Norwich City Reserves won their first match for almost four months with a 3-1 victory at MK Dons. A oung City side was boosted by the inclusion of new first team signing Mark Fotheringham, who got 65 minutes under his belt and earned praise from Academy chief Ricky Martin, who was in charge of City for their Pontins Holiday Combination clash.

Norwich City Reserves won their first match for almost four months with a 3-1 victory at MK Dons yesterday.

A young City side was boosted by the inclusion of new first team signing Mark Fotheringham, who got 65 minutes under his belt and earned praise from Academy chief Ricky Martin, who was in charge of City for their Pontins Holiday Combination clash.

"Mark led by example in midfield and encouraged and supported the youngsters," said Martin. "He will benefit from getting in just over an hour."

Martin was delighted at the performance of his team, many of whom missed out on any action at the weekend after their trip to Southampton was aborted because of the bad weather.

"The lads should be proud," he said. "It was a young side and they came up against a team with much more experience and did well."

City's second string have played just one other match this year - a friendly at home to Spurs which ended goalless - and since an October win over Luton at home had lost three on the trot.

But they were quick out of the traps yesterday, going ahead after just three minutes at the National Hockey Stadium when Bally Smart picked the ball out wide, ran at the Dons' defence, cut inside and put the ball past keeper Lee Harper at his near post.

Smart's pace caused the hosts plenty of problems and on 34 minutes set up Seb Muddel, who rounded the keeper to make it 2-0.

Within a minute it was three, a poor clearance by the keeper falling to Damon Lathrope, who hit it back with interest from 25 yards.

MK Dons pulled one back on 39 minutes from a set-piece, but while they changed tactics and threw their bigger players up front in the second half, defenders Alvin Quaye and Michael Spillane kept them at bay, with keeper Joe Lewis supporting well.

City were dangerous on the counter-attack, Smart causing problems and Kris Renton and Muddell going close.

MK Dons: Harper, Kent, Collins, Battams, Murphy, O'Hanlon, Hayes, Smith, Hastings, Taylor, Baldock.

Subs: Kane, Flood, Lovegrove, Moriarty, Thorne.

City: Lewis, Bexfield, O'Toole, Fotheringham, Spillane, Quaye, Eames, Lathrope, Muddel, Renton, Smart. Subs: McLean, Arnold, Byrne, Daley, Miller.