Pattison is lifted by response

Published: 7:00 AM March 24, 2008 Updated: 9:52 PM February 19, 2021

Glenn Roeder has revealed just what Saturday's Carrow Road reception meant to Canaries midfielder Matty Pattison.

The 21-year-old was in the starting line-up less than a week after a drink-driving charge made national newspaper headlines. And while the PA announcement of his name at kick-off produced little more than the usual reaction from the crowd, it was far removed from the manner of his departure 54 minutes later, when he as replaced by Lee Croft, as he shook hands with his team-mates and left the field to a near standing ovation.

"I was very pleased," said Roeder. "I wasn't surprised by our players' reaction to him being substituted. It's been a tough week for him, but what pleased me was the kindness and understanding of our supporters.

"As I have said, he is distraught about what happened last weekend, he knows he was wrong and he regrets it immensely. He will take his punishment when it comes along like a man and we as a group of players and a staff, we are all family.

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"It was difficult for him to come out here today and play and at the end when he came off he was quite emotional, which I also think is a strength rather than a weakness, because he realises that he was wrong last weekend and he wants to repay our, if you want kindness, which is deserved, by playing as well as he can for Norwich between now and the end of the season and obviously having a long career here. He is basically a good man, a young man that made a horrendous mistake."

Much of the focus last week was on Pattison, but Roeder refused to write the South Africa-born midfielder out of his plans - and on Saturday explained why.

"I always pick the team that I think is going to win the game," he said. "He has trained really well his week. I didn't want to start the game being too open.

"I wanted to attack, but I didn't want to be too open with the two wingers starting and I wanted to make sure we were solid as we could be, defensively, and hopefully get an early need.

"Often when you play a game it doesn't always work out the way you want it to, but today it worked out perfectly because we got in a position where we could then take him off and be even more positive by getting Crofty on."