John Landamore Following on from their FA Youth Cup success over Wigan at Carrow Road on Wednesday, it was back to league action for the academy as they travelled to West Ham this morning.

John Landamore

Following on from their FA Youth Cup success over Wigan at Carrow Road on Wednesday, it was back to league action for the academy as they travelled to West Ham this morning.

While the Canaries progressed to the next round of the cup, West Ham went out of the competition this week at the hands of Nottingham Forest.

Damon Lathrope and Luke Daley returned to the starting line-up and there was an unfamiliar face joining Danny Kelly in attack, in the shape of Slovakian trialist Robert Ujcik.

City keeper Declan Rudd was quickly called into action when he had to make a good save to deny Oliver Lee.

However, with four minutes on the clock it was City who opened the scoring when from a Lathrope cross, centre half, David Stephens headed home at the far post to record his first goal at U18 level.

Stephens was then quickly in action, this time at the other end with a timely tackle to deny Ahmed Abdullah.

The game was certainly end-to-end as Kelly laid the ball on for Ujcik, but with Marek Stech in the Hammers goal to make a fine save.

With 13 minutes on the clock, West Ham pulled themselves level when from a corner Abdullah headed the ball on before it took a deflection off a Norwich defender into the net.

Ujcik was enjoying his role up front as he set the ball through for Daley to chase onto, but his shot crashed into the side netting.

Abdullah worked himself into a good position but again Rudd was on hand to make the save.

Deep in first-half stoppage time, Stech dived low to his right to deny the City captain Korey Smith.

Steck was quickly called into action at the start of the second half, this time to turn a Josh Dawkin effort round the post after City's Welsh winger had danced his way around three defenders.

The game was anyone's as Lee unleashed a 25-yard effort that saw Rudd produce a spectacular save turning the ball onto the cross-bar while at the other end Stech had to be alert to turn a Ujick effort round for a corner.

Rudd continued to perform his heroics, this time to deny George Grasser, while deep in stoppage time Smith saw an effort deflected over the cross bar.

t City: Rudd, Omoregie, Franckomb, Smith, Eumic, Stephens, Daley, (Clarke 70), Lathrope, Ujcik (Reeves 82), Kelly, Dawkin.

Sub not used: Griebson

t Norwich City MoM: Damon Lathrope