Oldham Athletic made two changes to the side that lost 2-0 at home to Leeds in midweek, with first s
tarts for two players. Joe Jacobson began a game for the first time alongside Sean Gregan at centre-half in place of the suspended Alex Marrow and a composed-looking Dale Stephens stiffened the midfield at the expense of Parker in a 4-5-1 formation, with Paul Heffernan ploughing a lone furrow up front. Norwich began at a furious pace, going close in the first minute when prolific Holt couldn’t quite get to a cross from marauding left-back Adam Drury. A quick free-kick caught Athletic napping after five minutes, Chris Martin only managing to hit his shot low and at Darryl Flahavan, before holding midfielder Darel Russell stung the visiting ‘keeper’s palm’s with a 30-yarder. Gregan put his body on the line to stop a fierce Drury drive and Hoolahan fired five yards over as the assault continued, with Dean Furman’s hurried shot — sliced wide enough to go out for a throw – Athletic’s only attempt in the opening stages. The opening goal after 21 minutes came from a free-kick awarded for offside against Deane Smalley. Russell Martin slid the ball down the right touchline and namesake Chris Martin’s whipped cross curled across to the far post, where Holt was able to stoop and head into the roof of the net, his 19th goal of a highly productive season. Hoolahan then had a header deflected no more than a foot wide but was bang on target with his next attempt. One of a series of raking cross-field passes from centre-back Gary Doherty found Holt in space on the left and he laid it back to Drury, whose deep cross was retrieved by Hoolahan. The Dublin-born midfielder cut inside Joe Colbeck on to his favoured left foot and smashed a superb shot into the top right-hand corner of Flahavan’s goal from the edge of the penalty area. Gregan got a head on the ball as it travelled goalwards but unable to stop its inevitable trajectory. A reshuffle saw Colbeck brought infield to try to stem the tide, the ineffective Danny Whitaker going out wide to the left, and the visitors — chasing shadows at times — managed to hold on grimly until half-time. Parker replaced dead leg victim Paul Heffernan early in the second half with Smalley pushed further upfield. Athletic improved. The substitute had a half-shout for a penalty as he turned and was seemingly felled in the corner of the area, but the better football still ca,e from Norwich and Holt may have done better than rolling the ball into Flahavan’s arms when offered a shooting chance. A retreating Parker seemed to strike Drury with a flailing elbow as the left-back ran towards the Athletic box but it was unseen by referee David Phillips. Then came the best chance for the visitors. Whitaker sent Parker away with a lobbed ball over the top and the Scot surged into the area before firing in a shot which hit Forster on the inner arm and trickled just wide of the near post. Arriving in the 71st minute, it was Athletic’s first goal-bound attempt in two matches. It was followed by another as the visitors relaxed and started to knock the ball around as the game closed out. Substitute Ryan Brooke headed down Kelvin Lomax’s right-wing cross right into the path of the arriving Whitaker, who flicked a shot with the outside of his right foot which produced an excellent instinctive save from the Norwich ’keeper.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_2/8398401.stm
tarts for two players. Joe Jacobson began a game for the first time alongside Sean Gregan at centre-half in place of the suspended Alex Marrow and a composed-looking Dale Stephens stiffened the midfield at the expense of Parker in a 4-5-1 formation, with Paul Heffernan ploughing a lone furrow up front. Norwich began at a furious pace, going close in the first minute when prolific Holt couldn’t quite get to a cross from marauding left-back Adam Drury. A quick free-kick caught Athletic napping after five minutes, Chris Martin only managing to hit his shot low and at Darryl Flahavan, before holding midfielder Darel Russell stung the visiting ‘keeper’s palm’s with a 30-yarder. Gregan put his body on the line to stop a fierce Drury drive and Hoolahan fired five yards over as the assault continued, with Dean Furman’s hurried shot — sliced wide enough to go out for a throw – Athletic’s only attempt in the opening stages. The opening goal after 21 minutes came from a free-kick awarded for offside against Deane Smalley. Russell Martin slid the ball down the right touchline and namesake Chris Martin’s whipped cross curled across to the far post, where Holt was able to stoop and head into the roof of the net, his 19th goal of a highly productive season. Hoolahan then had a header deflected no more than a foot wide but was bang on target with his next attempt. One of a series of raking cross-field passes from centre-back Gary Doherty found Holt in space on the left and he laid it back to Drury, whose deep cross was retrieved by Hoolahan. The Dublin-born midfielder cut inside Joe Colbeck on to his favoured left foot and smashed a superb shot into the top right-hand corner of Flahavan’s goal from the edge of the penalty area. Gregan got a head on the ball as it travelled goalwards but unable to stop its inevitable trajectory. A reshuffle saw Colbeck brought infield to try to stem the tide, the ineffective Danny Whitaker going out wide to the left, and the visitors — chasing shadows at times — managed to hold on grimly until half-time. Parker replaced dead leg victim Paul Heffernan early in the second half with Smalley pushed further upfield. Athletic improved. The substitute had a half-shout for a penalty as he turned and was seemingly felled in the corner of the area, but the better football still ca,e from Norwich and Holt may have done better than rolling the ball into Flahavan’s arms when offered a shooting chance. A retreating Parker seemed to strike Drury with a flailing elbow as the left-back ran towards the Athletic box but it was unseen by referee David Phillips. Then came the best chance for the visitors. Whitaker sent Parker away with a lobbed ball over the top and the Scot surged into the area before firing in a shot which hit Forster on the inner arm and trickled just wide of the near post. Arriving in the 71st minute, it was Athletic’s first goal-bound attempt in two matches. It was followed by another as the visitors relaxed and started to knock the ball around as the game closed out. Substitute Ryan Brooke headed down Kelvin Lomax’s right-wing cross right into the path of the arriving Whitaker, who flicked a shot with the outside of his right foot which produced an excellent instinctive save from the Norwich ’keeper.http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_2/8398401.stm
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