Norwich City Under-23s made it two games unbeaten in their pre-season with a convincing 5-3 win over Leiston on Tuesday evening.
It was a quick start to the game for City, who found the lead early on thanks to Tom Dickson-Peters. Delivering with a textbook finish from the centre of the box, the forward calmly beat Sam Donkin to the back of the net for the opener.
Just eight minutes later, the young Canaries would double their lead with Regan Riley’s cross along the face of goal forcing an own-goal from the hosts, the pass destined for Abu Kamara inside the six-yard box.
Continuing the pressure, Kamara then forced an excellent save from Donkin as he redirected Aidan Fitzpatrick’s cross on goal, the keeper doing well to parry it away from danger.
The third goal would come for the Canaries however, Kamara running riot as he broke free from the Leiston defence and surged into the box. One-on-one with the‘keeper, Kamara waited patiently for Dickson-Peters to supply a passing option, the latter calmly finishing into an open net.
Ten minutes later, the hosts would pull one back when a cleared cross fell to Jamie Eaton-Collins outside the box, the defender lacing it from distance and rocketing his effort into the City goal for 3-1.
The Canaries looked to make it four before half time with another counter-attack, but a goal-line scramble saw the Yellows denied three times before Fitzpatrick’s volley was seen away from the danger to reach half time.
Leiston came out swinging for the second half, looking to reduce the deficit with some early pressure from the Blues. That pressure payed off for the hosts not long into the second half, Will Davies heading in from the back post.
As Leiston went looking for the equaliser, City help on well to keep their lead, proving hard to break down as the Blues struggled to create any clearcut chances in front of goal.
Then, in the 67th minute, the young Canaries would show their danger on the counter-attack was very much alive when Kamara once again broke free of the hosts’ backline, tucking his effort past Donkin with composure.
Killing the game off in style, substitute Shae Hutchinson would get himself in on the scoring just a minute later. The forward, making his second appearance after recovering from a kidney transplant, made a nuisance of himself for Leiston, cutting inside the box and finishing from an acute angle to make it five in style for the Canaries.
Leiston weren't finished just yet, however, grabbing a consolation goal in the dying minutes of the game with Will Davies' second header of the evening nestling in the bottom corner.
Norwich City starting XI: Rose (St.Paul, 46), Giurgi, Warner, Shipley, Stewart, Khumbeni, Riley (Nizet, 55), Earley (Hutchinson, 55), Kamara, Dickson-Peters (Rowe, 60), Fitzpatrick
Subs not used: Blair, Nizet, Rowe
Goals: Dickson-Peters (2, 25) Own-goal (10) Kamara (67), Hutchinson (68)