Thompson, Morris, Passlack and Heise all in action as City U23s lose 3-2 to Boro at Carrow Road
Josh Coley scored at Carrow Road as Norwich City U23s were beaten by Middlesbrough Picture: Norwich City - Credit: Norwich City
Scoring at Carrow Road was an emotional moment for Norwich City youngster Josh Coley, as an under-23 team featuring four first-team players nearly overturned a 3-0 deficit against Middlesbrough.
Louis Thompson and Carlton Morris both continued their returns from injury with 90 minutes, with January signing Philip Heise and Borussia Dortmund loanee Felix Passlack also playing the full match on Friday evening.
Boro went 3-0 up in the 56th minute of the Premier League Two encounter but Icelandic youngster Isak Thorvaldsson kept things interesting when he chipped the keeper after an Adam Idah cross in the 62nd minute. Speedy winger Coley – who was playing in non-league last season for Baldock Town – curled in from the edge of the box from an Isak Thorvaldsson cross less than 10 minutes later but the young Canaries couldn’t fine an equaliser, with defender Ciaren Jones going closest with a let header.
“I got quite emotional, to be honest, when I scored,” said Coley. “I’ve come a long way since I was playing against teams like Buckingham and places like that last year, to playing at Carrow Road and getting my first goal it’s unbelievable.
“I would have took scoring a goal and having a man of the match performance at Carrow Road at the start of the season, but I’d have never have dreamt it would happen.”
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It was a final Division Two home game of the campaign for David Wright’s development squad, with only a trip to Fulham on Friday, April 26 remaining.
Coley continued: “The first 45 minutes wasn’t good enough, but the second half was very good. We battled hard, especially when we got that second goal because we knew we were still in it.
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“When the first one came we knew we were still two behind, but I don’t think you could have asked for much more from the lads at that point.
“It’s a horrible result because we deserved more, and very nearly managed to get a point at the end, but we couldn’t quite find the equaliser.”
City’s U23s: Oxborough; Passlack, Lomas, Famewo (Jones 61), Heise; Thorvaldsson, Milovanovic, Thompson, Coley; Idah (C), Morris. Unused Subs: Johnson (GK), Payne, Ahadme, Fonkeu
