City youngsters see off the Baggies
NORWICH City's Under-23s came from behind to earn a late 2-1 win over their West Bromwich Albion counterparts in the Premier League 2 at Carrow Road on Monday night.
Louis McIntosh's strike in the final minute of normal time proved enough to secure a deserved victory, after Kyle Lafferty had cancelled out Danny Barbir's opener early on.
The game began at a frantic pace, with a pair of goals being scored inside the opening six minutes as the two sides traded blows.
First, West Brom's Barbir found himself in the right place to convert from close-range after City failed to clear their lines sufficiently from a corner.
Impressively though, City hit back almost immediately; Lafferty moving onto a pass over the top before lashing into the roof of the net to quickly restore parity.
Buoyed by that, the hosts pushed forward and were only denied a quick-fire second when Todd Cantwell's drive from outside the box was beaten away by Baggies goalkeeper Jack Rose.
The tricky Diallang Jaiyesimi then threatened to forge another opening for the home side, ahead of West Brom's Chay Scrivens whipping a fierce free-kick onto the top of Ben Killip's goal.
A keenly-contested game offered little in way of clear opportunities as the interval approached, with both teams largely unable to work their way into promising areas despite occasionally threatening to do so.
However, that nearly changed in the final minute of the half when Scrivens broke at pace; Killip getting down well to ensure his side went into the break level with a smart save to his right.
Similar was to follow early in the second period as Scrivens, the visitors' liveliest player, tested Killip once more with a low drive from distance which the City 'keeper tipped around the post.
The Canaries gradually began to see more of the ball, and only an offside flag in the 70th minute denied Lafferty his second of the night when he swept home a cross from the right flank.
Jaiyesimi delivered a teasing cross from the same side just moments later, but the ball bounced across the face of goal and away to safety with nobody in the middle to convert.
Despite their positive play, Dmitri Halajko's youngsters had Ben Godfrey to thank with less than ten minutes remaining when the defender positioned himself perfectly to clear a goal-bound shot off the line.
The game became increasingly stretched as both sides pushed for a winner, and it would be City who got it when substitute McIntosh reacted quickest to bundle home in the final minute to complete the turnaround.
GOALS: Canaries: Kyle Lafferty (6), Louis McIntosh (90) Baggies: Danny Barbir (3)
FULL-TIME: Norwich City 2-1 West Brom
TEAM: Killip (c); Efete, Godfrey, Crowe, Odusina; Grant; Adams, Jaiyesimi (McIntosh, 84); Cantwell; Lafferty, Morris. Subs not used: Hallett (GK), Ashley-Seal, Middleton, Aarons.
ATTENDANCE: 659
Louis McIntosh's strike in the final minute of normal time proved enough to secure a deserved victory, after Kyle Lafferty had cancelled out Danny Barbir's opener early on.
The game began at a frantic pace, with a pair of goals being scored inside the opening six minutes as the two sides traded blows.
First, West Brom's Barbir found himself in the right place to convert from close-range after City failed to clear their lines sufficiently from a corner.
Impressively though, City hit back almost immediately; Lafferty moving onto a pass over the top before lashing into the roof of the net to quickly restore parity.
Buoyed by that, the hosts pushed forward and were only denied a quick-fire second when Todd Cantwell's drive from outside the box was beaten away by Baggies goalkeeper Jack Rose.
The tricky Diallang Jaiyesimi then threatened to forge another opening for the home side, ahead of West Brom's Chay Scrivens whipping a fierce free-kick onto the top of Ben Killip's goal.
A keenly-contested game offered little in way of clear opportunities as the interval approached, with both teams largely unable to work their way into promising areas despite occasionally threatening to do so.
However, that nearly changed in the final minute of the half when Scrivens broke at pace; Killip getting down well to ensure his side went into the break level with a smart save to his right.
Similar was to follow early in the second period as Scrivens, the visitors' liveliest player, tested Killip once more with a low drive from distance which the City 'keeper tipped around the post.
The Canaries gradually began to see more of the ball, and only an offside flag in the 70th minute denied Lafferty his second of the night when he swept home a cross from the right flank.
Jaiyesimi delivered a teasing cross from the same side just moments later, but the ball bounced across the face of goal and away to safety with nobody in the middle to convert.
Despite their positive play, Dmitri Halajko's youngsters had Ben Godfrey to thank with less than ten minutes remaining when the defender positioned himself perfectly to clear a goal-bound shot off the line.
The game became increasingly stretched as both sides pushed for a winner, and it would be City who got it when substitute McIntosh reacted quickest to bundle home in the final minute to complete the turnaround.
GOALS: Canaries: Kyle Lafferty (6), Louis McIntosh (90) Baggies: Danny Barbir (3)
FULL-TIME: Norwich City 2-1 West Brom
TEAM: Killip (c); Efete, Godfrey, Crowe, Odusina; Grant; Adams, Jaiyesimi (McIntosh, 84); Cantwell; Lafferty, Morris. Subs not used: Hallett (GK), Ashley-Seal, Middleton, Aarons.
ATTENDANCE: 659