PLEASED Canary boss Glenn Roeder praised both Leroy Lita's winning strike and a wonder-save in the first half by David Marshall as City grabbed a vital win over struggling Charlton at Carrow Road.
Lita's positional awareness gave him the space to collect an inch-perfect 40-yard pass from Sammy Clingan and fire home the game's only goal in the 60th minute.
Meanwhile in the first half David Marshall somehow readjusted his body in mid-air to acrobatically palm away a fierce drive from Addicks skipper Mark Hudson and keep the Canaries on level terms.
Roeder told First News: "It was hard-fought but throughly deserved, there was no doubt about that. Charlton came and tried to do a job on us, and in my opinion they played a hard game but a fair game and we deserved to win. For me it was the perfect result - score one at the other end and keep a clean sheet and we've got three points in the bag.
"I'm a happy person today, and I thought we played some good football as well. It's not easy playing the sort of football we want to play when we're in the position we're in, But there's no point just banging the ball up to strikers or chasing after it like headless chickens. Norwich supporters don't expect that and I couldn't coach that sort of football.
"For the goal there was a supreme pass by Sammy Clingan, who was Mr Consistent once again today and the movement that Leroy Lita showed to come out of the eyesight of the central defender and pull off on his shoulder was great play. It was great striker's play, it was great control and he did what he had to do - he kept the shot low and the 'keeper had no chance.
"But I've got to give a word as well to an absolute wonder-save from Marshall in the first half. I was right behind the shot and it moved all over the place in the air and I must admit as it left the player's boot I thought 'that's in off the bar or straight in' but then Marsh has somehow read the flight and pulled off a save right out of the top drawer. I said to them at half-time - that's as important to us as one of our players scoring at the other end in terms of how the game was poised at the time."
Asked yet again about Lita's future once his loan spell from Reading comes to an end and with the January window looming, Roeder said: "We would miss him but we've got him for two more games and we have to enjoy him for those two games. Hopefully he'll score more goals in those games and we'll pick up points, but whatever happens after that we'll have to wait and see.
"It's in Reading's hands, they've done us a great favour by letting him come here and I like to think we've repayed the favour by playing him and getting him match-fit. He was fit when he came here but he wasn't match fit and if Steve Coppell takes him back in January he can play him at a drop of a hat because he's fully match fit. Let's enjoy him being here for the next two games."
