MATCH STATS BURNLEY: Kiraly, Alexander, Carlisle, Unsworth, Jordan, Elliott, McCann, Spicer, Lafferty, Blake, Gray. Subs: Jensen, Harley, James O'Connor, Akinbiyi (for Lafferty, 78), Mahon (for Blake, 57). NORWICH CITY: Marshall, Otsemobor, Murray, Shackell, Lappin, Chadwick, Spillane, Russell, Huckerby, Strihavka, Brown. Subs: Croft, Cureton (for Chadwick, 69), Hartson (for Strihavka, 57), Smith (for Russell, 83), Martin. SCORERS: Burnley: Blake (1), Gray (pen, 3) Norwich: Brown (68) TOP CANARY: EDP: David Marshall ATTENDANCE: 10,133 REFEREE: Michael Jones (Cheshire) ADDED TIME: First half: 3 mins Second half: 3 mins YELLOW CARDS: Burnley: Unsworth (foul on Strihavka, 33), Alexander (foul on Huckerby, 83) Norwich: Huckerby (dissent, 45) RED CARDS: None SHOTS ON TARGET: Burnley 7, Norwich 6 SHOTS OFF TARGET: Burnley 5, Norwich 5 CORNERS: Burnley 12, Norwich 7 FOULS:  Burnley 13, Norwich 9 OFFSIDES:  Burnley 1, Norwich 3

Tuesday October 23, 2007
CHRIS LAKEY

Norwich City's woes continued as they made it seven Championship games without a win after two mad minutes at Turf Moor.

The Canaries had hardly broken into a sweat when they found themselves on the way to their sixth defeat in the last seven games, conceding twice within the space of a couple of minutes.

The fact they managed to score again was absolutely no consolation for a club going through one of the worst runs of form in recent memory.

Caretaker manager Jim Duffy's last game in charge was a final chance for him to stake a claim to be Peter Grant's successor: instead it was more like an epitaph for the man brought in as assistant at the beginning of the year.

Two defeats in his two games in charge make him a rank outsider - but, frankly who would want the job?

Duffy had a surprise or two in store with his team selection: Adam Drury, missing through injury, was joined on the sidelines by the axed Rossi Jarvis - replaced by Luke Chadwick - with on-loan midfielder Jimmy Smith featuring in a City squad for the first time, albeit on the bench.

And it was in his choice of subs that Duffy took his biggest risk, opting not to name a back-up keeper.

The choice of strikers also raised a few eyebrows, with Chris Brown recalled to play alongside David Strihavka - a pairing that, in 27 appearances between them have managed the grand total of one goal, compared almost 400 that subs John Hartson and Jamie Cureton have accumulated between them in their long careers.

Darren Huckerby returned to his favoured left-flank role, with Simon Lappin replacing Drury at left back and Michael Spillane coming into midfield.

Norwich City players look on in disbelief after going 2-0 down at Burnley within the first 3 minutes.

But change or no change, nothing takes away from the fact that this City side is one short on confidence, short on goals, short on points - and within minutes all their problems had come home to roost.

City travelling fans were able to cheer a corner within the opening 30 seconds - and by the time the one minute mark was up they were behind.

Kyle Lafferty brought the ball out of the City box, made it to the halfway line and, with defenders backtracking furiously, played a pass wide right to Wade Elliott, who found the unmarked Robbie Blake at the far post for the simplest of headers.

Thought that was bad? Less than a minute later Jon Otsemobor upended Blake in the area, referee Mike Jones pointed to the spot and all Andy Gray had to do was stroke the ball into David Marshall's left-hand corner from 12 yards.

Two minutes, two goals down and with the Lancashire hills in the background, City had a mountain to climb.

Andy Gray sends David Marshall the wrong way to put Burnley 2-0 up after only 3 minutes.

The yellow and green nerves that were shaking the Turf Moor foundations suggested otherwise.

Fortunately, with 10 minutes gone, City had managed not to concede more - now it was a case of getting over the early shock and trying to establish some sort of foothold in the game, unlikely as that appeared at the time.

Burnley were possibly guilty at times of failing to hit a man when he's down - they allowed City to take some confidence through possession, although on the break Norwich looked dodgy defensively.

David Strihavka's tame header from Huckerby's cross on 18 minutes was on target, bringing ironic cheers and the Canaries anthem from the visiting fans.

But it exemplified the difference between the teams in the early period: Burnley's two chances were buried; Norwich's were simply part of the Peter Grant wake.

There was a spark of life from City on 29 minutes when Huckerby took control down the left after a throw and swung in a deep, curling cross.

Darren Huckerby talked himself into the referee's book just before half-time.

It went over Strihavka and his marker and landed at the feet of Brown, Who controlled it well enough but saw his shot saved by the legs of keeper Gabor Kiraly.

It was the nearest City had come to scoring by some distance, and two minutes later Strihavka headed just over from Lappin's deep free-kick.

Could a comeback be possible? Certainly Norwich, with Chadwick doing well, had been holding their own for some time, but Burnley, two goals to the good, may well have been running on economy.

With half-time approaching City needed a pick-me-up - something closer to the target than Spillane's header from Lappin's corner or Darel Russell's shot from eight yards which went a couple of yards past the post.

It didn't come, leaving Duffy an almost impossible half-time team talk.

Half-time: Burnley 2, Norwich City 0

Chris Brown gets Norwich back into the game with his first ever goal for the club.

Burnley would have been happy just to add a third goal as a guarantee and then close the game out for however long was required.

Lafferty almost delivered within five minutes, shooting wide after McCann had dispossessed Ian Murray and then moments later when Marshall did well to beat out a shot as City's defence creaked yet again.

McCann then blasted over from close range from among the statues and City were rocking again.

Hartson was introduced just before the hour mark as City searched for a vital break and within 10 minutes he'd had the required effect, knocking Chadwick's cross neatly into the path of Brown, who planted it into the far corner for his first senior goal in City's colours.

Suddenly City were back in it and the possibility of taking something from a game for only the second time in seven matches was very real.

Jamie Cureton rues the one that got away after Gabor Kiraly saved brilliantly from the Canaries' top goalscorer.

Cureton was soon introduced as Duffy went for broke, with three strikers on the pitch and, frankly, nothing to lose.

Hartson headed Otsemobor's cross straight at the keeper, but at the other end City had a huge escape, Lafferty heading well wide from Alan Mahon's cross when the goal was at his mercy.

For a while it looked like the breaks were finally going City's way, but Kiraly proved that wasn't the case when he saved brilliantly from Cureton after Brown had been put through and squared the ball over from the left.

It was arguably City's most incisive move of the night - and it came to nothing.

They huffed and puffed and even threw Marshall up for an injury-time corner - but nothing, it seems, works for Norwich City these days.

Result: Burnley 2, Norwich City 1