Chris Lakey Paul Lambert faces a whole new Norwich City ball game this afternoon when he attempts to solve the Canaries shocking away-day record. City have won just eight league games away from Carrow Road in the last two years and have just one on their record in 2009 - at QPR in March when former boss Bryan Gunn recorded his first win as manager.

Chris Lakey

Paul Lambert faces a whole new Norwich City ball game this afternoon when he attempts to solve the Canaries shocking away-day record.

City have won just eight league games away from Carrow Road in the last two years and have just one on their record in 2009 - at QPR in March when former boss Bryan Gunn recorded his first win as manager.

His successor takes City to Hartlepool today knowing that if he is to drag them away from the lower reaches of League One, much depends on curing the away-day blues.

And the plan to turn it on its head is simple: play like you're at home.

“Away from home the onus is always on the home team to make the running,” he said. “You can play counter-attack or you can hit them on the break.

“It doesn't really matter because you shouldn't really change the way you play away from home to what you do at home. There will be times when you need to defend more often than not, but if you are mentally strong you will see it through.

“I will go up there and try and win the game - I'm not going to go up there and try and be defensive.”

City won just three times on the road last season - the second worst record in the division - and conceded 42 goals, better than just one other team. They were beaten 15 times - more than any other team in the Championship.

Lambert's season was quite a different.

“I had the opposite at Colchester - away from home the lads were great, at home we couldn't buy a win,” said Lambert.

City made the long trip to Hartlepool yesterday morning, with two players definitely missing but another joining them in the north-east.

Midfielders Owain Tudur Jones (calf strain) and Matt Gill (knee) have been ruled out, while Lambert has signed goalkeeper Fraser Forster from Newcastle United.