Memorable Match: Norwich City 2-1 Barnsley

Barnsley came close to ending City’s long-standing unbeaten run at Carrow Road but the Canaries left it late to score twice and take the win over this weekend’s opponents.

Norwich City 2-1 Barnsley
September 11, 2010
Championship
Carrow Road

What was on the line?

Just the fifth game of the season, there wasn’t too much at stake in this game against the Tykes, but picking up early points was crucial in shaping the rest of the Canaries’ season.

For Barnsley, it was more or less the same story. Under the guidance of Mark Robins, who now manages Championship outfit Coventry City, the Tykes were looking to get points early on to lay the groundwork to finish in play-off positions by the end of the season.

How the game unfolded

Despite controlling the majority of the first half, it was Barnsley who took the lead in injury time before the break. A late free-kick taken by Kieran Trippier found the head of Jay McEveley, the defender heading past Declan Rudd to give Barnsley the lead.

The Canaries continued to probe for their first goal of the game throughout the second half, leaving it until just after the 70^th minute to do so, substitute Anthony McNamee forcing Stephen Foster to turn into his own net and level the scoring just seven minutes after coming on.

Having found the equaliser, three points were now back up for grabs, a chance the Canaries wouldn’t miss. McNamee turned from scorer to assister with just ten minutes remaining, setting up Chris Martin inside the box for the striker to slot his effort past Lee Steele, putting City ahead.

Having turned the tides and looking to hold on for the win, Korey Smith came close to killing the game off, firing Grant Holt’s cross on-goal, forcing an excellent save from Steele.

Seeing the game out to the final whistle, it was now four games unbeaten for City in their first season back to the second division, the win taking them seventh.

Norwich City XI: Rudd, Martin, Drury, Barnett, Ward, Crofts, Hoolahan (Jackson, 78), Smith, Lappin (McNamee, 63), Holt, Martin
Unused substitutes: Steer, Askou, Hughes, Fox, Johnson

What happened next?

Norwich went on to have a season that exceeded all expectations, earning automatic promotion to the Premier League with a second-place finish.

Barnsley went on to have a less successful season under Robins, finishing 17^th in the lower half of the table.