When Peter Grant was unveiled as Norwich City manager, fans hoped he would bring traditional Scottish characteristics to the club - grit, determination and a no-nonsense approach.

When Peter Grant was unveiled as Norwich City manager, fans hoped he would bring traditional Scottish characteristics to the club - grit, determination and a no-nonsense approach.

But no one imagined his Scottish roots would run so deep at the club as to impact on the pre-match music played at Carrow Road.

It was at Grant's request that 500 Miles, by Scottish favourites The Proclaimers, belted out of the PA system before the Canaries' 1-0 victory over league leaders Cardiff City on Saturday.

The new boss said he picked the popular track, a favourite sing-a-long song in pubs across the country, after it succeeded in getting the crowd and the players going before Scotland's recent shock victory over World Cup finalists France.

And it worked a treat, with Grant praising the biggest Carrow Road crowd of the season for the part they played in the morale-boosting win.

Grant said: "I watched the Scotland-France match recently and was struck by how much it got the crowd buzzing, so I wanted to try the same thing here.

"The only way we can really get the supporters singing is by performing well on the pitch - but if the music gives us a head start, great. The players have their own music on in the dressing room before the game as well so I might be changing that too. You've got to lift people around you. I don't want it to be a dead place. I want it to be a place that people like to come to. The home supporters, the away supporters, I don't care. The fans never stopped singing.

"The music seemed to work because we played superbly in the first half. But we were poor in the second so I might have to start playing the music at half-time as well."

According to sports psychologist Andy Barton, of The Sporting Mind, music is a perfect way to get both the crowd and team going prior to a match.

He said: "Our mood can often spread to other people, so if you are with someone that feels happy, you feel good.

"Therefore if there is a good, fiery track played, and it makes 25,000 people happy and fired up, it is going to spread to the players who will feel good too.

"At the same time this can have a reverse affect on the opposition, who could become more negative because of all this. If the away crowd is negative and quiet, that too can spread to the players."

Club spokesman Joe Ferrari said managers and players were often given a say in the music played prior to the match and when a goal is scored.

He said: "The whole point of playing music prior to a game is to create a buzz and to get people on the edge of their seats. It is important that the staff and players have an input to the music played and I am sure the team responsible will be talking to Peter about it in future.

"However, we also receive a lot of requests and ideas from fans and we are always willing to consider any ideas that people come up with."

Ü Which song would you like to hear played at Carrow Road? Write to Evening News Letters, Prospect House, Rouen Road, Norwich. NR1 1RE or e-mail eveningnewsletters@archant.co.uk or visit www.eveningnews24.co.uk/forums