Norwich City Season 3 Part 3

-
The last part ended on an 8-match winning run that took us to the top of the league before meeting second-placed Arsenal. The match is swung by a first half sending-off for Arsenal, they lead 1-0 but after that we dominate with Lionel Morgan scoring twice from outside the box. The tables are turned at Old Trafford in the next match as Zema Abbey is shown red for elbowing Rio Ferdinand (who came blame him really), we survive the whole second half with 10 men to get a valuable point. Abbey misses the FA Cup quarter-final, we beat Arsenal 2-1, and the league meeting with Chelsea which is a tight dull contest until Seth Johnson's last minute header wins it. Another late goal and another 1-0 win, Jesper Gronkjaer helps us see off Everton to keep our second place position in the league we trail Arsenal by 1 point (plus inferior goal difference) with 8 matches to go.


A home match against 19th placed Sheff Wed should be comfortable but struggle to a third successive 1-0 win to maintain the gap with Arsenal. Dominate first division Crewe in the FA Cup to reach the final where we will face mid-table Blackburn. Back to the league and Arsenal draw against Man City to leave the door ajar for us to take the lead in the league, we destroy Charlton 5-0 with Abbey and Julius Aghahowa sharing four of the goals. We beat Newcastle 2-0 having been outplayed by them in each of our three previous meetings, the momentum seems unstoppable.


Hang on a minute, Blackburn at home looks one of the easier hurdles in the run-in but after conceding from a first-half corner we struggle to get on top and despite equalising through Abbey, end up losing 2-1. The league lead is handed back to Arsenal as the 23-match unbeaten run is ended. Draw our next match away at Southampton which all but ends our title hopes. Manage to pick up 6 points in our final 3 matches which is enough to claim second ahead of Man Utd, finishing below us is a sackable offence even for Alex Ferguson who is booted and replaced by Steve Bruce in the closing weeks of the season.


So to the season finale, the FA Cup Final, it's a tight and tense match with few clear chances for either side, it ends up with penalties and we prove victorious with Rob Green saving two spot kicks. We gain revenge over Blackburn who had de-railed our title chase and a much needed pot for the sparse trophy cabinet.


Elsewhere in CM World, Rushden & Diamonds have another eventful season, after their FA Cup triumph last season they reach the UEFA Cup Semi-final before succumbing to Inter Milan and then lose to Bristol City on penalties in the First Division Play-off Final.


This is the final league table


Abbey leads the ratings for a third season, 25 goals in the Premier Division for the real-life journeyman striker is quite an achievement. Gronkjaer was the best of the new signings he hit the ground running and was selected for the Premier Division team of the year. Aghahowa was brilliant at times and the catalyst for the title push. Mexes struggled to settle in the first half of the season, but was great during the unbeaten run from December. Alou Diarra was a free transfer in February and helped cover injuries and suspensions. Paul McVeigh will join Charlton at the end of the season while heroes of the season 1 promotion Malky Mackay, Mark Edworthy and Craig Fleming all choose to retire having been surplus to requirements and stuck in the Reserves for much of the season.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Norwich City Season 2 Part 2

-
Image
It took until the 85th minute for a shot on target, but a dire game against Fulham is lit up a piece of divine intervention by way of a Phil Mulryne 89th minute free-kick winner, hallelujah. Get a bit of a pasting off Liverpool and Newcastle, stabilise things by drawing with Derby 1-1 before another defeat this time to Middlesbrough. Worse news follows as Zema Abbey, scorer of 6 of our 14 league goals, is now sidelined for 2 months after tearing his calf. Life after Abbey begins far better than expected, couldn’t ask for a better fixture than 19th placed Bolton at home but 3-0 up by half time and don’t even allow them a shot all game. The lopsided fixture list leaves us playing the top three in three matches over Christmas. Lose to them all in various manners. Man Utd at home is relatively even but they take their chances we don’t, a red card for Gilberto Silva gives us hope at 1-1 against Arsenal but we push forward and get done 4-1, Huckerby gets sent off early at home to u
Read more

Norwich City Season 1 Part 4

-
Image
Phil Mulryne is the hero as we win the most important game of the season, the East Anglian Derby. This is followed by a draw at Reading, home comforts bring a convincingly win over Walsall before losing equally convincingly at Cardiff. The home win/away loss sequence continues into April against a trio of Yorkshire clubs (Sheff Utd, Bradford and Rotherham). Five away matches without a win at the crunch point of the season have let the title chances slip away, we are now in a battle with Stoke for the second promotion spot. The goals for Alex Notman and Zema Abbey that flowed uncontrollable during the winter months have dried up to barely a trickle. The squad is tired and like a long-distance runner desperate to reach the finish line. The remarkable home defence record continues though, dispatching Burnley 2-0 makes it nine games since we last conceded at Carrow Road and only four goals conceded in 22 home league matches. Back-to-back away fixtures send a shiver down the spin
Read more

Norwich City Season 3 Part 1

-
Image
Only 500k remains in the kitty from the old season before a new budget is announced, so use the early part of the summer to prey on the weak and financial stricken. Four clubs are in receivership so will basically accept any offer, my choices are Leeds duo Seth Johnson (250k) and Aaron Lennon (230k) plus promising youngster David Bryan (16k) from Southend. Also add Chelsea duo Celestine Babayaro and Jesper Gronkjaer who both have expiring contracts. The budget for the new season is 7m, with a fair bit of business done already the focus is on getting a centre-back and Phillippe Mexes arrives from Auxerre for his 4m minimum release fee. On the eve of the new season, Zema Abbey finally agrees a new 3-year contract so hopefully all set for a push to get into Europe. Gronkjaer hits the ground running with a goal and assist on his debut as we start the season with a 3-1 win over Fulham, he then provides another assist against Liverpool, holding our own at Anfield in a 1-1 draw is an
Read more