CLUB HISTORY - 1902 to 1940
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There was mention of a Norwich Football Club as early as 1868, which very much coincides with the formation of the first English teams such as Notts County and Sheffield United, but early reports included 13 or 14 men per side games with 'touchdowns' being scored. Football's popularity continued to grow as the FA Cup and Football League competition took the national stage. More locally, Thorpe, Carrow Works, Swifans, Norwich Teachers and CEYMS vied for supremacy with 'Church' as CEYMS became known, winning the Norfolk Senior Cup four times between 1897 and 1902. Robert Webster and Joseph Cowper Nutchey were Captain and Vice Captain respectively of CEYMS in 1902 and it was they who invited interested parties to join them in a new and exciting footballing adventure, the formation of Norwich City Football Club. Webster was appointed the Club's first Chairman and Nutchey, Treasurer. Arthur Turner, then of Swifans, became Joint Secretary with John Howes, and Robert Collinson was City's first Captain. The Club approached the County FA to use Newmarket Road, the venue for County Cup Finals, as their home ground and were soon granted permission. The Newmarket Road ground can still be seen to this day, next to Notcutts Garden Centre on the corner of Newmarket Road and Daniels Road, and is still used by local schools for hockey and rugby matches.
The Club's inaugural fixture was a friendly against Harwich & Parkeston at Newmarket Road on Saturday 6th September 1902, which ended 1-1, Jimmy Shields gaining the honour of scoring Norwich City's first ever goal, an equaliser to Harwich's earlier effort. Just one week after that first ever competitive match, against Lowestoft in the FA Cup, City embarked on their league fixtures, winning 4-2 at Beccles Claxton. City, at that time wearing blue and white halved shirts with white shorts and calling themselves the Citizens, finished that first ever season in third position, behind Lowestoft Town and Ipswich Town, in the Norfolk & Suffolk League. The following season, 1903-4, saw Norwich City win through to the 3rd Qualifying round of the FA Cup, only to scratch from their tie against West Norwood before a replay could be arranged, preferring to concentrate their efforts on the FA Amateur Cup - a strange pre-cursor to the events of December 1904. Season 1904-05 was to be City's last in the Norfolk & Suffolk League and they ended their stay in style, winning the title. Off the pitch however, City were the subject of an FA Commission, who found them to be a professional organisation and therefore excluded them from the FA Amateur Cup. Messrs Webster, Nutchey and Turner were suspended for, amongst other things, paying for gym facilities, advertising for players, supplying kit and boots for the players and incurring excessive travelling expenses.
On a more quirky note, the club's anthem, 'On the Ball City' was first mentioned in the Eastern Daily Press, although research suggests that City inherited the famous old song from longer established Norwich sides such as Swifans or CEYMS. The very popular Norfolk & Norwich pastime of breeding canaries was also becoming associated with Norwich City Football Club, but as yet City were still nicknamed the Citizens. Norwich City remained as members of the Southern League until the end of season 1919-20, finishing no higher than the 7th position they achieved in their first season at that level, in 1905-06. Although there was little to report on the League scene either side of the Great War, there were other major developments shaping the Club's next stage of development. In the summer of 1907, with Norwich City becoming known more and more commonly as the 'Canaries', the decision was taken to play in yellow shirts with green collar and cuffs. On January 11th 1908, a record crowd of 10,366, filled the Newmarket Road ground to see City defeat FA Cup holders Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 in the first round of that season's competition, with goals from James Bauchop and Tommy Allsopp. With crowds continuing to rise and City's landlords, the Town Close Estate Charity, placing unworkable terms in a proposed new lease, a new ground was required. The Canaries took flight and landed at the Nest.
In 1908-09 Reading objected to playing at The Nest, claiming the pitch was too small. Their objection was upheld, but City eventually won through the tie at the third attempt only to be drawn away at top-flight Liverpool, where City upset all the odds to win 3-2. Unsurprisingly football was suspended from 1915-1919 because of the Great War, but for Norwich City the period was still turbulent despite the lack of on the pitch action. The Club's debts were increasing and on December 10th 1917 it went into voluntary liquidation. The Nest was locked and the Club's affairs put on ice. On November 6th 1918 the Club was formally wound up, but on February 15th 1919, Norwich City Football Club were re-formed. £5000 of capital was required and £1800 was forthcoming at that re-formation meeting. Just one more season of Southern League football followed before the Football League instigated a new Third Division comprising the entire Southern League.
The 1920's were a largely uneventful decade for City, They finished between 8th and 18th in each campaign, never seriously threatening to get promoted or having to apply for re-election. It was the decade of green and yellow striped shirts, then white shirts and a near disaster at The Nest, when a retaining wall crumbled under pressure sending 60 people falling to the ground, luckily no-one was seriously injured. The 1920's also witnessed the legendary 'Give it to Varco' chant at The Nest. Percy Varco was a free-scoring centre forward whom the fans idolised, netting 47 goals in 65 games, and who has remained a legendary figure in the Club's history. By contrast the 1930's were a period of high excitement for all followers of Norwich City Football Club. The decade began in great style with City recording their biggest ever victory when, on March 15th 1930, Coventry City were thrashed 10-2 at The Nest. Only 8,230 fans were there to witness Tommy Hunt's 5 goals in a record victory which is unlikely ever to be surpassed. In season 1931-32 City's fortunes, under Manager Jimmy Kerr, picked up greatly and that improvement continued in 1932-33 when the Canaries finished a very creditable 3rd in Division 3 (South), five points behind champions Brentford. Unfortunately Jimmy Kerr died of bronchial pneumonia in February 1933, and he was succeeded by Tom Parker. In his first full season in charge, Tom Parker led the Canaries to the Division Three (South) Championship by 7 clear points from Coventry City. New signings Billy Warnes and Jack Vinall each scored 21 league goals as City lost just 6 matches all season, leading the division for 28 of the 34 weeks of the 1933-34 campaign.
With crowds continuing to rise, The Nest's suitability to stage big games came into question. Norwich City's Board of Directors prepared plans to re-build the Main Stand in March 1935 and in May 1935 the FA also stated their concerns about The Nest. Further plans to increase The Nest's capacity were considered, but a move became the only viable way forward. Several sites were considered for the Canaries' new home, including Boundary Park, St James Hill and even Chaplefield Gardens, before J&J Colman Ltd offered City the use of Carrow Road, a site already being used by the Boulton & Paul Sports Club. Plans were drawn up and work began on June 11th 1935. It was a massive undertaking, but miraculously, just 82 days later the ground played host to City's Second Division fixture against West Ham United. A crowd of 29,779, easily Norwich City's biggest ever home attendance, witnessed City win a thrilling match 4-3, with skipper Doug Lochhead having the honour of scoring the first ever goal at the new stadium. Only the Main Stand was covered at this stage. Two seasons later the Station End was covered, thanks to the generosity of Captain Evelyn Barclay and the Barclay Stand was christened. Three relatively uneventful Second Division seasons led into the 1938-39 campaign which opened with four straight defeats, a start from which City never truly recovered. Only the visit of King George VI to Carrow Road, on October 29th 1938 when Millwall were the visitors, enlightened a gloomy campaign. Always in the relegation mire, City lost their penultimate match of the season 1-0 at Plymouth with John Milburn missing a penalty. That left the Canaries needing to defeat fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest by 4 goals to nil in their last game to avoid relegation. City won 1-0 and were relegated on goal average, by 0.048 of a goal. Just 3 games into the 1939-40 Third Division (South) season, all football was suspended due the outbreak of the Second World War.
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HISTORY - 
THE EARLY YEARS
PROFESSIONAL CITY
THE NEST
1920's
SECOND SEASON
