MATCH STATS

WEST BROM Hoult, Haas, Gaardsoe, Moore, Albrechtsen, Gera, Johnson, Scimeca, Greening, Horsfield, Kanu. Subs: Robinson (for Gera, 79), Koumas (for Greening, 67), Contra, Kuszczak, Earnshaw (for Kanu, 57).

NORWICH CITY Green, Edworthy, Fleming, Charlton, Drury, Jonson, Francis, Holt, Bentley, Huckerby, McKenzie. Subs: Safri, McVeigh (for Bentley, 75), Svensson (for McKenzie, 79), Ward, Helveg (for Jonson, 73).

SCORERS: None.

TOP CANARY: Simon Charlton

ATTENDANCE: 26,257

REFEREE: Philip Crossley (Kent)

YELLOW CARDS: West Brom: Moore (42), Johnson (58) Norwich: McKenzie (63), Bentley (71)

RED CARDS: None

SHOTS ON TARGET: West Brom 1, Norwich 2

SHOTS OFF TARGET: West Brom 7, Norwich 9

CORNERS: West Brom 2, Norwich 3

FOULS:  West Brom 14, Norwich 21

OFFSIDE:  West Brom 2, Norwich 2

Saturday October 16, 2004
RICK WAGHORN

Nigel Worthington’s Canaries clawed their way out of the Premiership bottom three with a 0-0 draw at West Bromwich Albion.

The game may still find the Canaries searching for that first win on their return to the top flight but they still returned from the West Midlands with pride and reputation intact following yet another hard working effort on their travels which could so easily have yielded so much more.

With Craig Fleming and Simon Charlton once more immovable at the heart of the Norwich defence, the Canaries can look back on three clear-cut opportunities before the break which could have killed the contest.

Both Darren Huckerby and Leon McKenzie were clean through on Russell Hoult’s goal only for the former to fire over and the latter screw wide of the target while Mattias Jonson would guide another glorious opening into the side-netting.

Though West Brom improved after the break and enjoyed more of the ball, City continued to hold firm and in the end it will be Baggies boss Gary Megson with more cause to worry than Worthington.

As the Canaries continued their quest for their first Premiership win of the season against their old First Division title foes West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns, so Norwich boss Nigel Worthington refused to make any changes to the side that has come so close to bagging those three, prize points at home to Portsmouth a fortnight ago.

In fact the only change came on the bench where Youssef Safri returned following his World Cup adventures with Morocco.

Baggies boss Gary Megson — whose side racked up their own first win of their top flight campaign at home to Bolton two weeks ago — kept faith with a winning formula. All of which ensured that record signing Robert Earnshaw was left on the bench as Geoff Horsfield, the man who scuppered Norwich’s play-off dream in the final at Cardiff kept his place alongside the danger Kanu.

Norwich kicked off defending the goal behind which their travelling support was gathered.

With Norwich kicking off defending the goal behind which their travelling support was gathered, it was the home side who produced the first shot of the afternoon when Hungarian skipper Zoltan Gera continued his excellent early season form with a sweetly struck shot from the edge of the City box that drifted little more than a couple of feet wide of Robert Green’s right upright.

Otherwise it was a fairly cagey opening from both sides — both teams knowing full well that this was one of those contests that neither would like to lose.

The game was barely five minutes old before City physio Neal Reynolds was called into action following a clash of heads between former Ipswich Town defender Thomas Gaardsoe and McKenzie.

After treatment, however, McKenzie was soon back on his feet and was, indeed, centre stage for the clearest chance of the game on eight minutes.

It owed everything to Huckerby’s vision and delivery as he ghosted in from the right touchline before drifting a wonderful cross behind a static Baggies back line where it was met with a left-foot volley by an unmarked McKenzie.

Unfortunately for Norwich’s hopes of stealing an early advantage McKenzie’s side-foot effort sailed a foot over the bar with West Brom keeper Russell Hoult horribly exposed.

Nevertheless it was an encouraging opportunity for the visitors in what was proving an open and even start.

As the first half continued so Norwich continued to enjoy the greater share of possession and indeed carve out the clearer opportunities.

With both Huckerby and McKenzie giving Darren Moore and Gaardsoe plenty to think about, it was a thrilling run from Huckerby that next came close to handing City an opening goal as he cut inside from the right-hand touchline leaving three defenders trailing in his wake only for his final swirling shot to fly straight into Hoult’s waiting arms.

A minute later, Huckerby had an even clearer opportunity to open the scoring when McKenzie’s excellent tackle robbed Moore midway inside the West Brom half and his equally fine through ball sent Huckerby scampering clear.

There's nowhere for Darren Huckerby to hide after the City striker saw his shot spin horribly wide.

With Bernt Haas rapidly closing and Hoult swiftly advancing, Huckerby opted for a precision place inside the keeper’s left-hand post only for the Canary striker to lose his footing at a crucial moment and send a horrible shot spinning well wide — much to the glee of the relieved home supporters gathered behind that goal.

As the game sailed beyond the half-hour mark it was again Norwich who were coming the closer to breaking the deadlock.

This time it was Mattias Jonson with a clear sight on goal and once again his chance owed much to Huckerby’s approach play.

For the Canary striker, enjoying a lively afternoon at The Hawthorns, once more found himself wriggling free of two West Brom defenders before delivering another excellent through ball into the feet of both McKenzie and Jonson.

With the Swede enjoying the better angle, McKenzie duly left the ball for Jonson only for his final shot to be swept into the side netting.

Norwich had now gained a clear sight of Hoult’s goal on three separate occasions only to miss their intended target each time. The fear was, of course, that City would have cause to regret such waste as the game progressed.

Green watches the ball flash past his post.

Eight minutes before the break and David Bentley got in on the shooting act when he cut in off the left touchline only to drill his final shot two yards wide of Hoult’s right upright.

The game’s first booking of the afternoon arrived in the 42nd minute when the struggling Moore was guilty of kicking the ball away in frustration having been adjudged to have fouled Huckerby who in turn had just whipped the ball off his toes.

Moments later and the action switched to the Canaries penalty area and Green’s first real save of note.

Bernt Haas finally found himself with some space on the right-hand edge of the Canary box and his fierce, low cross was almost sent spinning into his own net by the covering Holt only for Green to produce a fine, one-handed diving stop low to his right to avert the danger.

It proved to be the final piece of goal-mouth action as referee Philip Crossley brought the first half to a close with the Canaries well ahead on points but crucially not on goals.

Half-time: West Brom 0, Norwich City 0

As the second half resumed so both sides returned to the fray unchanged.

Evidence of a few frayed nerves was not hard to find as Greening and Jonson squared up to each other within a minute of the restart.

It was, however, the Canaries who forced the first real chance of the second period when Jonson and McKenzie together met a deep, far post cross from Bentley in the 50th minute only for Hoult to scramble the ball clear at the second attempt.

Megson looked the keener of the two managers to make a change with Welsh international Earnshaw soon to be spotted warming up on the touchline.

Darren Huckerby races past former Canary Andy Johnson.

Sure enough in the 57th minute Megson did indeed make the change with Earnshaw replacing Kanu — the £40,000 a week ex-Arsenal striker disappearing rather reluctantly from the field.

The game’s second booking arrived a minute later when ex-Canary Andy Johnson was adjudged to have clipped Huckerby’s heels as the Canary striker raced away on goal.

Earnshaw’s arrival certainly helped liven up West Brom’s attacking ambitions as he almost helped the home side power into the lead.

It was his dangerous run in the 62nd minute that finally found Jonathan Greening firing goalwards from the edge of the box and it needed a combination of a second claw away from Green and a hefty boot from Fleming to deny Horsfield the rebound.

McKenzie was the next to find himself in the referee’s book as he tangled with Albrechtsen away by the right-hand touchline.

The City striker’s appeal that he was more sinned against than sinning when it came to the shirt pulling came to nothing as McKenzie saw yellow.

Bentley added his name to the book in the 71st minute when he was adjudged to have felled Haas as the Baggies full-back looked to break goalwards of the right-hand touchline.

By now Megson had made his second change of the afternoon with Jason Koumas replacing Greening in the 68th minute.

Gary Holt and Simon Charlton object to Philip Crossley awarding West Brom a free-kick on a day the referee, making his Premiership debut, would rather forget.

The changes appeared to be working in the home side’s favour as they began to enjoy a greater share of the possession and in Earnshaw and Koumas had two players who offered real threat and creation.

On the 73rd minute Worthington made his first change of the contest when Danish international skipper Thomas Helveg replaced Jonson on the right-hand side of midfield.

Two minutes later and Worthington was opting for a second change as Paul McVeigh replaced the tiring Bentley away on the left-hand side.

By now it was the home side carving out the clearer chances with Horsfield producing a strong and direct run on the Canary goal only to fire his final shot well over.

The final 10 minutes saw the two final changes of the afternoon as Mathias Svensson replaced McKenzie and, for the home side, Paul Robinson replaced Gera.

In the 80th minute it was City who were firing goalwards as a corner following a deflected shot from Adam Drury finally fell to the feet of Helveg on the edge of the Baggies’ box only for his well-struck shot to fly two foot over the bar.

As the game entered its final moments so both sides were anxious not to commit the one fatal error which could hand the opposition such a potentially crucial three points at the end of the season.

Norwich might have been enjoying the greater share of the final possession but they struggled to find a clear sight of Hoult’s goal.

Result: West Brom 0, Norwich City 0