Norwich given Sky TV date

Norwich City have been given the chance to prove to the footballing world that they are alive and kicking after the Carling Cup second round clash against Premier League Sunderland was selected for live TV coverage.

Sky cameras will be at Carrow Road to cover the game, which will be played on Monday, August 24 - just two days after City entertain Wycombe Wanderers in a League One clash.

It will give City boss Bryan Gunn and his players the opportunity to prove that last weekend's 7-1 home hammering by Colchester - which put City in the national deadlines for all the wrong reasons - was a one-off.

“It gives us a chance to hopefully show that we aren't as bad as that result might have shown,” said Gunn.

“A lot of football people have been in contact and said it was a freak result and they don't come along too often.

“It wasn't nice when it came along and we will overcome that in our own way and by the time we get to the Sunderland game we will have points on the board from away games and a home game at Carrow Road as well.”

The tie is just 10 days away, by which time City will have completed three League One fixtures - giving Gunn little time to plot the downfall of some former team-mates, including Black Cats manager Steve Bruce, who was at Carrow Road in the mid 1980s and played in the City side which won the competition in 1985, beating Sunderland in the final.

“It's a great draw,” said Gunn. “Sky have obviously chosen the game for whatever reasons, but we hope it is as a reward for the players' efforts of the other night.

“The fans will be seeing a Premier League team come to Carrow Road again and it is an opportunity for us to test ourselves out against that sort of opposition.

“It's a cup game and we will go into every game this season hoping and wanting to win and our attitude has to be the same that night. We will be looking forward to it.”