MATCH STATS IPSWICH: Price, Sito, De Vos, Naylor, McEveley, Garvan, Magilton, Horlock, Currie, Bowditch, Parkin. Subs: Supple, Richards (for Garvan, 45), Peters (for Bowditch, 67), McDonald, Juan. NORWICH CITY : Green, Colin, Davenport, Doherty, Drury, Marney, Safri, Hughes, McVeigh, Lisbie, Ashton. Subs: Ward, Fleming, Huckerby (for Marney, 45), Brennan (for Lisbie, 70), Henderson (for McVeigh, 79). SCORERS: Norwich: Huckerby (51) TOP CANARY: EDP: Calum Davenport PinkUn Poll: Davenport (47%) ATTENDANCE: 29,184 REFEREE: L Mason (Lancashire) YELLOW CARDS: Ipswich: Garvan (foul on McVeigh, 45); McEveley (dissent, 65). Norwich: Hughes (foul on Price, 36); Lisbie (dissent, 36); Davenport (foul on Garvan, 42). RED CARDS: Sito Castro (professional foul, 18) SHOTS ON TARGET: Ipswich 4, Norwich 5 SHOTS OFF TARGET: Ipswich 6, Norwich 5 CORNERS: Ipswich 8, Norwich 4 FOULS:  Ipswich 8, Norwich 18 OFFSIDES:  Ipswich 3, Norwich 13

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Sunday September 18, 2005
CHRIS WISE

After going top of the league at Portman Road on their previous visit, Norwich City moved up to the heady heights of 17th following this hard-fought success – but rarely has a victory over Ipswich Town tasted as sweet as this.

This was a game that the Canaries simply couldn’t afford to lose after a truly depressing start to the season, and how heartening it was to see them respond to the pressure in quite exemplary fashion to come away with all three points.

Had they suffered a two-goal defeat the Canaries would have gone to the bottom of the league at the home of the old enemy, 21 months after going top – and some serious questions would have been asked about the future of one of the longest serving managers in English football.

But, thanks in no small part to a couple of bold decisions from Nigel Worthington, the gloom that has been enveloping the club in recent weeks was suddenly lifted as City picked the perfect time, and the perfect place, to show why they were made favourites for promotion at the beginning of the season.

An early Ipswich red card helped their cause, of that there is no doubt, but this was the day when a talented bunch of players finally proved the point out on the pitch by putting in a big performance for their manager.

And with the home squad looking desperately weak at present a fourth Norwich win in the fixture in five matches always looked on the cards.

Worthington had grabbed the bull by the horns by telling two of his most experienced players that they would be starting on the bench.

Sito Castro (half hidden) gets the red card.

A manager stands or falls by decisions like these, and if things had gone pear-shaped he would have taken some terrible stick from his critics. I dare say they would have understood his reasons for giving Craig Fleming a break, even though some of the criticism the skipper has been receiving in some quarters has been bang out of order. But leaving out a proven match-winner like Darren Huckerby against Ipswich? Let’s just say the stakes were high for Worthington when he opted to give him a super-sub’s role.

As it turned out, Worthington got it exactly right, both with his tactics and his use of personnel. Gary Doherty was brought into defence to play alongside the excellent Calum Davenport and promptly turned in one of his best performances in a Norwich shirt and, up front, the ploy of playing Paul McVeigh rather than Huckerby just behind the front two worked a treat.

It left Worthington with a real ace up his sleeve on the bench, a man who had a point to prove after being told he would not be walking straight back into the starting line-up following his fit of pique at Stoke.

The stage was set perfectly for a man who likes to be at the centre of it, and sure enough, within six minutes, the great man had scored one of the most important goals of his City career to set his side on their way to a much needed three points.

Just six minutes after coming on as substitute for the start of the second half, Darren Huckerby puts Norwich City in front.

The goal had been coming since the 18th minute, when Town defender Castro Sito received his second red card in the space of eight days for catching the heels of Kevin Lisbie as the on-loan Charlton striker raced clear through the inside left channel.

It was difficult to see whether the young Spaniard had deliberately tripped his opponent or had merely got involved in an accidental tangle – but referee Lee Mason decided he had to go, and the visitors were quick to make use of their numerical superiority.

Between the 21st and 38th minutes they carved out four clear-cut chances. But, not for the first time this season, they simply couldn’t put them away. Lisbie, Andy Hughes and Safri were all guilty of poor finishing as an under-pressure Town side clung on by their finger-nails, with Safri’s miss summing up City’s current Achilles heel in a nutshell.

Having strolled through the centre of the visitors’ defence he found himself with just Lewis Price to beat. But with vast areas of net to aim for he fired his shot far too close to the keeper, who made a smart stop.

Half-time: Ipswich Town 0, Norwich City 0

Had it been 3-0 at the break it would have been no injustice – so it must have come as huge relief to the 2300 City fans when Huckerby showed how it should be done just after the break.

Darren Huckerby celebrates after scoring the winning goal.

The much maligned Doherty set up the chance with a superb crossfield pass from the right and, when Price came out to try and intercept, the City substitute was in like a shot to flick the ball past him and curl it into an unguarded net. Cue mayhem in the seats just to his left.

City almost doubled their advantage moments later when Huckerby put Dean Ashton through following another quick break. But Price made a good save to deny the strangely subdued £3m man and that proved to be the end of a period of virtual non-stop domination.

Davenport saw a close range header sail just over while Huckerby missed a real sitter near the end. But in between times Town were able to exert some overdue pressure on the visitors’ backline and carved out a number of half chances during the second period, with Sam Parkin and Kevin Horlock both going close.

Darren Huckerby is mobbed after scoring the winning goal.

Had Ipswich got an equaliser it would have felt like a defeat for the Canaries, such was their domination either side of the break. But with Davenport oozing quality from every pore and every other man in a yellow shirt defending as if his life depended on it, the visitors held on to record their first away win since a 3-1 success at Crewe on the final day of the triumphant 2003-4 season. It had been a long time coming – but it was certainly worth the wait!

With four of City’s next five games taking place at Carrow Road – and the one away fixture being at struggling Brighton – one hopes it’s now a case of onwards and upwards for the rest of the season. Thanks to this win the Canaries are now just five points adrift of the play-off positions, so if they can follow up this tremendous win with a few more positive results they could soon be occupying the sort of position that most pundits were predicting at the start of the campaign.

One result doesn’t generally make a season – but one gets the feeling that this one just might. I just hope those words don’t come back to haunt me!

Result: Ipswich Town 0, Norwich City 1