[themaclad]

NORWICH CITY
DEEPDALE 22/10/2024 19:45 HRS

An EFL favourite, nothing like a 12 hour return journey in mid week, when the return is played we get the same as well

https://www.canaries.co.uk/

MANAGER



Johannes Hoff Thorup (born 19 February 1989) is a Danish professional football manager who is the current head coach of EFL Championship club Norwich City.

Manager
Nordsjælland:

Danish Superliga: 2022–23: runner-up

LAST TIME OUT





PNE 9 NORWICH 14

In good form whilst we are improving although we can't always rely on sides missinng sitters

IN FORM



NEWBIES



PAST ENCOUNTERS



City have a decent record adainst us although remember under Moyes we destroyed them being 4 up at half time in one of the great performances that I've seen from us

Last seasons game was a last chance saloon stab at the play offs for us, very decent game but it was no surprise City won on the day

MIDWEEK FIXTURES AND TABLE



MACS VIEW

Up against a good side who are starting to get it together under the new manager a big test for us, Fang still suspended, Keane and Potts injured but Whiteman now unsuspended
Would be happy with a point

[themaclad]

The Fitness Test
[​
Brad Potts missed the victory over Coventry City with a foot injury and is expected to return either for the clash with the Canaries or Saturday’s trip to Plymouth.

One man who will definitely miss the Norwich fixture is striker Will Keane, who’s expected to be absent for a few weeks.

Ched Evans and Patrick Bauer also remain sidelined.

The Canaries

[
Norwich City, under the new management of Johannes Hoff Thorup, have enjoyed a positive start to the campaign and are sitting just outside of the Play-Off spots at this early stage.

They’ll arrive at Deepdale unbeaten in their last five, with that run including impressive 4-1 and 4-0 wins over Watford and Hull City respectively.

The Canaries have the top scorer of the division in their ranks in Borja Sainz, who’s already racked up seven goals for the season.

The Officials
[
Referee: Will Finnie
Assistant Referees: Nigel Lugg and Blake Antrobus
Fourth Official: Bobby Madley

Will Finnie will take charge of a PNE fixture for the first time on Tuesday night, in what will be the fourth Sky Bet Championship fixture of his career.

Finnie has refereed ten matches so far this season, showing 33 yellow cards and one red.

[themaclad]

Preston North End 2 Greenwood pen, Holmes Norwich City 2 Sainz, Duffy

Preston North End: Woodman; Kesler-Hayden, Storey, Lindsay, Hughes; Whiteman, McCann, Greenwood (Frøkjær-Jensen 66), Holmes (Thórdarson 75); Brady, Riis.

Unused subs: Cornell, Whatmough, Stewart, Ledson, Okkels, Best, Bowler.

Norwich City: Long; Fisher (Gordon h-t), Duffy, Córdoba, Doyle; Marcondes (Forsyth 67), McLean, Slimane (Stacey 81); Sainz, Crnac (Chrisene 67), Sargent.

Unused subs: Mair, Hanley, Forson, Sørensen, Schwartau.

Attendance: 13,677 (730 Norwich City fans).

Referee: Mr W Finnie.

An thoroughly entertaining game ended all square, one side disappointed not too have won whilst the support from the other were happy with a point even though they had been 2 up after 12 minutes.
Rapid start by us as I said two up in a dozen minutes, first a penalty after Riis was brought down in the area by Long after Brady found Riis in acres of space.
Long dived the way Greenwood usually puts them Greenwood blasted it down the middle. The second Riis again had a hand in it ball to Greenwood who found Holmes with the City defence nowhere in sight. The small advanced into the box easily beat Long deux goals up
City then realised that the match had actually kicked off and started to exert some pressure although at 1- 0 they had a half chance of sorts Kessler-Hayden clearance fell to Sainz quick thinking fired the ball back towards the empty goal, Woodman recovered help by Lindsay kept us in front.
City pressed forward as we reverted to Lowe's usual tactic of sitting deep, Sainz again went close with a shot narrowly over the top, however Woodwan was usually protected by his defenders.
McLean was a nightmare for us, played really well, then the goal City deserved arrived just before half time, ball in from the right Sainz flicked the ball in past Woodman who to be honest should really have covered his near post.
North End should have had a third Riis shot wide of the far post when in on goal. Within minutes it was all square, Duffy picked the ball up in his own half ran the length of the field one two with Sargent and scores from ten yards.
At the time thought there would only be one winner and it wasn't us but they never really got close apart from Lindsay clearing one from danger.
Have to say it was also fairly well controlled by the official.



HECKY

Paul Heckingbottom said his side are taking “big strides forward” after North End drew 2-2 with Norwich City.

PNE raced into an early two-goal lead thanks to efforts from Sam Greenwood and Duane Holmes, but that advantage was halved with the final kick of the first 45.

Shane Duffy’s strike just after the hour mark meant the points were shared at Deepdale.



Hecky said: “It’s a good point. Goals always change games and the pattern of the game was set with our two early goals, which we were delighted with.

“If they’d have come at different stages of the game, we’d probably win the game 2-0. It’s how it is. We have to take a point.

“I thought we recovered really well in the second half. The only part of the game I wasn’t really happy with was the last 15 minutes of the first half when it was almost like we were trying to protect that 2-0 win.

“It’s a good point against a good side. If you just look at the result and you didn’t know when the goals were scored, you’d certainly take that. They had the possession, which we knew they would, and I thought we had the better opportunities.”

It was a superb start which got North End going, as Emil Riis earned a penalty which Greenwood slotted home on his return to the starting XI in the sixth minute.


Holmes – also coming into the team – then finished off from a one-on-one situation, however the final 15 minutes of the half saw PNE sitting in more and they were eventually broken down with the final kick of the first 45.

Hecky said: “The message is that one or two players went into default mode, and we start protecting a lead and we don’t want to be that team.

“We want to be an aggressive team. Even though they had the ball and they’ve got it in our half, that’s fine, but we still want to press in the same areas.

“When you don’t do that, you’re allowing good technical players closer to your box which we did really well doing.

“If you look back, Freddie [Woodman] has not had a save to make, so it shows how well we did it. But because we sat deeper and deeper and deeper and didn’t get pressure on the ball high up the pitch, particularly in our half, it allowed their technical players in and around our box and we paid the price.”

The point against the Canaries means PNE have taken four points from a home double-header, following the victory over Coventry City.

That’s form which, if it continues, the manager is very content with.

He said: “If you get four points from two games from the start of the season, you’re getting automatics. That [points average] will always be a target of mine.

“I’m more bothered about performance. It’s another one where we’re talking about chances that we did create and didn’t take, because that was a big priority for us when we came in.

“It’s another game where we’ve had higher xG than our opponents which is important, again another priority when we came in.

“There’s lots of big strides forward, and it shows when you pick up points that you have to do these things.”

Danish bloke

Norwich City head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup says his side have to be better after their 2-2 draw away to Preston North End.

The Canaries came from two goals down to claim a point at Deepdale with a 2-2 draw, as Borja Sainz and Shane Duffy scored.

"Some learning aspects where we simply have to be better," the head coach said.

"The start is there for everyone to see, it's not good enough. It's a really difficult night to get points when you start like that.

"We have to make sure we improve that part, but I am pleased with the response from the guys. I'm pleased with the performance from this, because it's not easy to bounce back from that.

"I think we gave it a shot and tried to get the three points, even though it was difficult to begin with. I'm pleased with the attitude and mentality. But football-wise, there's something to improve."

Hoff Thorup also spoke about the switch in mentality at half-time, something that led to Duffy's equaliser.

"We spoke at half-time about being more offensively minded and to create some situations where we can release players from the next line to run in-behind.

"It wasn't my plan that it should be Shane Duffy! But I like the attitude, I like the mentality, as we kept on fighting for that win.

"At the end of the day, I'm pleased with the team's mentality and what I saw of the boys after a difficult start. I'm just disappointed with the amount of points."