COCA-COLA League One champions Norwich City wrapped up their away league programme with a comfortable 3-0 win over Bristol Rovers at the Memorial Stadium this afternoon.
After being welcomed on to the pitch by a guard of honour from the hosts, City soon set about recording their 12th away win of the campaign. First-half goals from Chris Martin and Oli Johnson effectively ended the contest by half-time before Stephen Hughes added a third after the break.
After the match City boss Paul Lambert praised the professional attitude of his players as they won their final away fixture in some style.
"I thought we were excellent from start to finish," said Lambert. "We changed it around a little and I thought we were great - a great performance and a great win."
Midfielder Matt Gill was starting his first League One game since October and his manager was delighted with his contribution.
"I thought he (Gill) was excellent, I know the pressure is off but he came in and his performance was excellent. Gilly really is a great lad, a great pro but he's found it hard to get in due to Darel and Korey's form."
Lambert was also pleased to send the travelling Yellow Army home with yet another away win and paid tribute to the tremendous backing his team has received on the road this season.
"They are absolutely terrific, I can't thank them enough for what they have done. They have been an absolute credit to the Football Club."
Lambert made three changes for this afternoon's final League One away game. Stephen Elliott replaced the sidelined Grant Holt. The other changes from the side that clinched the League One title against Gillingham at Carrow Road last weekend were in midfield, with Simon Lappin and Matt Gill starting the match with Darel Russell and Korey Smith named on the bench.
Despite the change in personnel, City started in their familiar diamond formation with Anthony McNamee sitting in behind Elliott and 22-goal Chris Martin. Gill took up Russell's place in front of the back four.
City's first opening of note came on six minutes when Chris Martin met a Simon Lappin cross but his header sailed over the target.
Just two minutes later Fraser Forster had to be alert to stop a driven effort from Charlie Reece and then be on hand to prevent Chris Lines snapping up the rebound.
In the 14th minute Elliott created an opening for himself when he cut in from the right but drove his shot wide of the goal.
It was Elliott who went close again for City in the 24th minute, Stephen Hughes fed the ball to McNamee whose cross from the right was met with a firm header from Elliott that went fractional wide of the near post.
City opened the scoring on 31 minutes when Chris Martin smashed home his 23rd goal of an outstanding campaign. Martin capitalised on a poor ball out of defence by Daniel Jones and fed the on-rushing McNamee who was subsequently tackled with the ball falling to Martin, who fired home from 12 yards.
Paul Lambert was forced into a change on the stroke of half-time as Elliott hobbled off, feeling the effects of an earlier challenge, to be replaced by Oli Johnson.
Johnson made an instant impact as he latched on to a McNamee through-ball before calmly slotting past Andersen to double City's lead.
Norwich started the second half brightly and on 47 minutes the lively Johnson almost made it 3-0 when he sent a rasping effort just inches over the Rovers crossbar.
Again Johnson came close to adding to City's lead when on 52 minutes Carl Regan failed to deal with a Chris Martin cross and Johnson saw his shot at the back post blocked by Pirates 'keeper Andersen.
It came as little surprise to the 8,836 crowd when Norwich made it 3-0 in the 66th minute. Once again Martin made the most of some hazardous defending from the home side as he picked up a loose ball, rounded the 'keeper and squared for Stephen Hughes to poke home his third goal of the season from close range.
Lambert made a double substitution in the 72nd minute as Paul McVeigh and Jens Berthel Askou replaced Simon Lappin and Michael Nelson.
Rovers pressed in search of a consolation goal but could not find a way past their former on-loan stopper Fraser Forster, who recorded another clean sheet.
90th - Two minutes of time to be added on.
84th - Rose brings down Campbell on this near touchline. He picks himself up to take the kick Byron Anthony thinks he is being held in the box as the ball goes over his head. Stephen Hughes is first to the loose ball and as he clears Anthony comes in late on his ankle leaving him in a heap. Anthony is booked.
80th - Darryl Duffy's header hits the bar not once but twice! Ben Swallow with a stepover or three over on the left and hangs up a cross, which Duffy meets and his header beats Forster's dive, hits the bar, loops up and then falls on the top of the bar again as Richards was waiting to tap in on the line.
74th - Gill slips inside the City box as a cross from the left comes in and Eliot Richards chest it down but volleys wide of Forster's right-hand post.
73rd - Jens Berthel Askou and Paul McVeigh replace Michael Nelson and Simon Lappin respectively.
69th - Hughes almost doubles his tally for the season this afternoon. McNamee clips a ball into the box for the onrushing Scotsman to take down and then shoot at Andersen, who again made himself big to save, for a minute it looked like it would creep between his legs. Oli Johnson can't contort his body in that direction to connect with the rebound.
68th - Stephen Hughes makes it 3-0 to City! A defensive mix-up, allows Chris Martin to capitalise and he knocks it round Jones on the edge of the box and then beats Andersen to it, with Hughes screaming for a pull back, the striker is forced to the byeline. From an almost impossible angle, Martin still manages to slide the ball across the face of the goal for Hughes third goal of the season as he taps the ball in via a defender on the line, right in front of the travelling City contingent.
63rd - Chris Martin looks to latch onto his own flick on from a long Nelson ball forward but Andersen is quick off his line to slide and claim.
59th - Ben Swallow with an enterprising run into the box but Gill forces him wide and his low shot lacks any power and Forster can gather at his near post.
56th - Williams has one final chance of the match, which he heads wide from a Reece cross. He's then replaced by Eliot Richards in attack.
54th - Andy Williams gets into the box on the end of a ball through but slices his shot wide of the near post.
52nd - Carl Regan dithers at the back post when dealing with a Chris Martin cross from the right. Oli Johnson doesn't stand on ceremony and nips in, takes a touch but Andersen spreads himself big to save down low.
50th - "
49th - Darryl Duffy is brought down by Michael Nelson about five yards outside the box, just right of centre. Chris Lines the tall midfielder looks to curl it round the wall but into the wall it goes and like Lappin in the first half, turns and appeals straight to the referee for handball. Reece whips over a cross from the right, which Spillane does well to hold off his man to turn behind for a corner, which is taken short. Delivered into the box from a slightly different angle but headed wide.
48th - Quick feet by Oli Johnson sees him create space for himself on the edge of the area but he fires his shot narrowly over. Ball number three has already been launched out of the stadium by Charlie Reece this half, so we're onto ball number four of the afternoon.
46th - City with Stephen Hughes and Anthony McNamee get us back underway.
Half-Time - The attendance this afternoon is 8,836 - 1,792 away fans.
Half-Time - City lead by two goals to nil at the Memorial Stadium. Chris Martin with the opening on 32 minutes and then Oli Johnson doubled the lead just before the interval with his first touch of the game after replacing the injured Stephen Elliott just a minute beforehand. City have looked good with the front three lively and linking up well and Gill, Hughes and Lappin controlling the midfield with authority, calmness and effective distribution.
45+2 - Within seconds of his introduction Oli Johnson scores with his first touch. From the goal kick Chris Martin nodded it down for Anthony McNamee who flicked the ball over Jones and went at the defence, spotted Johnson's peeling run to the right, found his run and then Johnson with a little flick beat the onrushing Andersen and the shot still had enough pace to beat two defenders racing back.
45+1 - City make the change straight away, Oli Johnson replaces Stephen Elliott as City defend a corner from the right. Captain Campbell with the delivery and met by his central midfield partner Chris Lines but clear over the bar.
45th - Elliott is down again and his body language doesn't look good, a little shake of the head. We may not be seeing again second half. There will be a minimum of two minutes of added time.
43rd - Young Ben Swallow angles in a cross, which Gary Doherty leaves, then Forster watches it by and it just misses the outside of the far post.
41st - Lappin wins a free-kick over near the left touchline midway inside the Rovers half. Lappin takes it himself and finds Nelson's head, which drifts wide. Chris Martin was coming in far post and almost got on the end, whether it was intended for him is another matter entirely.
39th - Byron Anthony enters Phil Gibbs' notebook for a desperate lunge at Michael Rose. Rose chested down a clearance and looked to be winding up a shot but just knocked it round the oncoming defender and was cleaned out just outside the box. Simon Lappin, still looking for his first goal of the season, takes it but it hits the wall. Lappin wants a penalty for handball in the wall, but the referee isn't interested.
37th - Hughes wins a free-kick for the Canaries near the right touchline for a bodycheck. Andersen opts to punch Lappin's inswinging delivery rather than catch, but there's a foul in there on the loose ball, so he gets away with it.
34th - Nice link up play from City again springs Michael Spillane in behind up from right-back. His teasing cross is knocked behind by Daniel Jones. Lappin's right-wing corner is agonishingly close to three players and its turned behind for another corner. Lappin's corner is cleared away but CIty keep the pressure on the Rovers defence.
31st - This time they do combine and Chris Martin strikes with his 23rd goal of the season. Daniel Jones gave away possession very cheaply just outside his box. Chris Martin cut inside on his left and found McNamee inside the box but Anthony was over quickly to put in a saving tackle, which fell straight to Martin's feet and from 12 yards on the angle, he found the near corner of Andersen's neat with his left foot, low and hard.
31st - The lively front three look to combine. Elliott touches it off for McNamee, who tries to thread through a pass for Martin, but it's slightly overhit and its within sight but always running away from him.
26th - McNamee's trickery wins him a corner after the giant Daniel Jones clears his cross over the stand. Simon Lappin with the left-footed corner from the right, which Andersen comes to punch clears of his box.
24th - Elliott is back with and looks fine as he jumps to meet a McNamee cross from the right. The dimunitive midfielder with a lovely turn to create space for the cross after Gill and Hughes had kept the ball well for City to build an attack in midfield.
21st - Stephen Hughes tries to play in Elliott over the top but Anthony cut it out on the stretch and as the striker landed and tried to turn he collapsed underneath. Physio Stephen Lilley just helping him up, hopefully he'll be ok to continue.
20th - "Nice touch, Guard of honour for our team! Well done Bristol Rovers." - hamster456
18th - Long ball out of defence and Andy Williams - if I were older, I'd insert a pun here - just manages to keep it in and forces a corner off the legs of Michael Nelson. The corner is cleared away but Campbell has a second attempt, which Matt Gill, under pressure manages to win. Gill has started off very brightly, dictating play from just in front of the defence, picking the ball up of the back four consistently and distributing well, with calm and authority, snappy in the tackle too. First start since October 31 as mentioned in pre-match chat.
14th - Elliott wriggles him way into a shooting position from the edge of the are but drags his shot wide of the far post.
12th - The crowd urge Chris Lines to shoot, which he does from distance, Darryl Duffy jumps over it and Forster scrambles across his goal but pulls his hands away to watch it wide of his post.
11th - City take a throw-in on the left while Rovers are down to ten and it falls to McNamee who loops a shot from 12 yards, which Mikkel Andersen reaches up to pluck out of the air, it would have looped up and in.
10th - Defender Byron Anthony needs some treatment for what might be a nose bleed.
9th - "
8th - Anthony McNamee tricks his way into the box and cuts the cross back for the stretching Martin, who can only divert it wide of the far post.
7th - Captain Stuart Campbell floats over a free-kick, which is half-cleared to the edge of the area. Charlie Reece drives a low shot through the crowd, which Fraser Forster parries and diving to gather palms away and Chris Lines takes a tumble but the referee was very quick to wave away the appeals. Definite hands on the ball by Forster and not the man.
6th - Simon Lappin delivers a cross from the left, which Martin gets a flick header to but drifts wide of Mikkel Andersen's - who picked up numerous player of the season awards pre-match - post.
2nd - Early signs of the formation, look like the diamond midfield. With Matt Gill operating at the base, Simon Lappin left, Stephen Hughes right and Anthony McNamee at the point behind Chris Martin and Stephen Elliott.
1st - Bristol Rovers kick off and City are defending the goal in front of their fans first half. Inside the first minute Charlie Reece sends a half-volley well wide, onto the roof of the South Stand, and bouncing out of the ground.
The man on the mic in the middle has just confirmed the Bristol Rovers players will form a guard of honour to welcome Norwich City - the League One Champions for 2009-10 - onto the pitch at the Memorial Stadium, which by the way is in decent condition, considering it is also used for rugby.
News just in the Academy lost 2-1 away to Ipswich Town earlier today. George Francomb gave City the lead from the penalty spot after Alex Stephens was brought down but Town levelled before the break and grabbed the winner in the second half from a penalty of their own.
Welcome to May everybody and a stress-free month. There is a big game over in the capital as Charlton Athletic welcome Leeds United to The Valley. The Memorial Stadium deserves a mention, it's a weird olde thing. None of the stands match, they all look like they've been shipped in from various other grounds. The stand opposite us belongs at a horse racing track, with smaller enclosures erected either side of it. There is a mixture of seating and terracing, and to top it all off loads of people are dressed up as pirates to break a world record. The City fans are being one of the goals in covered seating and then to one side in terracing, about 2,000 expected here this afternoon.
Midfielder Matt Gill is making his first start for City since October 31, in the 3-1 away win over Stockport County. Simon Lappin is making his 43 appearance today from a possible 45 in the league so far, quite a turn around from the previous two years for the Scot.
Paul Lambert makes three changes to the side which won the title last weekend, making way are Darel Russell, Korey Smith and the injured Grant Holt. In come Matt Gill, Simon Lappin and Stephen Elliott:
CITY: Forster, Gill, Nelson (Askou 73), Hughes, Elliott (Johnson 45), Doherty (c), Spillane, C.Martin, Lappin (McVeigh 73), Rose, McNamee. Subs not used: Rudd (GK), Drury, Russell, Smith.
Rovers: Andersen, Regan, Lines, Campbell (c), Williams (Richards 56), Duffy, Hughes, Anthony, Reece, Swallow, Jones. Subs not used: Evans (GK), Wright, Kuffour, Clough, Powell, Clarke.
Referee: Phil Gibbs
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