Town's away hoodoo continued after the East Anglian derby at Carrow Road ended 2-2. Goals from Alan Lee and Pablo Couñago put the Blues ahead at the break, but the home side hit back via Martin Taylor and Jamie Cureton in the second half.

As expected, the Blues lined-up unchanged from the side which defeated Wolves a week ago. Tommy Miller wasn't considered fit enough for the bench due to his ankle injury.

Town created their first chance after only 30 seconds, Jon Walters crossing from the right but beyond Billy Clarke. At the other end, Jamie Cureton headed wide, also within the first minute.

Neil Alexander superbly saved Dion Dublin's header in the seventh minute after the veteran striker had headed the ball across the Town keeper and looked to have opened the scoring.

A minute later, Billy Clarke lashed a freekick into a Norwich wall, Dan Harding sending the rebound weakly through to the keeper. Referee Rob Styles was quickly into the action with his yellow card, booking Sylvain Legwinski for a mistimed, although hardly cynical, challenge in the eighth minute.

Alexander gathered Luke Chadwick's edge of the area effort at the second attempt in the 15th minute, then a minute later Jon Walters broke quickly down the right and found Pablo Couñago on the edge of the area. The Spaniard played in Owen Garvan to his left, the Irishman's strike blocked by a combination of keeper David Marshall and a defender. The ball came back out to David Wright, his cross reaching Garvan at the far post, but the midfielder's header looped over.

Darren Huckerby's shot was easy for Alexander, before referee Styles showed another unnecessary yellow card, this time to Pablo Couñago for a relatively innocuous foul on halfway. On 23, Dublin headed a Huckerby cross wide.

The early stages of the game had been evenly balanced with the Canaries having the better of the chances, but it was the Blues who were to go in front. Alexander's long kick was flicked on by Alan Lee to Couñago. The Spaniard held the ball before laying it into his strike partner's path, the Irishman having little trouble in beating Marshall. The entire Town side celebrated in front of the Blues' support.

Norwich came close to getting back on terms just after the half hour when Jason Shackell headed a freekick low to Alexander's left, the keeper brilliantly pushing the ball away.

The Blues felt Lee had been blocked inside the area in the 33rd minute, but referee Styles was unimpressed. Similarly, Darren Huckerby was equally unpersuasive after he went to ground inside the penalty box at the other end.

Town increased their lead in the 41st minute. Alan Lee's very poor freekick scraped through the Norwich wall, falling loose inside the area. The home side were leaden-footed as Billy Clarke slipped the ball across the six-yard box from where Pablo Couñago tapped him his fifth goal of the season and his first away from home.

Jamie Cureton might have pulled a goal back in the 44th minute after a Jason De Vos block had led to a scramble inside the Town area. The former Colchester man was given a clear shot at goal, but somehow missed the target.

Town went in at the break two goals up, but without really having got going. The Blues appeared happy to sit back and catch the home side on the break rather than dominating possession as they have at home this season.

The first goal had been well worked, but the second was the result of very poor defending. At the other end, only a number of excellent saves from Neil Alexander had prevented the Canaries from finding the net.

New Norwich manager Glenn Roeder replaced Dion Dublin with John Hartson at the break, the striker looking more like a middle-aged fan who had wandered onto the pitch at half-time than a professional athlete.

Town started the second period brightly, however, despite a Clarke shot deflected well over, Marshall wasn't tested.

With 54 minutes on the clock, Norwich pulled a goal back from an incorrectly awarded corner, John Hartson having mis-hit a shot out of play on the right. Simon Lappin sent the ball in to the near post and Martin Taylor got in front of Sylvain Legwinski to head home off Owen Garvan.

The goal woke the home crowd up — some of whom appeared to have left the ground after Town's second goal — and the Canaries pushed forward looking for the equaliser.

Alexander again did well to block from Chadwick after the former Manchester United man was played through by a Hartson flick, then Darel Russell's shot flew straight at the Town keeper.

The Blues were uncharacteristically finding holding onto the ball difficult to do, while Hartson was proving a handful for Fabian Wilnis in particular, although a different referee might have awarded one or two more freekicks for holding and shirt-pulling than Rob Styles.

Alexander blocked from Cureton, sent through by another Hartson flick, then Couñago broke quickly down the Norwich right but crossed weakly with Billy Clarke waiting unmarked in the centre.

On 66 the home teamsgot back on terms. Hartson flicked on a long ball to Cureton, who ran through from what appeared to be an offside position and lobbed Alexander.

Garvan went looking for the goal which would put the Blues in front from the kick-off but shot over from 20 yards.

Norwich midfielder Julien Brellier picked up a yellow card for a foul in the 68th minute, before Alan Lee thought he had scored his second of the game, only to spot a linesman's flag already raised.

Alexander pushed a Hartson snap-shot wide. From the corner Darren Huckerby took a dive in the box, but received neither a penalty nor a yellow card for his trouble.

Town had lost any grip on that they had had on the game earlier in the half and in the 73rd minute Jim Magilton sent on Liam Trotter and Danny Haynes for Sylvain Legwinski and Pablo Couñago.

Hartson shot into the sidenetting, then Lee nodded a Garvan corner down but no one was there to add the final touch. Gary Roberts took over from Billy Clarke for the final nine minutes.

The substitutions had handed the impetus back to Town and with six minutes remaining, Garvan broke away down the middle, finding Alan Lee on the right. The Irishman crossed to Danny Haynes at the far post and it looked like the Town youngster was set to be the derby hero once again until a Norwich toe deflected his shot up into the air and on to the top of the crossbar.

That was the game's final chance. Gary Roberts was shown a harsh yellow card for a foul on Huckerby, although as so often the former Manchester City man had gone down very easily, then Hartson was cautioned for an elbow in David Wright's face.

The match had been played in a generally amiable manner until the final moments of injury time when Darren Huckerby went in studs high on Jon Walters. Rob Styles had no hesitation in brandishing his red card and the Norwich striker can have had little argument.

An under par performance from the Blues, who failed to show their home form away from Portman Road once again. Despite going two goals up before the break, Town didn't impose themselves on the Canaries, preferring instead to sit back and catch the home side on the counter-attack.

This appeared to be working until the second half when John Hartson's physical presence caused problems to Fabian Wilnis in particular. Town could argue that the first Norwich goal came from a corner which very clearly ought to have been a goalkick, while their second appeared to be offside, while Canary supporters will claim the ball was out on Town's second.

Danny Haynes came very close to being the derby hero once again, while Liam Trotter put in a highly impressive cameo from the bench in the closing stages.

Town will be disappointed not to have won three points from a game against one of the division's strugglers for the second trip running. Despite allowing the Canaries to come back from a two-goal lead, an away draw in a derby is still a result most would have been content with before kick-off and particularly so with the Blues failing to show their best form.

A game against another old enemy at Bramall Lane on Tuesday provides yet another opportunity to kick the away hoodoo into touch.

Town: Alexander, Wright, Harding, De Vos, Wilnis, Garvan, Legwinski (Haynes 73), Clarke (Roberts 71), Walters, Lee, Couñago (Trotter 73). Unused: Supple, Bruce. Att: 25,461.

Photo: Action Images

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