Opinion
Player watch: Dream day for Idah as City teen puts in a Pukki-style performance
Adam Idah of Norwich City celebrates with Todd Cantwell after scoring the fourth goal against Preston North End during the FA Cup match at Deepdale Picture by Michael Sedgwick/Focus Images - Credit: Michael Sedgwick/Focus Images Ltd
Our latest Norwich City player watch followed Adam Idah as the teenage striker scored a special FA Cup hat-trick to help earn a 4-2 victory at Preston.
2 - GOAL - Just 80 seconds played and Jamal Lewis gets Marco Stiepermann going forward, whose pass splits the Preston defence and Idah has the pace to beat the centre-backs to the ball and slide into the bottom-right corner for 1-0 and a dream start to just his second senior start.
9 - Tom Trybull arrows a long ball forward from deep, for Idah chase on the left, right-back Darnell Fisher is clever and stops so that the teen runs into the back of him and wins a free-kick.
23 - Onel Hernandez makes a mess of a cross but prods the ball towards Idah, who manages to knock it back to Trybull near halfway under pressure.
26 - Stiepermann does well to free Lewis on the left, low cross deflects away from Idah and Sam Byram can't connect properly with a left-footed effort, Idah can't reach the loose ball and Preston clear.
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28 - Stiepermann does well to nudge through to Idah, his lifted shot is denied by sprawling keeper Connor Ripley but City keep attacking and Hernandez drives a low shot across the keeper from the left of the box, which squeezes through his fingers and in off the far post for 2-0
38 - GOAL - Fully 35 yards out, lobs the keeper after Ripley came out to beat Hernandez to a Stiepermann through-ball, but only manages to pass straight to the striker on the left wing, who calmly strokes into the empty net from long range for 3-0.
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40 - Involved defensively as he gets in the way of a shot from left-back Joe Rafferty and then heads away an attempted over-head kick, earning slaps on the back from his delighted team-mates.
44 - Hernandez and Mo Leitner combine to get Byram into the box, Idah gets a toe on the right-back's low cross but can't change the direction of the ball on the stretch and it goes out for a throw on the far side.
46 - Leitner takes a corner short to Hernandez, who beats his man and crosses low, Christoph Zimmermann prods to Stiepermann, who curls a cross in and Idah flicks on with his head but just beyond the far post.
58 - Leitner delivers a corner and Preston defender Ben Davies heads behind under pressure from Idah.
61 - GOAL - Stiepermann again plays him clean through, rounds the keeper with a back-heel but is dragged down by Ripley, who is booked. Fires the penalty powerfully into bottom-right corner for 4-1 and punches the air in celebration in front of the away end.
63 - Sharp in the tackle, closing down Jayden Stockley to put the ball out fir a throw.
86 - Replaced by Kenny McLean, to chants of "he's one of our own!" from the away fans.
VERDICT: All that academy potential has burst onto the first-team scene in memorable style, after a performance featuring plenty of FA Cup magic. Ruthless finishing, rapid speed and plenty of hard work made for a dream day for an 18-year-old, becoming the youngest ever player to score a hat-trick for the Canaries. Perhaps crucially, demonstrated a similar playing style to Teemu Pukki, which could well boost his Premier League chance.
RATING: 9 out of 10