John Landamore Southampton U18 0, Norwich City U18 3: City's academy side produced the performance and result that Canary fans were hoping that the first team would be producing on Tuesday when Ricky Martin's side ran out 3-0 winners at Southampton.

John Landamore

Southampton U18 0, Norwich City U18 3

CITY'S academy side produced the performance and result that Canary fans were hoping that the first team would be producing on Tuesday when Ricky Martin's side ran out 3-0 winners at Southampton.

Martin fielded a all-new striking partnership with central defender Danny Kelly moving into attack and it was he opened the scoring but the story of the match must belong to that of under-16 Manny Richardson who on making his debut for the under-18 bagged himself a brace of goals and along with that a man-of-the-match award.

League leaders Southampton might have fancied a comfortable three points this afternoon but the Canaries had different ideas as they started the game in the driving seat although they were guilty of missing a couple of gilt-edged chances in the opening minutes through Richardson and midfielder Korey Smith.

After withstanding the Canaries' onslaught in the opening 15 minutes the Saints started to take the game by the scruff of the neck and it needed some stout defending by Norwich to keep the game goalless.

Norwich dug deep however and with 35 minutes on the clock they opened their account when Damon Lathrope celebrating his first professional contract threaded a delightful ball through for KELLY who took just one touch before firing the ball home.

Three minutes into the second half and the lively RICHARDSON marked his debut with a goal to fire City two goals to the good.

It then got even better RICHARDSON when on 70 minutes he was first to react when a Mark O'Toole free kick cannoned back off the crossbar to fire in his second and City's third.

Southampton created a couple of chances late in the game but City keeper Declan Rudd made important saves to give the Canaries an impressive victory.

t Norwich City: Rudd, Bexfield, McLean, Miller, O'Toole, R Kelly, Lathrope, Smith, Daley (Adeyemi 75), D Kelly, Richardson (Dawkins 85). Subs not used: Steer, Habergham, Stephens.

Norwich City man-of-the-match: Manny Richardson.

t Norwich City Under-16s held their Southampton hosts to a 0-0 draw.