MATCH STATS PLYMOUTH ARGYLE : McCormick, Connolly, Seip, Doumbe, Capaldi, Norris,Wotton, Nalis, Buzsaky, Hayles, Ebanks-Blake. Subs: Chadwick (for Hayles, 60), Sawyer (for Buzsaky, 64), Reid (for Ebanks-Blake, 76), Summerfield, Djordjic. NORWICH CITY: Gallacher, Colin, Fleming, Doherty, Boyle, Safri, Robinson, Etuhu, Croft, McVeigh, Earnshaw. Subs: Camp, Dublin (for Safri, 55), Thorne (for Boyle, 75), Hughes, Ryan Jarvis (for Croft, 65). SCORERS: Plymouth: Doherty (og, 14), Seip (47), Norris (74) Norwich: Earnshaw (90) MAN OF THE MATCH PinkUn: Jurgen Colin ATTENDANCE: 11,813 REFEREE: J Singh (Middlesex) ADDED TIME: To come YELLOW CARDS: Norwich: Doherty (foul on Ebanks-Blake, 58), Dublin (foul on Capaldi, 69) RED CARDS: None SHOTS ON TARGET: Plymouth 6, Norwich 3 SHOTS OFF TARGET: Plymouth 3, Norwich 4 CORNERS: Plymouth 11, Norwich 3 FOULS:  Plymouth 12, Norwich 12 OFFSIDES:  Plymouth 1, Norwich 7

Saturday September 23, 2006
DAVID CUFFLEY

Norwich City’s dismal run of Championship results continued this afternoon when they were swept aside by a confident Plymouth Argyle at Home Park.

A depressing 3-1 defeat left Nigel Worthington’s men still searching for their first league success away from Carrow Road this season and it meant they had taken just one point of a possible 12 from the last four games.

The out of sorts Canaries could have no complaints as two goals from corners and an excellent solo effort from David Norris condemned them to defeat on a grim afternoon for them and their 800 travelling fans.

Plymouth took the lead after 14 minutes when Gary Doherty inadvertently deflected a corner from Tony Capaldi into his own net.

Lee Croft and Robert Earnshaw both went close to equalising before the break, but two minutes into the second half Marcel Seip extended the home side’s lead, heading home unchallenged from another Capaldi flag kick.

Norris made it 3-0 after 74 minutes after a fine solo run but by then City were looking totally ragged.

Manager Nigel Worthington used three substitutes including new signing Dion Dublin, and Earnshaw grabbed a consolation goal three minutes into stoppage time, but by then it was far too late.

The Canaries showed seven changes to the team which started Tuesday's Carling Cup win at Rotherham.

Five of the players rested at Millmore returned - Gary Doherty, Patrick Boyle, Youssef Safri, Lee Croft and Robert Earnshaw - while Paul McVeigh and Dickson Etuhu, who were second half substitutes against Rotherham were also back in the starting line-up.

The one possible surprise was that Jason Shackell does not figure in the 16 at all with club captain Craig Fleming, who scored in the 4-2 win in midweek, retained his place in the centre of defence.

Dion Dublin on the bench with midweek goalscorer Peter Thorne.

Dion Dublin, the 37-year-old striker who has joined City until the end of the season, was on the bench along with the other midweek goalscorers, Peter Thorne and Ryan Jarvis.

Plymouth manager Ian Holloway, still searching for a first home win of the season, had to make one change in the centre of defence with Hasney Aljofree ruled out after suffering a head injury in the defeat at Southampton last week.

Dutchman Marcel Seip deputised, while right-back Paul Connolly returned after missing two games with a toe injury.

Among the crowd sitting in the main stand was one very well known face - Michael Foot, the former Labour leader who is a big Plymouth fan.

The Canaries, wearing a change kit of white shirts and green shorts, kicked off in bright sunshine and Earnshaw found Croft on the right touchline, but when the striker went for the return pass from Croft he was penalised for a foul on Doumbe.

Earnshaw was penalised again moments later for offside as he chased a through ball from Etuhu.

Plymouth gained their first corner in the third minute and Robinson took a bang on the head as he headed clear from the flag kick, but the midfielder was happy to carry on.

A foul by Ebanks-Blake on Colin gave City a free-kick midway into the Plymouth half and Safri's dead ball cross was headed just wide of the target by Robinson.

A stray pass from Boyle was intercepted by Ebanks-Blake as Plymouth pushed forward and it set up Wotton for a shot from the edge of the area but Gallacher gathered it easily.

City won another free-kick when Croft went down under challenge from Nalis close to the corner flag but when Safri hoisted the ball into the danger area, Hayles was there to head clear.

There were plenty of free-kicks later on and Plymouth won another when Croft fouled Buzsaky on the halfway line.

As Plymouth pressed forward following the free-kick, a cross from Connolly was met by Fleming, whose attempted clearance looped into the air but the pressure was relieved when a free-kick was awarded for a foul on Colin.

At this stage referee Singh appeared unhappy with the match ball and swapped it for another but when he threw it to Gallacher the keeper threw it back to him, only for the official to throw it back to Gallacher again and insist he get on with the game.

Plymouth's next attack led to the opening goal of the afternoon. First, a slip by Doherty let in Ebanks-Blake and his right foot drive was beaten away by Gallacher at the expense of a corner. When the flag kick was taken by Capaldi, it missed everyone at the near post and went through to the unfortunate Doherty, the ball deflecting off his side and straight into the back of the net.

Paul Gallacher is rooted to the spot as the ball deflects off Gary Doherty for Plymouth's opening goal.

The goal seemed to rattle Norwich and Norris went close moments later with a header before a corner had Gallacher struggling, with the pressure only relieved when a foul was given against the keeper.

City had shown very little in the way of an attacking threat so far and they were foiled again by the offside flag when Doherty tried to find Croft.

With 24 minutes gone, City came the closest so far to finding the net through Croft. Boyle played a neat one-two with McVeigh on the left touchline and when the full-back's cross came in, Croft got ahead of Capaldi and, with the outside of his right foot, pushed the ball just wide of McCormick's left hand post.

Two crosses from Capaldi spelt danger for Norwich when first Doherty had to head clear, then Gallacher produced a miscued punch to clear his lines. Another promising Plymouth move was spoiled by a poor centre from Connolly, which Gallacher gathered easily.

City had the ball in the net after 27 minutes when Etuhu beat the keeper from 10-yards from a Robinson pass but the flag was up for offside.

City still looked uneasy at the back and a poor ball by Colin forced Doherty into a hasty clearance as Ebanks-Blake closed him down.

Earnshaw came close to levelling the scores after 32 minutes when Safri played a long ball over his right shoulder and the striker did exceptionally well to hook it goalwards with his right foot, only for McCormick to produce an acrobatic leap and tip the ball away.

Heartened by that, Norwich pushed forward and won a corner on the right but Safri's flag kick did not even reach the near post and Capaldi headed clear.

Plymouth counter-attacked and won a free-kick on the edge of the area after a foul by Fleming. Wotton let fly with a fierce right foot effort, which Gallacher kept out one-handed, though not entirely convincingly as the ball squirted across the face of the goal.

City hit back and Doherty headed a Safri free-kick across the edge of the area, but McVeigh's first time shot was a long way off target.

A one-two between Earnshaw and Etuhu finished with Earnshaw firing in right-footed and his effort cannoned off Seip for a corner, but once again the dead ball opportunity came to nothing.

Earnshaw went close again five minutes before the break when Croft cut the ball back from the by-line and the striker fired in a right foot shot on the turn which McCormick did well to collect.

A surging run from Etuhu promised good things in the next attack and Croft went past one challenge but in the end his cross was a weak one and was easily intercepted.

A foul by Doherty on Ebanks-Blake gave Plymouth another free-kick on the edge of the area and although Gallacher managed to catch Buzsaky's dead ball kick, he very nearly stumbled into the net and just managed to hold the ball on the right side of the line with home fans appealing, a shade optimistically, for a goal.

As the first half went into stoppage time, Fleming needed attention for a bang on the head, and looking slightly groggy, he was led to the touchline by physio Neal Reynolds for further attention.

Half-time: Plymouth Argyle 1, Norwich City 0

Fleming reappeared after the break apparently none the worse for his bang on the head and there were no changes made to either line-up during the interval.

Two minutes after the break, the Canaries were deeper in trouble when Seip headed the home side further in front. Boyle conceded a corner on Plymouth's right and Seip rose unchallenged to head past Gallacher from the flag kick by Capaldi.

Seip rises unchallenged to head past Gallacher from Capaldi's corner to put Plymouth 2-0 up.

The visitors had a useful opportunity to reduce the arrears just two minutes later when Etuhu picked out Robinson with a perfect cross towards the penalty spot, but Robinson's control let him down and McCormick was able to collect.

Nalis tried to test out Gallacher when he floated a 50-yard ball dangerously close to the Norwich goal and with the keeper back-pedalling the ball drifted just wide.

Gallacher was called into action moments later when Connolly tried to find Ebanks-Blake with a raking through ball but this time the City keeper was out early to collect.

Worthington made his first change of the afternoon 10 minutes into the half when Dublin was sent on in place of Safri. The new signing immediately took up an attacking position alongside Earnshaw and won his first aerial challenge against Doumbe.

Dublin was into the action again soon afterwards when he nodded on a Robinson cross but McVeigh, following up, sent a left foot volley over the top.

Doherty was shown the first yellow card of the afternoon after 58 minutes when he was adjudged, perhaps a little harshly, to have fouled Ebanks-Blake.

Dublin and McVeigh combined to put Earnshaw through in City's next attack but the offside flag quickly halted his progress. With one hour gone, Plymouth made their first substitution when Chadwick replaced Hayles.

Norwich were looking decidedly ragged at this stage and it took a timely challenge by Doherty to stop Norris wriggling through.

With 25 minutes left, both sides made their second change as Sawyer replaced Buzsaky for Plymouth and Ryan Jarvis, who scored twice at Rotherham on Tuesday, replaced Croft.

City had nearly 800 travelling fans who were, needless to say, distinctly quiet after what was so far a depressing afternoon for their side. As another Capaldi corner posed problems in the six-yard box, it was Dublin who this time headed clear but at the expense of another flag kick.

This time Fleming managed to clear his lines and as City broke forward, Dublin found his way into the referee’s notebook for a late challenge on Capaldi.

Gallacher’s rather unhappy afternoon almost got worse when his attempted clearance struck Chadwick and ballooned into the air behind him but thankfully drifted the wrong side of the post.

Colin had to come to the rescue twice in the space of a minute for City, first intercepting when a back pass from Boyle fell hopelessly short for Gallacher and then heading clear from a dangerous looking centre by Norris.

It was game, set and match to Plymouth after 74 minutes when Norris wrapped up proceedings with an excellent solo effort. He gained possession just inside the Norwich half and ran virtually unchallenged, with the help of just one ricochet, before drilling a low right foot shot inside the post from just inside the penalty area.

Earnshaw grabs a late consolation goal, scoring with a left foot shot from close range for his seventh goal of the season.

An error by Jarvis presented Chadwick with a shooting opportunity but he curled a left foot effort high and wide from the edge of the area.

Another cross from Capaldi posed problems for the City defence and it was only just over the head of Chadwick as he raced in at the far post.

Doherty came to the rescue with six minutes left when he got back to hook the ball clear from a Nalis cross as Plymouth threatened again.
Plymouth won another corner when Fleming just managed to cut out a centre from Wotton.

Reid appeared to have got the better of Colin as the home side pushed forward with two minutes remaining but this time the referee favoured the Canaries and penalised Reid. Reid was soon pushing forward again, however, and fired just over the top as Plymouth threatened again.

Three minutes of stoppage time had been played when Earnshaw reduced the arrears, scoring with a left foot shot from close range and his seventh goal of the season.

Result: Plymouth Argyle 3, Norwich City 1