v Luton Town  (Division 3S)  (h) drew 1-1
Joe Jobling    9 September 1929
Bill Knox    9 September 1929
Tommy Hunt    5 October 1929 v Exeter City  (Division 3S)  (h) won 3-1
Arthur Noble    2 November 1929 v Clapton Orient  (Division 3S)  (h) won 1-0
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Norwich City & Fulham - Players

The following players have all had connections with Norwich City and Fulham :

.   Bill Bauchop (W)  **
.   Jim Bellamy (F)
.   Bobby Brennan (F)  *
.   Roger Brown (D)  **
.   Viv Busby (F)  *
.   Arthur Collins (M)  *
.   Dean Coney (F)
.   Harold Crockford (M)
.   Dickson Etuhu (M)
.   Thomas Fitchie (F)
.   John Flanagan (F)  **
.   Elvis Hammond (F)  *
.   David Healy (F)
.   Jack Houghton (D)
.   Archie Hubbard (F)
.   Adrian Leijer (D)  *
.   Frank McKenna  (F)  *
.   Leon McKenzie (F)
.   Hugh McQueen (W)
.   Elliot Omozusi (D)  *
.   Martin O'Neill (M)
.   Paul Peschisolido (F)  *
.   Theo Pike (F)
.   Zesh Rehman (D)  *
.   Brian Ronson (GK)
.   John Ryan (D/M)
.   Dejan Stefanovic (D)  *
.   Johnny Summers (F)  *
.   Fred Thompson (GK)  *
.   Jimmy Thompson (F)
.   Mark Walton (GK)
.   Tony Warner (GK)  *
.   Willie Wood (F)  *


*  associated with Fulham immediately before Norwich City
**  associated with Fulham immediately after Norwich City

All players listed made at least one competitive appearance for Norwich City. Their associations with Fulham may have come through first team, reserve or youth football. Wartime guest appearances are not included, or trials in friendly matches.
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Norwich City & Fulham - Managers

No man has ever managed both Norwich City FC and Fulham FC. However two managers of the Canaries played for the Cottagers, both ending their careers on the pitch with the London club. Archie Macaulay, who would later take City to a FA Cup semi final in 1959, played for Fulham between 1950 and 1953. When he joined they were a First Division outfit, but could not save them from relegation in 1952. Martin O'Neill had two playing spells as a Canary during the early years of the 1980's. By 1985 he was competing for a place in the Fulham midfield but had to retire with an injury to his knee, after a long career in which he played in over 500 Football League matches.

Centre forward Jack Peart, a prolific scorer of goals as a younger man, played one season at The Nest for Norwich in 1922-23. He was in the twilight of his career and left to take over as player-manager of Rochdale where he stayed for seven years. After time with Bradford City, he was appointed boss at Craven Cottage in 1935 on a salary of £600 per annum, and remained a steadying influence there until his death in 1948. The team he left behind went on to win the Second Division at the end of that season.
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Jimmy Jones MBE

Former Norwich City director and vice chairman Jimmy Jones has sadly died at the age of 73. He was a passionate football man with a love of the game from grass roots level upwards. His involvement at Carrow Road in a board role started in 1983, soon after Robert Chase had taken up a similar position. When the entire board of directors stood down late in 1985 over controversy surrounding the building of the new City Stand, Chase took over as chairman and Jimmy Jones as vice chairman. The years that immediately followed included what many supporters would consider the golden years of Norwich City. Jimmy's greatest moment as far as his association with the Canaries was concerned came with the European adventure and the very special match against Vitesse Arnhem in 1993.

More troubled times followed of course, and he played a big part in bringing Martin O'Neill back to the club in the capacity of manager. He stood down from being a director of the club in 1995 because of ill health. By this stage Chase was under enormous pressure from unhappy fans and Jimmy Jones later attempted to take over via an EGM. He was considered by many to be an ideal saviour, but failed to get the necessary support to make it happen.

A larger than life character and hugely respected, he turned his attentions to Gorleston FC, and is largely acknowledged as the man who kept that club in existence. At the time of his death he was honorary president of The Greens. For many years Jimmy ran the Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach and in 2009 was awarded an MBE for services to sport. He will be sadly missed in local soccer circles, and affectionately remembered at Carrow Road as an influential custodian of our great club.

[picture source : Gorleston FC website]
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Final League Placings 1938-1939

Football League 1938-1939
Division Two








Blackburn Rovers  55
Sheffield United  54
Sheffield Wednesday  53
Coventry City  50
Manchester City  49
Chesterfield  49
Luton Town  49
Tottenham Hotspur  47
Newcastle United  46
West Bromwich Albion  45
West Ham United  44
Fulham  44
Millwall  42
Burnley  39
Plymouth Argyle  38
Bury  37
Bradford Park Avenue  35
Southampton  35
Swansea Town  34
Nottingham Forest  31
Norwich City  31
Tranmere Rovers  17


Full City Record :  P42 W13 D5 L24 F50 A91 PTS 31   Managers :  Bob Young/Jimmy Jewell


Everton were English champions
Portsmouth won the FA Cup


In This Year :  Len Hutton scores 364 in one innings against Australia

The first ever televised boxing match is shown on the BBC

With World War Two imminent, conscription is introduced in Britain



Final league placings will be posted on a regular basis until every table is listed - click on the label below for years posted so far.
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Norwich City Goalscorers

Norwich City first team goalscorers in all competitions. Friendlies and trials not included. Players still at the club omitted.


E

Les Eyre  69 
Darren Eadie  38
Robert Earnshaw  27
Efan Ekoku  17
Ched Evans  10
Dickson Etuhu  7
Clint Easton  5
Shaun Elliott  2
Stephen Elliott  2
Sid Earl  1
Doug Evans  1
George Edwards  1

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The Football League Cup

The Football League Cup, or the League Cup as it is more commonly referred to, was first introduced into English soccer in the 1960-61 season. In the second half of the fifties, more and more clubs (including Norwich City) added floodlights to their grounds. This new competition allowed them to increase income through midweek evening matches.

For the Canaries, the League Cup has provided many great moments and memories. They have won the trophy twice, been finalists on two other occasions, and reached a semi final. In history, they currently find themselves as the ninth most successful club in the competition. Allocating three points for a win and one for a draw, Norwich City average 1.73 points per game. To put this into perspective, a similar achievement in this season's Premier League would see them finish with 65 points. Only Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa, Arsenal, and West Ham United have played more League Cup games than City.

Norwich's first appearance came on the 26th of October 1960, in a game against Oldham Athletic at Carrow Road. A crowd of just over 13,000 saw Ron Ashman lead his team to a 6-2 win, with three goals in each half. Bunny Larkin and Brian Whitehouse each got a brace, Derrick Lythgoe and Matt Crowe also scored. The Canaries went on to thump Derby County 4-1 at the Baseball Ground in the next round, before losing 1-0 at Shrewsbury Town.

In the early years of the League Cup, no prize of European qualification for the winners was on offer. Therefore the bigger clubs did not take it entirely seriously, with some choosing not to enter it at all. Aston Villa were the first winners in 1961, squeezing past Rotherham United 3-2 over two legs, and needing extra time to find the deciding goal.

The following season, 1961-62, it was Norwich City who lifted the trophy. Eight games were played in total, with the Canaries beating Chesterfield, Lincoln City, Middlesbrough and Sunderland on the way to the semi final. Blackpool stood between us and a first ever cup final, and that contest was virtually settled in the first leg at Carrow Road, with City romping home 4-1. A fright followed in the away leg as the Tangerines won 2-0, but it was Norwich who proceeded to the final. There they met Rochdale, again over two legs, and again they did all of the hard work in the first match. A 3-0 win in Lancashire with goals from Lythgoe (2) and Bill Punton put one hand on the trophy. The task was completed a week later at Carrow Road when a Jimmy Hill goal secured a 4-0 aggregate win.

In the early seventies, City had a fabulous three years in the competition. In 1972-73 season, their first in history as a top flight club, the Canaries again reached the final. By now the competition was being settled over one match (the first time this happened was in 1967). With a place in Europe also at stake, Norwich appeared at Wembley Stadium for the first time. However, in a dour and disappointing match, they went down 1-0 to Spurs. The cup run very nearly cost them their Division One place too. The next year they went close to a big day out once more - losing in the semi final to Wolverhampton Wanderers (the eventual winners), 2-1 on aggregate. In 1974-75 they did make it back to the home of English football, but again lost, 1-0 to Aston Villa this time.

It would be ten years before another return, and joy at last ! A deserved 1-0 victory over Sunderland saw the League Cup back in the trophy cupboard at Carrow Road, thanks to an Asa Hartford goal. But the occasion was also tinged with disappointment - the Canaries took their eye off the league and were cruelly relegated at the end of the season. And the club were also denied entry into Europe. English clubs were banned after the Heysel Stadium disaster.

Undoubtedly the League Cup has left many happy memories and landmark moments for older Norwich City fans - Graham Paddon's hat-trick at Highbury against Arsenal in 1972, the semi final game a few weeks later against Chelsea that was abandoned because of fog five minutes before the end, Kevin Keelan becoming the first goalkeeper to save a penalty at Wembley, Steve Bruce scoring a late headed goal at Carrow Road to take City to the 1985 final, against Ipswich Town of all clubs. And more generally, some great nights on the dark and cold terraces - evening matches bring an aura rarely experienced on a Saturday afternoon.

Over the years, the League Cup has always been considered the lesser of the two knock-out competitions in England. It is currently open for entry to clubs in the Premier League as well as the Football League. The importance granted to it by the leading clubs has been variable - in recent years they have used it as a means to give game experience to younger players and squad members. It does however continue to provide a genuine route to both silverware and Europe for many clubs.

In 1982, the competition was sponsored for the first time - by Dairy Crest, and was known as the Milk Cup (as it was when Norwich won it in 1985). Subsequent sponsors led it to being called the Littlewoods Challenge Cup (from 1986), the Rumbelows Cup (from 1990), the Coca-Cola Cup (from 1992), the Worthington Cup (from 1998), the Carling Cup (from 2003), and the Capital One Cup (from 2012). Liverpool hold the record for most wins with eight, and the most appearances in the final with eleven. The final has been contested on fifteen different grounds - Millmoor, Villa Park, Spotland, St. Andrew's, Victoria Ground, Filbert Street, Stamford Bridge, Upton Park, The Hawthorns, Wembley Stadium, Old Trafford, Maine Road, Hillsborough, Millennium Stadium, and of course, Carrow Road.


Much more information can be found on Norwich City's history in the League Cup by clicking on the label below.
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Norwich City Signings By Manager - Gary Megson

an attempt to record all Norwich City signings by the manager who brought them to the club

Jan Molby (loan)

Total  :  1


Gary Megson was in charge at Norwich City Football Club from 21st December 1995 to 21st June 1996. He had previously been caretaker manager briefly, at the end of the 1994-95 season, but made no signings during that period.



Youth players making the natural progression from the academy are not included. Future articles will take us back through history until all players and managers have been covered. To compare Gary Megson's history with the managers that followed him, click on the 'Signings By Manager' label below.
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Stars Of The Past - Robert Rosario

Robert Michael Edward Rosario was born on the 4th of March 1966 in Hammersmith, London. He joined Norwich City on the 23rd of December 1983 and with his Mediterranean looks and Italian sounding surname, he fitted the bill of a player coming direct from Serie A. In fact, he was scouted whilst playing for non league Hillingdon Borough as a seventeen year old and was brought to Carrow Road as a hot prospect for the future. Great noises were made by the media, when they discovered he had only just finished studying for his 'A' levels.

Striker Rosario had earlier played for Harrow Borough too, after unsuccessful trials with Spurs and Watford. Tall and lanky, his obvious talent was always likely to be as a target man, and as he developed, he emerged as a strong player with the ability to hold the ball up front and act as a shield. Regrettably, his scoring ratio was never sufficient to fully endear him to the fans. He had many opportunities to establish himself in the first team - his final tally of games in City colours was 161 which produced 29 goals - but found himself in and out of favour due to the lack of regular strikes. And often the young man was kept down the pecking order by new signings being brought in.

He made his Canaries début in the cracking 6-1 home win over Watford on the 7th of April 1984. The gangly Rosario added a little spice to the City teamsheet and his opening goal for the club came in his third match - a 2-2 draw with Stoke City on the 21st of April 1984. Alongside John Deehan up front, he played in all the remaining games of the 1983-84 season either as a starter or from the bench, except for the final one with Liverpool. The Carrow Road crowd were anxious to see him succeed, though as it turned out, City won none of those matches.

In the next campaign, Rosario only got a chance late on in the season. He played at Stoke City in a 3-2 win in the April, scoring a goal, but had missed out all year to Mick Channon, who had joined the club to partner Deehan, with Gary Rowell also waiting in the wings. With the League Cup secured, novice Robert played in four of the last six games of the unsuccessful relegation battle the Canaries were sucked into.

For the Division Two season of 1985-86, Norwich signed the prolific striker Kevin Drinkell which meant limited chances for Rosario. He went out on loan to Wolverhampton Wanderers for a short time. But with City back in the big time the following year, he was given an extended run, sometimes used as the target man between Drinkell and another good goal grabber, Wayne Biggins. Norwich finished fifth in Division One with Rosario making 31 club appearances in all competitions, scoring seven times. He also won the first of four England U21 caps, though his international career was to end abruptly after breaking a hotel curfew with team mate Dale Gordon when away on a trip. But whilst Rosario's development was coming along nicely, frustration was emerging amongst City fans that for a striker, he was simply not finding the back of the net often enough. Despite their high finish in English football in 1986-87, the Canaries collectively managed just 53 goals in 42 games.

Dave Stringer replaced Ken Brown as manager in November 1987, and Rosario managed just two goals from seventeen appearances, six of which were from the bench. By this time he had become something of an enigma. As always, fans wanted to see a young talent do well, especially one that had been nurtured at the club. But with the team dipping down to a fourteenth place finish in the final table with only 40 goals in as many league matches, many felt he was a luxury that could no longer be afforded. But in 1988-89, with Drinkell and Biggins gone, Stringer decided to pair him with livewire Robert Fleck, with Rosario acting as the foil to the Scotsman's more crafty skills. The partnership started the first eleven games of the campaign, Rosario scoring three times (against Middlesbrough, Millwall and Spurs) and Fleck six times. But as the season wore on Malcolm Allen won a first team place ahead of him, and then new signing Dean Coney was preferred. It meant that despite 36 appearances in all competitions that term, Rosario was still not considered first choice - a return of just six goals in those games not helping his cause.

In 1989-90 however, he produced probably his finest (and certainly best remembered) moment as a Canary with a sensational strike from outside the box against Southampton at Carrow Road. It went on to win ITV's Goal of the Season award. The game was a cracker, ending in a 4-4 draw, with Rosario scoring again to secure City a point. He managed only five more that season however, from another 23 appearances, with Norwich once again failing to score enough goals to make progress. In 1990-91 he started the campaign as a lone striker, chasing down long balls and holding up play for midfielders such as Dale Gordon, Ruel Fox and David Phillips to get forward. But in nine matches he failed to hit the net himself and eventually was replaced by Lee Power and then Robert Fleck. Rosario played his final league game for Norwich on the 2nd of January 1991 in the disastrous 6-2 home defeat to Nottingham Forest, and his last ever match was three days later against Bristol City in the FA Cup in which ironically, he scored !

In March 1991 Coventry City offered £600,000 for him, which Norwich accepted. He spent two years at Highfield Road and though he scored only eight times in 59 games, his role for the Sky Blues included periods playing deeper on the pitch, almost as a midfielder. His ability to knock the ball down for others to profit was generally appreciated by his new supporters. But a change of manager from Terry Butcher to Bobby Gould led to irregular first team chances once again for Rosario. In March 1993, an ailing Brian Clough paid £400,000 to take him to Nottingham Forest, who were in relegation trouble in the Premier League. In somewhat surreal circumstances, he was announced as the man who would score the goals to keep the club in the top division. He managed just one in ten matches. Forest were relegated, and he would become the last signing ever made by the legendary Clough.

Robert remained with Forest in Division One but he was again used largely a squad player. A recurring knee problem led to his retirement as a player and he went to the USA and turned out for Carloina Dynamo and Charleston Battery in an attempt to resurrect his career. He later took his coaching badges with the US Soccer Federation, and has remained in America ever since, enjoying success off the field as a coach for both boys and girls teams in junior football.
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Quote Unquote

"Black is black....... we want Ron Davies back".

Highly amusing chant from the Barclay in the mid sixties, to the tune of the Los Bravos hit of 1966, 'Black is Black'. Alan Black, a solid enough full back had been recently signed by Norwich City, but was not considered anywhere near as exciting as Ron Davies - the free scoring centre forward the club had just sold for a ridiculously low fee.

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Canary Lists - Norwich City Players Born In Ipswich

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



Five men who have played in the Norwich City first team, and were born in Ipswich :

Louie Donowa  (born 1964)
Ruel Fox  (born 1968)
Daryl Godbold  (born 1964)
Johnny Miller  (born 1950)
Adrian Pennock  (born 1971)

Louie Donowa and Johnny Miller also played for Ipswich.
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Norwich City & Wolverhampton Wanderers - Players

The following players have all had connections with Norwich City and Wolverhampton Wanderers :

.   Ade Akinbiyi (F)
.    Sebastien Bassong (D/M)
.   Elliott Bennett (M/W)
.   Paul Blades (D)  **
.   Lewis Botto (GK)  *
.   Bill Brown (M)  *
.   Cameron Buchanan (F)
.   Mo Camara (D)
.   Sammy Clingan (M)
.   Paul Cook (M)  **
.   Kevin Cooper (M)  *
.   Carl Cort (F)
.   Hugh Curran (F)  **
.   Rob Edwards (D)
.   Marc Edworthy (D)  *
.   Stephen Elliott (F)
.   Neil Emblen (D)  *
.   Len Featherby (W)
.   Craig Fleming (D)
.   John Gardiner (D)  *
.   Roger Hansbury (GK)
.   Tommy Hunt (F)  *
.   Bryn Jones (F)
.   Harry Keeling (F)
.   Billy Kellock (F)
.   Phil Kelly (D)  *
.   Mike Kenning (W)  **
.   Gerry Mannion (W)  *
.   Frank Perfect (D)
.   Sid Plunkett (W)  *
.   Iwan Roberts (F)  *
.   Carl Robinson (M)
.   Robert Rosario (F)
.   Jason Shackell (D)  ***
.   Tom Smalley (M)  *
.   John Smith (F)
.   Andrew Surman (M)  *
.   Jack Taylor (D)  *
.   Albert Thorpe (D)
.   George Travers (F)
.   Sam Vokes (F)  *
.   Les Wilson (D)


*  associated with Wolverhampton Wanderers immediately before Norwich City
**  associated with Wolverhampton Wanderers immediately after Norwich City
***  sold to Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2008 and loaned back in 2009


All players listed made at least one competitive appearance for Norwich City. Their associations with Wolverhampton Wanderers may have come through first team, reserve or youth football. Wartime guest appearances are not included, or trials in friendly matches.
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Norwich City & Wolverhampton Wanderers - Managers

The only man to manage both Norwich City and Wolverhampton Wanderers in history is Major Frank Buckley. He was in charge at the Nest for just one season, 1919-20, which was the first after World War One. The Canaries played in the Southern League that term, finishing mid table. The teams in that division were invited to join the Football League for 1920-21 but Buckley decided to move on, apparently disillusioned at the lack of togetherness at Norwich City at the time. It turned out to be a great loss for the club because Buckley went on to be not just a significant manager, but also a pioneer of running football clubs. He went to Blackpool for four years after Norwich, and joined Wolves in 1927. In 1932 he took them back to the First Division and was in charge until 1944, for 681 matches in total. Cyril Spiers, who would later become a manager of Norwich City was his assistant between 1932 and 1939.

Another man with Norwich connections also won Wolverhampton a place in the top flight, this time in 1977. Sammy Chung joined City in January 1955 from Reading and went on to score nine goals in 48 games. His Canary career was hampered by a broken leg during his second season, and the striker left for Watford in the summer of 1957. After retirement from playing he worked as coach and assistant to Bill McGarry at Watford, Ipswich and Wolves before replacing McGarry at Molineux in June 1976 as manager. Despite the promotion and a respectable season back in Division One, Chung was driven out by disgruntled fans in November 1978 after 108 games in charge.
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Norwich City History Against...... Wolverhampton Wanderers

All Competitions
Norwich City 10 wins   Wolves 28 wins   15 draws
Norwich goals 53   Wolves goals 92

Football League
Norwich City 9 wins   Wolves 24 wins   13 draws
Norwich goals 45   Wolves goals 79

All league games at Norwich
Norwich City 8 wins   Wolves 8 wins   7 draws
Norwich goals 26   Wolves goals 29

All league games at Wolves
Norwich City 1 win   Wolves 16 wins   6 draws
Norwich goals 19   Wolves goals 50

Cup Football
Norwich City 1 win   Wolves 4 wins   2 draws
Norwich goals 8   Wolves goals 13

It was over sixty years after their formation before Norwich City first came into contact with Wolverhampton Wanderers in competitive football. The team from the Midlands were founder members of the Football League in 1888-89, finishing a creditable third in that season. And although Wolves have failed (unlike many of their contemporaries) to hold on to top flight status for long periods since then, they were still well ahead of Norwich until the second half of the twentieth century.

Wanderers first lost their place in Division One in 1905-06 (co-incidentally the year City turned professional with a place in the Southern League) after eighteen consecutive seasons in the highest tier. The next sixty years saw them appear in both the First and Second Divisions, and even a solitary term in the Third in 1923-24. Although this brought them down to the same level as the Canaries for nine months, still the clubs did not meet as it was in the days when Division Three was divided into north and south sections.

It took until the 2nd of October 1965 for the opening clash to take place - after Wolves had been relegated to Division Two for the first time since the Second World War. It was a bad day for the Canaries at Carrow Road - they lost 3-0 after a shocking first half during which all the goals were conceded. City's inaugural visit to Molineux the following March again ended in defeat, 2-1 after a Tommy Bryceland goal in the opening half had given them hope. In the next season, Wolves finished second in the table behind Coventry City, thereby returning to the top flight. In the process, they beat Norwich twice more.

The clubs did not meet again until 1971, this time in the 3rd Round of the FA Cup and again Wolverhampton Wanderers came off better. After a close first half had finished level (with Ken Foggo netting for Norwich), the home side ran amok after the break, adding four more goals. But eighteen months later, Norwich fought their way to the top division for the first time in history. The Division One clash on the 23rd of December 1972 at Carrow Road saw the Canaries get their first ever league point in the series, Jimmy Bone scoring before the interval in a game that ended 1-1. Status quo was maintained though the following April, with Wolves winning the return fixture 3-0 !

Whilst a few more draws occurred, it actually took until the fourteenth game (including two League Cup games and that FA Cup tie) for Norwich to win their first game against Wolves. On the 8th of October 1977, a brace from Martin Peters saw the Canaries grab a 2-1 win. Goals from John Ryan and Kevin Reeves (2) enabled City to get a share of the spoils the following March in a thrilling 3-3 draw at Molineux. But any respite from Wolverhampton superiority was short lived for Norwich fans - the Midlanders soon got back to winning ways, including a 4-0 win at Carrow Road in 1980.

The next fifteen years of course witnessed the most successful period in Norwich City history and coincided with a very dark era for Wolves. It meant the Canaries missed out on the chance of re-balancing the head to head series as the clubs did not meet. Wanderers lost their top flight status in 1981-82, and although they bounced straight back up, they were relegated again in 1983-84. It heralded an astonishing drop down the divisions - by 1986 Wolves were in Division Four. Thankfully for them, their rise was equally as quick, though it only took them back as far as the second level, by the end of the eighties.

So, the next clash between the clubs did not take place until Norwich's run in the top flight came to an end. The Canaries travelled to Molineux on the 13th September 1995 and won 2-0 with goals from Ashley Ward and Andy Johnson. It remains City's only win away from home in the series. All games since then have also taken place at the second level of English football, and again Wolverhampton Wanderers have largely held the upper hand. Norwich did secure single goal home wins in 2000 and 2001, but also took two drubbings at Molineux in 1998 (5-0) and 2000 (4-0).

Probably the most famous Norwich victory in the series came in 2002 when the clubs met in the Division One play-off semi finals. Wolves finished the regular season three places higher than City (though had failed to beat us) and had to travel to Carrow Road for the first leg. Although they led after the first half, they were rocked by a stirring Canary comeback - Mark Rivers grabbed an equaliser before Paul McVeigh gave City the lead. Icing was put on the cake in stoppage time with a close range header from Malky Mackay giving Norwich a rousing 3-1 advantage. Wolves won the second leg 1-0, but could not prevent the Canaries securing a play-off Final spot against Birmingham City, which they regrettably lost on penalties.

Eventually both clubs did make it to the Premier League, Wolves (for the first time in their history) in 2003-04, and Norwich the following year. Neither club lasted more than a single season back in the top flight. A run of eight matches then took place in the Championship, with Norwich failing to win any of the first six. The sequence ended on the 21st of October 2008 when City stunned Wolves 5-2 in a night match at Carrow Road with Lee Croft adding to a Leroy Lita hat-trick and an own goal. The return fixture in the following February saw another thriller with six goals shared - Lee Croft again, plus one each from Carl Cort (his only goal for Norwich) and Gary Doherty. Ironically, Wolves were promoted back to the Premier League at the end of the campaign whilst Norwich slipped down to the third tier for the first time in fifty years.

The next clash took place on the 20th of December 2011, when Norwich next played in the Premier League. The match ended in a draw as Wolves twice equalised after goals from Andrew Surman and Simeon Jackson. The return fixture at Carrow Road the following March saw City come from behind to win 2-1 with a brace from Grant Holt, who was then sent off for receiving two yellow cards.

Wolves also hold the power in knock-out football with that play-off success being City's solitary win. They ended the Canaries' League Cup run of 1973-74 at the semi final stage, 2-1 on aggregate on their way to lifting the trophy. The fact that Norwich went so close to a cup final themselves has been largely lost in time - overshadowed by the Wembley appearances of 1973 and 1975.

Wolverhampton were founded in 1877 by pupils from the St Luke's Church school, and when they merged with football and cricket team The Wanderers two years later, the club name we know today was applied. They have since been English champions three times (1954, 1958 and 1959), FA Cup winners four times (1893, 1908, 1949 and 1960) and have won the Football League Cup twice in 1974 and 1980.



.  For a list of players associated with both clubs, click here
http://canaryseventyninety.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/norwich-city-wolverhampton-wanderers_23.html

.   For information on managerial associations, click here
http://canaryseventyninety.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/norwich-city-wolverhampton-wanderers.html



Did You Know ?

Wolves' original colours were red and white stripes. After a visit to Sunderland in 1890, the Football League took steps the next season to make sure all visiting teams carried a stock of plain white shirts, to avoid similar kit clash catastrophes.



To see what part Wolverhampton Wanderers have played in the history of Norwich City Football Club, just pop their name into the search facility in the side bar.

Most recent games
24 Mar 2012   (Premier League)  Norwich City 2 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1
20 Dec 2011   (Premier League)  Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 Norwich City 2
3 Feb 2009   (Championship)  Wolverhampton Wanderers 3 Norwich City 3
21 Oct 2008   (Championship)  Norwich City 5 Wolverhampton Wanderers 2
29 Dec 2007   (Championship)  Norwich City 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1
22 Sep 2007   (Championship)  Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 Norwich City 0
30 Jan 2007   (Championship)  Norwich City 0 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1
23 Dec 2006   (Championship)  Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 Norwich City 2

pictured :  Paul Blades, defender who was sold to Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1992 for £325,000

Remember When.............

................you turned the corner into Carrow Road, saw the outside broadcast lorry, and knew that City were on the telly




Modern age fans are aggrieved on a weekly basis when they discover the running order of matches on BBC's Match of the Day each Saturday. But there was a day when the programme consisted of just one main match and short highlights of two others. So watching your favourite team on the telly was very difficult. ITV chose the regional route, with a good 45 minute showing of a chosen match, but you had to wait until Sunday afternoon to see it.

And so, against this background, the prospect of Norwich City on the box was always fantastically exciting. Really, it was. Back in the '70s it was just as important to the average fan to know the Canaries were getting a share of the compliments. That football experts would find just a few seconds to say something positive. And, in the absence of wall to wall soccer that we enjoy today, these little offerings were greedily grabbed.

But the thing that should be understood by those of you not around in the seventies, is the fact that nobody knew which matches were going to be covered. Games were not all ticket in those days. Football had many more casual supporters - people who would pick and choose which matches to go to. Therefore, any prior knowledge that a fixture at Carrow Road was going to be televised would most likely knock a thousand or two off the attendance. And football clubs were not earning millions of pounds from TV rights as they do nowadays. So, it was always a big secret as to who would be featured.

And the first you knew of it was that moment when you got close to the ground and spotted an outside broadcast van or two, either behind the River End, or on the path outside the main entrance or the Barclay End. Big buzzing lorries, with a spaghetti of wires trailing out of the back and sides. More often than not they read Anglia on the side, meaning a twenty four hour wait for Gerry Harrison and Match of the Week. But once Norwich made it to Division One, occasionally the BBC would turn up instead. National attention at last.

Trying to best guess whether or not we were 'going to be on' became something of a side hobby for City fans. It was easier with Anglia TV because they had far fewer grounds to choose from and generally tried to be even handed amongst all the regional teams. There were plenty of terrace arguments along the lines that other clubs got more exposure, but my memory is that Norwich got pretty good coverage. A study of the forthcoming fixture list for the weekend gave a few clues to the odds of it being the Canaries' turn. 'Ipswich are away, Northampton and Colchester United were on last week, yes, it's either us or Peterborough'. So some weeks, those last few minutes walk before the ground came into sight were really rather exciting. No, honestly, they were. Don't mock - in the early seventies, this was a really important part of being a football fan I can tell you !

Often, after all the speculation, I used to find that I had called it correctly. After a while it became fairly obvious as far as Anglia were concerned. But there were disappointments, days when they chose to overlook Norwich against Tottenham Hotspur and inexplicably took their cameras to Grimsby Town instead. The Beeb were more difficult to gauge. As now, the big clubs always got a bigger slice of the cake. But when we were on, and remember this was new to the Canaries, suddenly the pressure to get a decent result rose sharply. Many a time my excitement started to turn to fear with every step closer to the ground, as those lorries got closer. And, the specially erected camera gantry behind the River End goal came into view. It wouldn't be long before you heard someone say 'We never do well when we're on telly'.

I love the television coverage we have today and wouldn't swap it for the world. But for those of you that never experienced this secrecy and mystery from the seventies, I can only say, you missed out on something special. Spotting those vans was almost as good as seeing a Canary smash the ball into the back of the net.

Well, almost !


[This series is dedicated to Canary fans who went to Carrow Road in the 1970's. You know who you are!] 
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Strain The Brain No9

If you have nothing better to do, or feel like burning the candle until the early hours doing a bit of research, see if you can identify these five players. The only clues you get are the clubs they have played for (in order, earliest first, and including loan spells). They can be from any era (and I will help you out by saying which one), and were all Canaries. Some are really easy, others a bit more difficult.  Answers can be found by clicking on the Strain The Brain answer section in the sidebar of the blog. 




Player 1 - Norwich City, Rangers, West Ham United, Peterborough, Millwall, Bournemouth (1980's-1990's)

Player 2 - Manchester United, Royal Antwerp, Reading, Burnley, West Ham United, Stoke City, Norwich City, Milton Keynes Dons (2000's)

Player 3 - Blackburn Rovers, Darlington, Stockport County, Birmingham City, Norwich City, Watford (2000's)

Player 4 - Norwich City, Luton Town, Swansea City, Blackpool, Millwall, Grimsby Town, Lowestoft Town (1990's-2000's)

Player 5 - Stoke City, Kilmarnock, Norwich City, Nottingham Forest, Wycombe Wanderers, Colchester United, Lowestoft Town (2000's)
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Life After City

...........keeping a beady eye on ex Canaries and those out on loan

In the last Life After City feature we stated that five ex Canaries were managing in the Football League after Paul Cook took over at Accrington. Now make that three, after Paul Peschisolido and Gary Megson were sacked by Burton Albion and Sheffield Wednesday respectively. And City's former full back Dennis van Wijk is now coach with Belgian Second Division club Charleroi after parting company with Mons. 

Young striker Josh Dawkin has gone out on his second loan of the season. Having spent time at Kettering Town, his latest journey takes him to Cambridge United, also in the Conference. Hot prospect Matt Ball, who will be 19 years old on the 26th of March, has gone on loan to Macclesfield in League Two. He came close to becoming a full Canary last season when he sat on the bench for the Championship match against Crystal Palace. 

Hearty congratulations to Michael Nelson who was on the winning side in the Scottish League Cup Final as Kilmarnock shocked Celtic with a 1-0 win. Fraser Forster was on the losing side. Ched Evans, who will go down in history as one of our better loanees, is having a great season with Sheffield United in League One, having netted 26 times in thirty six matches so far. After scoring just one goal in twenty three appearances for Leyton Orient, Jamie Cureton has returned to old club Exeter City on loan. And Ryan Jarvis has also gone west, to Torquay United on loan until the end of the season after hitting just three goals in twenty four appearances for his parent club Walsall. Leon McKenzie has been sent to jail for six months for sending bogus letters to the police in order to avoid speeding convictions.

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Norwich City Appearances

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.


E

Darren Eadie  204
Les Eyre  201
Marc Edworthy  76
Dickson Etuhu  70
Clint Easton  57
Robert Earnshaw  47
Efan Ekoku  45
Shaun Elliott  39
Sid Earl  30
Ched Evans  28
Grahame Englefield  22
Doug Evans  19
Neil Emblen  15
Robert Eagle  12
Stephen Elliott  10
George Edwards  9
George Ephgrave  5
Horace Ellis  4
Rob Edwards  3
Don Edwards  2
Jim Edwards  2
Bob Edwards  1
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Debutants 1928

Here is a list of all players who made their first team débuts for Norwich City Football Club in 1928 :

Bernard McLaverty    14 January 1928 v Newport County  (Division 3S)  (a) drew 2-2
Cecil Bradley    18 February 1928 v Brighton  (Division 3S)  (h) drew 0-0
Arthur Cropper    18 February 1928
Frank McKenna    25 August 1928 v Coventry City  (Division 3S)  (a) lost 3-0
John Philipson    25 August 1928
John Stephenson    25 August 1928
John Greenwell    27 August 1928 v Bournemouth  (Division 3S)  (h) won 5-1
Charlie Hooper    10 November 1928 v Plymouth Argyle  (Division 3S)  (h) lost 3-0
Fred Dent    25 December 1928 v Luton Town  (Division 3S)  (a) lost 2-1
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Ask Aitch ! - Silk Shirts In The Fifties

Hi Aitch,

Just discovered your excellent site at SUTRE! and was looking at past Norwich strips. When I was a lad living in Sussex I supported Brighton & Hove Albion and well remember keenly contested games with the Canaries at the Goldstone Ground in the old 3rd Division (S). It seems to me that in about 1954, Norwich wore a strip (maybe away) that looked like silk and may have been yellow with a lot of black trim. It always stuck in my mind as distinguishing Norwich as a team with some style (as opposed to the scruffy visiting Bristol teams). I wonder if you or your sources can throw any light on this ? It would have been in the Johnny Gavin/Tommy Johnston era.

Regards
Roy Headland (now living in Norwich and a supporter for 40 years)

First of all, thanks for getting in touch Roy, and for your kind words about Sing Up The River End! I am glad you enjoy it.

I must admit I always find the history of Norwich City shirt colours to be fascinating, as they changed from the blue and white of the Citizens to the green and yellow of the Canaries. But until I received your question, I am not sure how much thought I had ever given to the material they were made from.

The development of football shirts has not been as constant as you may expect, but there have been a few landmark periods when things changed, and significantly the fifties was one of them. After World War Two, clubs were generally impoverished and most made do with their pre war kits. There were also clothing restrictions still in place. However, by the time you have indicated, there was a little more money around. And it also corresponds with the manufacture of football shirts from artificial fabrics for the first time.

Obviously I have no first hand knowledge of the match in question, and I am unlikely to be able to dig up any information on it as far as kit is concerned. However, research has produced a few 'clues', which, when brought together, almost certainly confirms that your recollections of that visiting Norwich City team is correct.

Though I should quickly add that it is unlikely the shirts were actually silk. The material would have been rayon, an artificial fibre, which is noted for producing a bright sheen, and is in fact also called Artificial Silk (or Art Silk in the textile trade). As I said, football shirt development has had a few notable landmark periods, and in 1953, Bolton Wanderers played in rayon shirts in the FA Cup Final against Blackpool. It was of course a famous match, a seven goal thriller and often called the 'Matthews Final'. Therefore rayon was very popular around this time and all the rage, and being much more affordable than pure silk allowed football clubs to freshen up their image and look considerably more classy than they had done previously.

It is hard to say when exactly Norwich appeared in rayon shirts. If you are in possession of the second edition Mike Davage's fine book Canary Citizens, you will see pictures of Johnny Gavin and Tommy Johnston in kits that are definitely 'shiny' ! My best guess is that these photographs date from about 1952-53. The official Norwich City handbook from that season also has player biographies accompanied by head and shoulder pictures. A number of the shirts look silky. Perhaps most telling is an advert in the front cover of that publication : "Norwich Fabrics" - manufactured in Norwich by Fras. Hinde & Sons Ltd, St. Mary's Silk Mills. Rayon is noted as one of the fabrics they produced, so I will stick my neck out and say that that was where the Canary shirts were actually made.

Getting back to the match in question Roy, I doubt if the shirts you witnessed were the away strip. Brighton have always of course played in blue and white, so no clash would have occurred on the day. Don't forget, Norwich played in black shorts throughout the fifties, and certainly in pictures I have seen, they gave the Canaries a rugged appearance, certainly much more so than the modern colours we have become used to. History records that the collars and cuffs were normally green and the socks would have been a variation of green and yellow. But I think it is natural that after all these years the black element has stuck in your mind. As well as the silky shirts of course !

Thanks for the question. I enjoyed researching an answer for you.



Do you have a question regarding Norwich City Football Club history or trivia ? Maybe a memory that you can't quite piece together due to missing information ? The solution of course may already be on Sing Up The River End! but if you want to contact me either by the comment facility or e mail (address at bottom of the blog) I will try to publish you an answer.

Many questions are likely to be beyond me. So, if I don't know the answer, I will put out a request to see if any other readers can help. It's amazing what people know and remember and it may just give you what you are looking for.

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Norwich City & Newcastle United - Players

The following players have all had connections with Norwich City and Newcastle United :

.   William Aitken (W)
.   Malcolm Allen (F)
.   Sebastien Bassong (D)
.   Jackie Bell (M)  *
.   Craig Bellamy (F)
.   Albert Bennett (F)  *
.   William Bertram (F)  *
.   Tommy Booth (F)
.   Garry Brady (M)  *
.   Ollie Burton (M)  **
.   Viv Busby (F)
.   Mick Channon (F)
.   Bryan Conlon (F)
.   Carl Cort (F)
.   Tom Coulthard (D/M)  *
.   Bill Cummings (M)
.   Paul Dalglish (F)  *
.   Ian Davies (D)  **
.   Jack Doran (F)  *
.   Fraser Forster (GK)  *
.   Ruel Fox (W)  **
.   Sam Graham (F)  *
.   Bertie Hall (M)
.   Des Hamilton (M)  *
.   Billy Hampson (D)  **
.   Sandy Higgins (F)
.   Jimmy Hill (F)  *
.   Trevor Hockey (M)
.   Darren Huckerby (W/F)
.   William Hughes (F)
.   Reg Keating (F)
.   Peter McCoy (D)  *
.   Matt McNeil (M)
.   Gary Megson (M)
.   William Mellor (GK)  **
.   Arthur Metcalf (F)
.   Mick O'Brien (D)  ***
.   Scott Parker (M)
.   Matty Pattison (M)  *
.   Jack Peart  (F)
.   Bill Punton  (W)
.   Keith Robson (F)
.   Kevin Scott (F)
.   Antoine Sibierski (M)
.   Colin Suggett (M/F)  **
.   Harry Ware (F)
.   Harry Woods (F)
.   James Young (F)


*  associated with Newcastle United immediately before Norwich City
**  associated with Newcastle United immediately after Norwich City
***  associated with Newcastle East End, the forerunners of Newcastle United

All players listed made at least one competitive appearance for Norwich City. Their associations with Newcastle United may have come through first team, reserve or youth football. Wartime guest appearances are not included, or trials in friendly matches.
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Norwich City & Newcastle United - Managers

Two men in history have managed both Norwich City and Newcastle United - the first was Glenn Roeder. His tenure at St. James' Park ran from February 2006, when he was initially appointed caretaker after the dismissal of Graeme Souness, until May 2007. During this time, he built up a win ratio in excess of 45%, placing him amongst the most successful managers in Magpies history, and winning the Intertoto Cup. Five months after his departure from Newcastle he filled the vacancy at Carrow Road. During his playing career, Roeder had marshalled the Newcastle defence in over 200 games between 1983 and 1989, making more appearances for them than any of his other clubs. Chris Hughton was appointed Norwich City manager in June 2012, replacing Paul Lambert. He was boss of Newcastle firstly as a caretaker in 2008, and then permanently for the 2009-10 season, in which he successfully led the club out of the Championship and back to the Premier League. However, he was unceremoniously dumped in December 2010 for Alan Pardew.

Gary Megson and Bert Gosnell are two City managers to play for Newcastle United. Megson spent part of the 1984-85 season with them after being sold by Nottingham Forest, making 24 league appearances in total. Gosnell, who managed the Canaries between 1921 and 1926, played for the Magpies in over 100 league games between 1904 and 1910. He twice represented them in FA Cup Finals, in 1905 and 1906, but finished on the losing side on both occasions.

Midfield maestro Colin Suggett, a hugely popular player for Norwich in the seventies, had a five game spell as caretaker manager at St. James' Park towards the end of 1988, after the departure of Willie McFaul. Two games were drawn and three lost, before Jim Smith was appointed to the job permanently.
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Canary Fact File

The record home crowd for Norwich City is 43,984 v Leicester City in 1963 in a FA Cup match

Ted MacDougall of Norwich City was the leading top flight goalscorer in English football in 1975-1976 with 23 goals

Before The Canaries, the club nickname was The Citizens

The highest number of league clean sheets by a City goalkeeper in a single season is 19 - set by Kevin Keelan in 1974-1975

Until 1907, Norwich City played in blue and white halved shirts.

The Barclay is named after a former club vice-president, Captain Evelyn Barclay, the man who funded the building of the stand

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Final League Placings 1937-1938

Football League 1937-1938
Division Two







Aston Villa  57
Manchester United  53
Sheffield United  53
Coventry City  52
Tottenham Hotspur  44
Burnley  44
Bradford Park Avenue  43
Fulham  43
West Ham  42
Bury  41
Chesterfield  41
Luton Town  40
Plymouth Argyle  40
Norwich City  39
Southampton  39
Blackburn Rovers  38
Sheffield Wednesday  38
Swansea Town  38
Newcastle United  36
Nottingham Forest  36
Barnsley  36
Stockport County  31


Full City Record :  P42 W14 D11 L17 F56 A75  PTS 39  Manager :  Bob Young


Arsenal were English champions
Preston North End won the FA Cup



In This Year :  First issue of The Dandy comic is published

Footballing legend Bobby Charlton is born

The University Boat Race is televised for the first time


Final league placings will be posted on a regular basis until every table is listed - click on the label below for years posted so far.
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The Gaffer-Go-Round - Thirty Months That Shook Norwich City Football Club 1993-1996

.    4th December 1993  
Howard Kendall resigns as manager of Everton

.    remainder of December 1993
Norwich City manager Mike Walker, fresh from leading the Canaries in an enterprising and impressive UEFA Cup campaign, emerges as a leading contender for the Goodison Park vacancy, as rumours emerge that he is unhappy with his remuneration package at Carrow Road

.    early January 1994
Everton ask for permission to talk to Walker, but this is refused by City chairman Robert Chase

.    6th January 1994
A disappointed Walker takes matters into his own hands, walks out on Norwich and straight into the hot seat at Everton. Whilst all this is happening, the Canaries are healthily placed in the Premier League, in 7th position.

.    7th January 1994
Walker's assistant John Deehan, a former goalscoring legend for City, is put in temporary charge and oversees a 2-0 FA Cup win at Wycombe Wanderers the following day

.    12th January 1994
Deehan is officially made manager. Norwich drop in the table but still achieve a creditable 12th place at the end of the campaign. In the summer of '94, midfielder Gary Megson retires from playing and becomes Deehan's assistant.

.    31st December 1994
City are in a nice 7th place in the Premier League following a 2-1 home win against Newcastle United. But mistrust is building as to how ambitious Robert Chase is towards the future of Norwich City. Stars from the European adventure have already gone - the Canaries look for all the world to be a selling club.

.    9th April 1995
John Deehan resigns after a run of just one win in fifteen league matches in 1995 - a performance that sees them drop to 14th in the table. No purchases have been authorised by Chase to aid a flagging squad. Gary Megson is installed as caretaker manager and has five matches to save the club from relegation. He fails, as City lose four and draw one. Nine seasons of consecutive top flight football at Carrow Road comes to a close.

.    13th June 1995
With mounting criticism heading in the direction of Chase, Megson is relieved of his duties. In a surprising move, former Canary player Martin O'Neill, who had very quickly built up a good reputation as a manager with Wycombe Wanderers, is brought in to replace him. In a piece of business that few had seen coming, optimism of a rapid return to the Premier League, is instantly restored.

.    26 November 1995
A bright start to the season is continued with a 2-0 win at Watford which moves City up to second in the Division One table. However things are clearly not right between O'Neill and Chase. Their ambitions are not compatible, as witnessed by the chairman dragging his feet over the transfer of Dean Windass from Hull City. He eventually goes to Aberdeen instead of Carrow Road.

.    6 December 1995
Mark McGhee leaves Leicester City to take over the managers job at Wolverhampton Wanderers. Mike Walker, who endured a torrid time on Merseyside with Everton, is available, and eventually emerges as hot favourite for the position at Filbert Street.

.    17 December 1995
Norwich visit Filbert Street to take on managerless Leicester City in a live television game. Tension is high in the days leading up to the game, with fans knowing that O'Neill is getting more and more disillusioned. The big news as the broadcast begins is that the Irishman has resigned as manager of Norwich City Football Club. The match is lost, 3-2.

.    21 December 1995
O'Neill gets the job at Leicester City, leaving Walker disappointed. Norwich meantime go back to Megson, stealing him from Bradford City where he had been working as assistant to Chris Kamara, in what their chairman considered an illegal approach.

.    early 1996
Battles in the boardroom. Mass protests by fans. Chase, who had steered Norwich City through many of their most glorious days in history, now finds himself under fire from all directions. More good players are sold, leaving Megson in a hopeless position to keep the Canaries in with a shout of promotion.

.    2nd May 1996
Geoffrey Watling, the man who had saved the club from financial ruin many years early, announces that he has struck a deal to buy Robert Chase's shareholding. New board members are brought in. Chase goes.

.    21st June 1996
The gaffer-go-round does a full circle. The new regime appoint their own man. Megson is sacked. The messiah returns. It's Mike Walker.

Lost Opponents : Cambridge United

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

In distance to Norwich, Cambridge United are the second closest club to ever play in the Football League. However, clashes have been very rare - just three in history in competitive matches, all during a fifteen month period. The U's were founded in 1912 but it took them 58 years to achieve Football League status. Shortly after, Norwich secured a top level place for the first time, meaning a large gap existed between the two clubs.

The first competitive game took place on the 3rd of January 1981 at Carrow Road in the 3rd Round of the FA Cup. The Canaries were fancied to progress, but made hard work of it on the day, winning 1-0 with a goal from Greg Downs. By this time Cambridge United had made it up to the second level, and the following season, with City having been relegated from Division One in 1980-81, league status was shared for the only time in history. The teams met for the second time in November 1981, again at Carrow Road, with Norwich winning 2-1 with Steve Walford and Mick McGuire netting. And in the return fixture at the Abbey Stadium in April 1982, the same scoreline prevailed, with Peter Mendham and John Deehan scoring. At the end of the season Norwich were promoted straight back to the First Division, and the clubs would not cross paths in the league ever again. It left Norwich City with a 100% record over their East Anglian rivals, and John Deehan as the only Canary striker in history to score against them in a senior match.

The original name for Cambridge United was Abbey United, something that did not change until 1951, two years after they turned professional. For many years they appeared in local amateur leagues, before joining the Eastern Counties League, and then the Southern League in 1958-59. It was after two successive years as champions of the latter competition that they joined the Football League, elected in at the expense of Bradford Park Avenue in 1970. After just three seasons they were promoted to Division Three, but suffered immediate relegation. Between 1977 and 1978 however, they won back to back promotions after finishing as champions of Division Four and runners up in Division Three.

Those meetings with the Canaries came during the most sustained period of success for United during which they spent six years in total in the second tier. Also during this period, a few pre season friendlies took place in a mini league competition between East Anglian clubs known as the Willhire Cup. In 1978 Norwich won 3-1 away. The following year Cambridge United triumphed 2-0, and in 1980 City were victorious 4-0. None of these games count towards club or player records however.

United suffered back to back relegations in 1984 and 1985 and were therefore down in the basement of English football again. But they bounced up once more with successive promotions in the early nineties, in a team inspired by Dion Dublin, who had been released by Norwich City without having played a first team game. The U's highest ever Football League finish came in the 1991-92 campaign. Fifth place put them into the play-offs, but after drawing at home to Leicester City, they lost the second leg 5-0. Had they been successful over the three play-off matches, Cambridge United would have been founder members of the Premier League.

Such are the narrow margins of history - they were relegated at the end of the next campaign, and the dozen or so years that followed saw a return to the lower end of English football. Financial problems impacted on events on the field and in 2005 they lost their Football League status after finishing last, Barnet taking their place. Their final game was against Notts County on the 7th of May, and their goalkeeper that day was John Ruddy. Cambridge United went into administration soon after, and former Canary defender Rob Newman was appointed manager. Boardroom wrangles followed, and the prospect of a merger with rivals Cambridge City, though in the end fan power stopped this from happening. Before the 2006-07 season, ex Norwich striker Lee Power took over as chairman. But Newman was sacked, and Power resigned after 18 months.

Cambridge United continue to play in the Conference, and hope that one day they will return to the Football League. Twice they have finished in second position, in 2008 and 2009.


pictured : Cambridge United playing colours during the period they first met Norwich City in the FA Cup and Football League, though a change strip would have been needed at Carrow Road (copyright Historical Football Kits - not to be reproduced without permission of the owners).
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First & Last - Les Owens

First game : 18th March 1950 v Leyton Orient home Division Three South 4-0 win

Last game :  5th May 1951 v Crystal Palace home Division Three South 3-1 win




Signed from :  Hartlepools United
Next club :  Reading
Played professionally :  until 1953
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