MATCH STATS NORWICH CITY: Green, Louis-Jean, Fleming, Doherty, Drury, Marney, Hughes, Charlton, Huckerby, Ashton, McKenzie. Subs: Thorne (for Marney, 80), Jarrett (for Charlton, 88), Colin, Brennan, Ward. COVENTRY CITY: Bywater, Duffy, Page, Heath, Hall, McSheffrey, Doyle, Hughes, Scowcroft, John, Adebola. Subs: Jorgensen (for McSheffrey, 87), Morrell, Osbourne, Shaw, Ince. SCORERS: Norwich: Ashton (21) Coventry: Adebola (64) TOP CANARY: Pink 'Un: Dean Ashton EDP: Dean Marney Pink 'Un Poll: Dean Marney, 41% ATTENDANCE: 25,355 (1,400 away fans) REFEREE: Richard Beeby (Northamptonshire) YELLOW CARDS: Norwich: Fleming (5), Doherty 81) Coventry: Doyle (60), Duffy (79) RED CARDS: None. SHOTS ON TARGET: Norwich 8, Coventry 3 SHOTS OFF TARGET: Norwich 4, Coventry 5 CORNERS: Norwich 13, Coventry 5 FOULS:  Norwich 18, Coventry 18 OFFSIDES:  Norwich 12, Coventry 1

Saturday August 6, 2005
MATTHEW CHAMBERS

Norwich City failed to properly reach top gear in the Coca-Cola Championship opener against Coventry City.

After Dean Ashton notched up his first goal of the season in the 21st minute, he could have been excused for thinking that the Canaries might go on and hit hyperdrive.

Unfortunately, despite creating a hatful of chances with Huckerby being a constant menace, City found themselves pinned back for much of the second half by a dogged and determined Coventry team.

Dele Adebola made the most of some lax City defending in the 64th minute to slide home the equaliser. The game only emphasised how difficult the road back to the Premiership will be to tread. There was certainly a little less finesse about the game but bags of passion and undoubtedly City will be up for the challenge.

Nigel Worthington handed debuts to three of his summer signings at a packed Carrow Road.

Matthieu Louis-Jean, signed from Nottingham Forest got the nod ahead of Jurgen Colin at right back. Spurs loan player Dean Marney started on the right-hand side of midfield and Andy Hughes, brought in from Reading, began the game in the heart of the City midfield.

Makeshift midfielder Simon Charlton also started in midfield alongside Hughes with new signing Jason Jarrett, struggling for match fitness on the bench.

The only other real bone of contention ahead of the game was who was to partner Craig Fleming at centre back. Northern Ireland international Gary Doherty, having clearly impressed in pre-season shedding 10lb, got the nod ahead of promising youngster Jason Shackell. The rest of the side pretty much picked itself with Leon McKenzie and Dean Ashton reuniting up front and Drury and Huckerby filling in the gaps at left back and left wing respectively.

Dean Ashton (left) exploits a gap in the Coventry defence to put Norwich ahead.

Coventry manager Micky Adams similarly started the game with three debutantes – on-loan keeper Stephen Bywater from West Ham started in place of Clayton Ince who was thought to have picked up a rib injury in the last match of pre-season. Canary hate figure James Scowcroft, signed from Leicester, started on the right, along with fellow Foxes signing Matthew Heath at centre back in a 4-4-2 formation.

Coventry kicked off the match and quickly burst into life with the visitors very much on the front foot. The tackles were going in fast and furious and earned Coventry three free kicks in decent areas. All of them, fortunately for City, were wasted.

The feisty nature of the game continued and in the 5th minute Craig Fleming was shown a yellow card for an ungamely challenge on Coventry left winger Gary McSheffrey.

It was again the Sky Blues who were causing the home side trouble in the 6th minute as McSheffrey danced his way down the touchline before curling in a teasing cross which would only have taken a slight touch to have caused city keeper Green problems.

After a tentative start City found their feet in the 7th minute, much of the good work being done by McKenzie. The City hot-shot flicked the ball over his head with a defender at his back and did well to turn and collect the ball before making his way to the by-line and winning a corner. A neat passage of passing having started on the halfway line through Drury, resulted in a neat one-two between Ashton and McKenzie before the ball found its way to the on-rushing Louis-Jean as the Frenchman whipped in a cross which Ashton failed to get his head to with his back to goal.

Coventry came close to breaking through City’s back line in the 10th minute as man-mountain Adebola was played through from midfield but Doherty read the pass perfectly and swept up the danger.

After 15 minutes Norwich City were awarded a free-kick 30 yards out in a dead central position in front of the Coventry goal. McKenzie had won the free-kick after being manhandled by centre-back Robert Page.

Rather optimistically Dean Ashton decided to take a pop and came very near to breaking the deadlock. The former Crewe man drilled in a low 30-yard shot, which bounced before keeper Bywater, who did well to pull the ball into his chest.

Ashton was again in the thick of the action on 20 minutes as he held the ball up on the half-way line before playing the ball into the path of McKenzie. The former Posh man took on his defender, beating him to the by-line before winning a corner. Marney stepped up to take the corner which was cleared to Huckerby who had the peace of mind to promptly return the ball to Marney in acres of space on the right.

Norwich City players congratulate Dean Marney for his cross which led to Dean Ashton's opener.

The Spurs loan signing shaped to cross and played a pinpoint ball onto the forehead of Ashton who glanced the ball past a despairing Bywater for the opening goal after 21 minutes. Ashton was off the mark with his first goal of the season and surely the first of many.

Norwich, having seen little of the ball in the opening exchanges were now pretty much running the show with the combative Hughes making his presence felt all over the pitch with Charlton another steadying influence.

The combination of Louis-Jean and Marney was working well down the right with both players clearly having bags of pace which defenders always fear. In Marney City have finally found a player to provide the kind of ammunition the likes of Ashton and McKenzie have been crying out for.

After 32 minutes the match sprang into life again as McKenzie found himself in space down the right channel, the 26-year-old made his way into the Coventry penalty area, stepped inside off his right foot and drilled a wicked left-footed shot which forced a cracking save from Bywater, who was at full stretch.

Dean Ashton celebrates with his Canary team-mates after powerfully heading home a Dean Marney cross to open the scoring against Coventry.

Just moments later, City won themselves another corner. Marney stepped up to take the kick which was cleared and City tried to employ the same tactics which had lead to the opening goal by playing the ball back to the right midfielder who was again in acres of space, but this time the 21-year-old’s cross was not quite up to the job.

Coventry were showing very little in the attacking department while City in contrast were offering the home fans plenty to cheer about at a sun-kissed Carrow Road.

Midfielder Hughes got himself in on the action after 38 minutes but his deflected shot from 35 yards out was rather wayward as it clattered into the Norwich and Peterborough Stand scoreboard.

Coventry’s only real threat was coming from McSheffrey on the left wing but despite getting into good positions, he failed to find anybody to finish it off.

On the cusp of half-time, City again threatened to double their lead, Ashton collected the ball on the halfway line whilst under pressure from a defender and managed to play a cross-field ball fully 30 yards to the on-rushing Marney. The right winger collected the ball, played the ball onto his stronger right foot and unleashed a wicked shot goal-bound, which unfortunately was well blocked by a defender.

Half-time: Norwich City 1, Coventry City 0

Norwich City kicked off the second half in the same rampaging form in which they finished the first. The Canaries piled the pressure on the Coventry rearguard with Worthington urging his side to maintain this kind of tempo from the touchline as he and the rest of Carrow Road sniffed another goal opportunity.

On 46 minutes the crowd breathed a cumulative sigh of relief after Ashton had stayed down following a Marney free-kick. The City frontman looked to have taken a knock off the ball but with some encouraging words from Hughes, gingerly got back to his feet.

Marney’s cross had missed Ashton but did find the head of Doherty who couldn’t quite get enough purchase on the ball to get his effort on target.

Drury and Huckerby were having a rather easy time of it with James Scowcroft offering very little in attack. The former Ipswich man looked well out of shape and had so far failed to find anybody with his wayward crosses. Similarly on 52 minutes Coventry wasted yet another useful free-kick position to add to the five they had won in the first half. It was again Stephen Hughes who stepped up to take the kick on the left-hand edge of the City box, but this was comfortably cleared by City rearguard.

On 54 minutes Coventry did however threaten as Adebola knocked the ball back to his strike partner John, the Trinidad international hitting the ball first time on the volley just inches wide of Green’s right hand upright.

On 57 minutes Coventry dangerman McSheffrey took charge of free-kick duties after Doherty had brought him down on the left. The Coventry midfielder saw his shot well saved by Green who tipped the ball around the post for a corner.

Darren Huckerby has a few quiet words with Michale Doyle following a flare-up which resulted in a booking for the Coventry midfielder.

On 60 minutes Doyle received a yellow card from referee Richard Beeby after bringing down Darren Huckerby on the edge of the area. Huckerby took the free-kick but his whipped in cross, although in the danger area, was too close to keeper Bywater and Coventry cleared the danger.

Just moments later however, McKenzie came close to doubling City’s lead, a long ball from defence found the City striker in space and holding his marker off, managed to curl a 25-yard left-footed shot which was well saved by the Coventry keeper.

On 64 minutes Coventry were rewarded for their efforts having stepped up the tempo from the first half. It was that man again McSheffrey who made use of some lax defending from Louis-Jean to whip in a high cross into the six-yard box, which fell into the path of the on-rushing Adebola. The big Coventry City forward had timed his run to perfection who slid the ball into the back of the net ahead of his defender Drury to level the score.

On 68 minutes McSheffrey again had another sight of the Norwich City goal as Coventry were awarded yet another free-kick 20-yards out and in the middle of the pitch, but fortunately for City his rather tame effort curled out for a goal-kick.

Norwich certainly needed to up the tempo having been pinned back by Coventry and Ashton had a good opportunity to restore their lead in the 70th minute. Marney had crossed the ball in to the centre-forward who did well to control the ball on his chest but his shot on the turn was deflected for a corner.

Norwich had let their heads drop slightly, despite Worthington’s pleas to up the tempo, but Carrow Road burst into life after Huckerby led a breakaway after 74 minutes. The former Coventry man waited for the on-rushing Marney to chase into space before feeding the ball into the Spurs loan player. The 21-year-old midfielder whipped in another cross but this time it was too close to the keeper as Ashton and McKenzie bore down on the Coventry goal.

Following the cross, Marney had stayed down but after a touch of the magic sponge from physio Neal Reynolds got back to his feet – although continued to limp about gingerly for the next few minutes before being able to run it off.

Robert Green tips a Gary McSheffrey free-kick around the post for a corner.

Coventry’s Duffy received the yellow card from referee Beeby on 79 minutes for dissent while play had been stopped for one of the Sky Blues’ defender to receive treatment. Worthington also took the opportunity of the break to replace Marney who had clearly picked up a niggle earlier in the game with Peter Thorne making his debut.

Doherty was also booked in the 81st minute after being repeatedly warned for fouling, but this time had overstepped the mark.

On 82 minutes the ball broke free to midfielder Doyle who controlled the ball before unleashing a 25-yard shot into a packed City area but it never troubled Green in goal.

On 83 minutes City had the best chance of the second half, Leon McKenzie played Huckerby down the left wing as the City forward ran to the by-line before crossing to Ashton at the far post. The Canary frontman did well to muscle his way in front of his marker but his header from seven yards out crashed off the bar as a golden opportunity went begging.

On 87 minutes both managers made a substitution in a bid to wrestle three points from the game, Coventry boss Adams replaced the dangerous McSheffrey with Jorgensen while Worthington handed a debut to new signing Jason Jarrett who came on to replace the hard-working Charlton.

Moving into time added on, Norwich came close to regaining the lead after Huckerby found himself one on one with the keeper, following a knock-on from Ashton. With Bywater rushing out, Huckerby opted to lob the ball over his head, but the Coventry keeper stood tall and managed to tip the ball out for a corner.

City failed to find that cutting edge and came off second best in having made such a promising start in the first 45 minutes of the season.

Result: Norwich City 1, Coventry City 1