MATCH STATS NORWICH CITY: Warner, Hughes, Shackell, Dublin, Drury, Croft, Etuhu, Spillane, Fotheringham, Huckerby, Earnshaw. Subs: Gallacher, Colin (for Croft, 67), Eagle, Renton, Martin (for Spillane, 55). IPSWICH TOWN: Supple, Wright, Wilnis, Bruce, Harding, Peters, Garvan, Williams, Roberts, Walters, Jeffers. Subs: Price, Lee (for Walters, 64), Haynes (for Peters, 77), O'Callaghan, Miller. SCORERS: Norwich: Etuhu (5) Ipswich: Wright (62) MAN OF THE MATCH EDP: Dickson Etuhu EN: Andy Hughes PinkUn Poll: Andy Hughes (47%) ATTENDANCE: 25,476 REFEREE: Steve Tanner (Somerset) ADDED TIME: First half: 1 min Second half: 3 mins YELLOW CARDS: Norwich: Etuhu (foul on Lee, 80) Ipswich: Bruce (foul on Huckerby, 76) RED CARDS: None SHOTS ON TARGET: Norwich 4, Ipswich 7 SHOTS OFF TARGET: Norwich 8, Ipswich 6 CORNERS: Norwich 6, Ipswich 6 FOULS:  Norwich 9, Ipswich 12 OFFSIDES:  Norwich 5, Ipswich 1

Sunday, April 22, 2007
DAVID CUFFLEY

With Colchester United running away with the unofficial East Anglian title – and still in with a chance of becoming the most unlikely play-off semi-finalists from this division since Cambridge United 15 years ago after seeing off promotion favourites Sunderland – Sunday's Carrow Road encounter at least offered the Canaries the opportunity to get their noses in front of Ipswich Town in the table and avenge a humbling defeat at Portman Road in November.

That they didn't manage it and remain a point behind Town with two matches to go was down to their failure to cash in on their overwhelming superiority in the first half of one of the better derby contests of recent years, played out in front of their biggest crowd of the season.

And though City’s walking wounded were certainly up for the battle, it was evident in the second half that one or two were short of full fitness.

It's true that if City finish below both Colchester and Ipswich, having taking just one point out of a possible six against each of them, it will not make a huge amount of difference when summer arrives and thoughts turn to August.

But victory would just have given the 17,000 who have already booked season tickets for 2007-08 that extra spring in their step as they anticipate the next big kick-off.

City began as brightly as in any home game this season and Darren Huckerby twice threatened to unlock the Town defence before supplying the telling cross for Dickson Etuhu to open the scoring with little more than four minutes played.

Michael Spillane was fouled by Gavin Williams on halfway and when Andy Hughes launched the free-kick towards the edge of the area, Etuhu found Huckerby with a flick header before racing into the six-yard box to meet his cross with a glancing header past 'keeper Shane Supple.

It was Etuhu’s third goal in five games, all of them headers, and he threatened again when he headed wide from Mark Fotheringham's corner after 11 minutes.

Huckerby sent a screaming right-foot drive just over the angle of post and crossbar five minutes later after cutting in menacingly from the left.

Dickson Etuhu sends a near-post header past Ipswich goalkeeper Shane Supple to give the Canaries an early lead in the East Anglian derby.

It was one-way traffic, although Town flickered briefly midway through the half when birthday boy Dion Dublin had to clear Alex Bruce's header from an Owen Garvan free-kick before, three times in eight minutes, City came close to extending their lead.

Etuhu sent a venomous left-footer just wide from almost 30 yards, Huckerby had another effort saved by Supple and Robert Earnshaw, starting a match for the first time in 15 weeks, moved on to Lee Croft's pass and made space for a left-foot shot which was too high.

Town gave a hint of the second-half revival to come when Jaime Peters' effort flew to safety off Dublin's head, and the on-loan Francis Jeffers tested Tony Warner with a stinging drive that the ’keeper parried but was unable to hold.

Half-time: Norwich City 1, Ipswich Town 0

Warner was forced into action again six minutes after the break when Roberts’ free-kick was headed clear, but only as far as Williams, whose snapshot the ’keeper grabbed above his head.

Tony Warner is beaten by David Wright's effort.

Fotheringham was in the right place to clear from the line when Garvan produced a volley from a Williams corner, and Jeffers should have done better from another Roberts cross.

Substitute Chris Martin, sent on in place of Spillane, carved himself a fine opportunity to pout some daylight between City and Town on the hour when he showed great control to send Huckerby clear and raced into space at the far post to meet the resulting cross, only to volley over the top.

It was something of a turning point as the Canaries were punished just a minute later when Roberts fed former City loan defender David Wright on the overlap.

Wright’s first shot was blocked by Jason Shackell, but the full-back drilled the rebound home from a tight angle, via Warner’s fingers, before being engulfed by team-mates and fans and emerging with a yellow card for his trouble.

Darren Huckerby goes down in the penalty area following a reckless challenge from David Wright but the referee unbelievably fails to award a penalty for the foul.

Warner produced a flying save from Williams six minutes later to keep City on terms, but to their credit, the hosts roused themselves and were in the ascendancy for much of the final quarter of an hour.

In the 70th minute Huckerby got into the area and tangled with Wright, but his pleas for a spot-kick fell on deaf ears.

Dublin was only just unable to get his head to Huckerby’s cross, Huckerby’s shot from substitute Jürgen Colin’s cross was blocked by the legs of Supple with 10 minutes left, and Earnshaw flicked a near-post effort over the top from another Huckerby cross.

Etuhu put City’s final effort wide from a Fotheringham free-kick.

Result: Norwich City 1, Ipswich Town 1