Dave Watson says Carrow Road is the perfect place for Everton to continue their pre-season preparations. The former centre-half spent six years at Norwich and lifted the Milk Cup as skipper in 1985, before moving to Goodison Park for �900,000.

Dave Watson says Carrow Road is the perfect place for Everton to continue their pre-season preparations.

The former centre-half spent six years at Norwich and lifted the Milk Cup as skipper in 1985, before moving to Goodison Park for �900,000.

“It's a great choice for a pre-season game,” said Watson, currently youth team coach at Wigan.

“There is nothing worse than trying to gee up your side and arranging a pre-season friendly when there's only something like 2,000 people there.

“It's harder to motivate the players to pick up the pace beyond a run-out. But if you're playing in front of something like 20,000 at a stadium which looks full it's a different story.

“The players naturally want to complete more and it helps prepare them for the big kick off.”

City, with a win over Premier League new boys Newcastle a week ago under their belts, have the perfect incentive to do well in their final game before their Championship season kicks off next Friday.

“It's a massive game for their players,” said Watson. “They will want to be testing themselves against the best, and Everton are up there. Norwich will want to see what the standard is like for the top Premier League teams now. Perhaps Everton might make lots of changes, even field two teams but Norwich are likely to be far more up for it because the start of their season is closer.”