David Cuffley The Canaries are to apply for re-admission to the Football Combination to bring regular reserve team football back to Carrow Road. After pulling out of the league last summer, City have played just a handful of reserve team friendlies, the latest against Barnet on Tuesday night.

David Cuffley

The Canaries are to apply for re-admission to the Football Combination to bring regular reserve team football back to Carrow Road.

After pulling out of the league last summer, City have played just a handful of reserve team friendlies, the latest against Barnet on Tuesday night.

Chief executive Neil Doncaster said: "We have already indicated to the Football Combination our intention to apply to re-enter their competition at their annual meeting on June 3.

"Assuming we are re-admitted, the Combination will provide us with in the region of 10 to 14 guaranteed home reserve team fixtures next season."

A bumper crowd watched City Reserves beat Arsenal 4-2 in a friendly in November, but quality opposition has been thin on the ground.

"The theory was to invite big clubs to bring second-string sides to Carrow Road on an ad hoc basis, whenever a game was needed.

"It's fair to say that the crowd of 7,138 enjoyed their evening of reserve team football that night.

"But it's also fair to point out that other reserve team fixtures were infrequent and, arguably, were of no better service to City than the reserve league that we exited last season," said Doncaster.

"It remains essential to have a healthy fixture list at reserve level each season and this is an area of focus for us at the club as we look ahead to the 2009-10 campaign.

"And there is no reason why the likes of the Arsenal friendly couldn't be repeated alongside our participation in the reserve league."