Lewis Grabban’s first-half goal saw Norwich City to a 1-0 victory over the Blues in the East Anglian derby at Portman Road. The Canaries striker flicked home a header in the 24th minute after Town keeper Dean Gerken and midfielder Cole Skuse appeared to leave the ball for one another.

David McGoldrick’s expected return to the starting line-up was the only change from the team which drew at Birmingham in midweek with Conor Sammon dropping to the bench.

Norwich included former Town academy schoolboy Ryan Bennett at the centre of their defence.

The Blues were first to threaten after Tyrone Mings was fouled on the left. Jay Tabb sent in the freekick and, after Paul Anderson had been unable to direct a header goalwards, Skuse scraped a shot wide.

There was an early outing for Town’s stretcher tractor in the fifth minute after Canaries’ defender Bennett suffered what looked to be a foot injury in a challenge with Daryl Murphy. Javier Garrido replaced the former Blues schoolboy with skipper Russell Martin moving to the centre of the defence.

On 10 Murphy sent McGoldrick away on the left, the Blues number 10 cutting in and sending over a deep cross which Anderson nodded across to Tabb, who headed on to Murphy, the Irishman looping a shot well over.

Right-back Steven Whittaker struck the Canaries’ first effort in the 18th minute but his cross-shot failed to trouble Gerken. At the other end, Hyam played Mings into space down the left but his low ball found John Ruddy’s arms.

Town had had the better of the first quarter of the game with the Norwich backline having failed to clear their lines on several occasions.

Canaries striker Grabban hit a low 20-yard strike which Gerken saved well down to his right on 23 but a minute later the visitors went in front.

A corner from the right was cleared to Alexander Tettey on the edge of the box from where he nodded the ball back towards the edge of the six-yard area. As Skuse and Gerken left the ball for one another Grabban flicked a header into the net. The grounded Christophe Berra appeared to be playing the goalscorer onside, however, video evidence showed this not to be the case.

Despite the offside controversy, it was another goal every bit as poor as those conceded at Reading and Birmingham. Grabban should never have been allowed to get to what should have been an easily defended nod back into the area.

Town quickly went about getting back on terms. McGoldrick shot just past the post after a cleverly-worked freekick was played to him just outside the box. Soon after Skuse was booked for a foul on Lafferty.

The Canaries were presenting the greater threat as the game moved towards the half hour, Tetty seeing a shot blocked, then Lafferty hitting his rebound well wide. The Northern Irishman was booked shortly afterwards for a foul on Tabb.

Tabb laid the ball back to Murphy in the 37th minute but his shot was straight at Ruddy, then moments later McGoldrick brought the ball in from the left but his well-struck effort flew over.

On 43 Tabb’s drilled corner was missed by Anderson when he had a free header, the ball eventually falling to Skuse, who looped over from the edge of the box. A minute later, Lafferty flicked a header wide from a freekick on the left.

In seven minutes of injury time, largely as a result of Bennett’s early injury, McGoldrick sent in a dangerous cross which was put behind just ahead of Tabb. From the corner, the ball fell to Anderson 25 yards out but the winger lashed high and wide.

Moments before the half-time whistle McGoldrick failed to make contact as he tried an overhead kick after Berra had nodded down Tabb’s freekick from deep.

Town had huffed and puffed but had never really looked that close to grabbing an equaliser after Grabban’s very preventable goal.

Despite Norwich not looking entirely comfortable at the back at times, Ruddy had never really been tested, while Nathan Redmond and Grabban were a threat when the Canaries were on the counter-attack.

Town carved out an early second half opportunity, McGoldrick’s cross from the right falling to Murphy, who was in two minds whether to shoot on the turn or lay back to Anderson. Eventually the ball was moved on to Hyam and then Skuse, whose shot was deflected wide of goal.

The Blues should have been on terms in the 50th minute after a long spell of possession in the Norwich half. Tabb chipped a cross to the far post from where Murphy headed back past Ruddy’s right post when he should have scored.

There was a big scare for Town in the 53rd minute when the Blues played themselves into trouble midway inside their half. With Berra out of position, Garrido played Grabban through on goal but the ex-Bournemouth striker chipped over Gerken but also the bar when he should have made it 2-0.

Norwich were continuing to have their fragile moments at the back, McGoldrick escaping down the left in the 58th minute and forcing Ruddy to save at his near post from a tight angle.

Within a minute Gerken had made an even better save after Grabban seized on hesitation on the edge of the Town box and hit a powerful strike, which the keeper pushed away right-handed.

The lively Canaries striker was thwarted again as the game moved towards the hour mark having been played in one on one with Gerken towards the right of the area. The keeper forced him wide and Smith cleared his weak attempt at goal off the line.

Anderson scuffed a weak shot to Ruddy after being found in a dangerous position by Skuse on 65 but Norwich were continuing to have more of the ball with gaps increasingly appearing in Town’s defences.

With 18 minutes remaining Mick McCarthy made a triple substitution, Kevin Bru, Alex Henshall and Conor Sammon replacing Hyam, Anderson and Tabb.

A minute later Smith blocked from Bradley Johnson, then on 76 Bru’s edge of the area shot was deflected away following two Town corners.

Town were having more of the ball in dangerous areas but Norwich remained a bigger threat on the counter-attack, Gerken saving Garrido’s shot from the left as the match moved into its final 10 minutes. On 83 Mings was booked for a foul on Tettey as Norwich broke forward.

As the game moved into injury time, Berra nodded down Mings’s freekick from deep but Murphy just couldn’t get to it ahead of Ruddy.

Gerken saved Redmond’s low shot from the edge of the box and without the Blues threatening again referee Keith Stroud’s whistle confirmed the visitors’ victory.

Town had been better after the break and should have been on terms via Murphy’s header but largely they continued to huff and puff, showing too little quality on the ball.

The Canaries, having got their noses in front in the first half, continued to look the more threatening side on the break with Grabban failing to take one gilt-edged opportunity, while they created a number of other opportunities to increase their lead.

While by no means the hammering of three years ago - a result along those lines never looked on the cards - the Blues once again fell short when up against their greatest rivals, who they now haven't beaten in more than five years.

Town: Gerken, Chambers (c), Mings, Berra, Smith, Skuse, Hyam (Bru 72), Anderson (Sammon 72), Tabb (Henshall 82), McGoldrick, Murphy. Unused: Bialkowski, Parr, Hewitt, Bajner.

Norwich: Ruddy, Martin (c), R Bennett (Garrido 5), Turner, Whittaker, Tettey, Johnson, Hoolahan (O’Neil 83), Redmond, Lafferty (E Bennett 53), Grabban. Unused: Rudd, Cuellar, Jerome, Murphy. Referee: Keith Stroud (Hampshire). Att: 25,245 (Norwich 2,064).

Photo: Action Images

BoomDog added 01:10 - Aug 24 Just wondered with all the talk about our pedestrian midfield.Has anyone ever seen Skuse sprint?Just seems to stroll round the pitch!
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Walk_the_Wark added 03:01 - Aug 24 I don't take any pleasure in saying 'I told you so' but I did. I think only myself and blue boy branded as 'moaners' predicted this. Now there are more who can see that Mick is a has been and we need a proper modern manager. Please let this be sooner rather than later
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NoelTheDub added 03:12 - Aug 24 Walk the Walk ive beeen slaughtered on this forum for telling the truth
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Walk_the_Wark added 03:17 - Aug 24 Ask any one about McCarthys management and they all say the same. We knew what he was like when we hired him. The only possible explanation in my view is that Evans was advised that we would not get relegated under this man, and if anyone can survive with little money he can. Football, ambition, entertainment bypassed
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Walk_the_Wark added 03:19 - Aug 24 Ok Noel, but there aren't many of us who saw this when he was apptd. I've had so much abuse!
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NoelTheDub added 03:31 - Aug 24 Derby will play 2 big centre backs v us and we are buggered that our plan and only plan nothing else to worry about from us ..
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Guthrum added 07:18 - Aug 24 One interesting point, looking to take at least some positives from yesterday's game - we do seem to have the ability to make opposition teams (of decent player quality) seem "poor" and not be able to play with freedom. Fulham, Reading and Brum were all described in that way following their games against us. Yes, Norwich looked evidently better than us, but were nevertheless not able to overrun our team, only scraping a win due to what was really a defensive lapse (either Skuse, Gerken or both should have jumped for that ball - neither did). Given we probably haven't got our full team together yet (believe we'll have a couple of loans coming in over the next month or so), then I feel that there is cause for cautious optimism if we can add some attacking bite to our stubbornness.

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jrobot added 08:46 - Aug 24 McCarthy had turned us into a sh1t stoke full of rugby players. What happened to the football we used to play? Why oh why has he got rid of any players who could actually play the game. Pretty disappointing I can't see many supporters turning up for the rest of the season to watch that. Absolutely 0 entertainment.
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Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 09:42 - Aug 24 Disappointing to say the least, and Norwich were not that good, although they were better than us. Hyam & Mings came out of it with a bit of credit; McG is our only player with a real bit of skill. But to put things in perspective, this was not our "worst display in X years." No - one remember Sheffield Wed. at home a couple of seasons ago, for example? Still, it's a worrying start, and I can't see things getting better in the short term, with Derby up next. We are competing with teams who have money to spend, so it's not rocket science why we are coming up short. MM is the best man to have in the current situation, and if he can turn this season into a success, he really will be a genius. But can anyone do it, given what they have to work with? COYB!

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TimmyH added 11:08 - Aug 24 The feeling I get at the moment is the relationship between Marcus Evans and Mick McCarthy is a bit too 'cushy'. On one hand Mick received a £1M bonus for keeping us up in 2012/13 which in hindsight might have been the easiest money he has ever earned on the other our owner must be happy that Mick has worked the player market well (last season) largely forking out on transfer free players and giving us a sniff of the play-offs whilst tightly adhering to the silly FFP rules. So in that respect ME would have been pleased with Micks services whilst Mick as already mentioned 'gets paid well'. So at the beginning of this season Mick strangely if anything has made the squad weaker and has let more players go/and out on loan than that has come in. Players that have come in bar Parr are relatively inexperienced whilst Mick in the back of his mind is still keeping the owner happy financially. In my mind Mick has bitten off more than he can chew and his actions of lack of strengthening the squad are now coming to it's fruition, what happened to the Cresswell money!? - perhaps it's waiting to pay the wages for the Premiership players about to come in on loan? I wouldn't hold your breath.

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BillBlue added 12:05 - Aug 24 Walk the Wark - It appears you do not bother to read posts! Suggest you start by reading my Blog "A Bright New Future" from last year and every post I have made since! There are dozens of people posting on here with similar feelings to mine and yours, two I happen to have read today are Cloddyseedbed and Karls Dad but there are many others who are even more outspoken. That is what this forum needs, honest opinions, not the "In Mick we Trust" brigade or the negative tickers who are too frightened to post! People who are able to think for themselves and put their honest opinion into coherent writing are not in an over abundance. I, incidentally, hold the record for negative ticks on this forum and they are mainly from people who are unable to think for themselves so never make a coherent post! Welcome to all negative tickers!

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blueboy1981 added 13:23 - Aug 24 Lightningboy .......... good post that - the point you make about Magilton is spot on, he was no failure whilst learning his trade as Manager, and the learned eye could see we had some direction back then. He cared for the Club, and had ambition - and it ended somewhat unsatisfactorily . Hypothetical I know - but relevant.
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BillBlue added 14:07 - Aug 24 Blueboy, I too with agree with Lightningboy and consquently with you. From January of his last year, when the older and more experienced help arrived, we had seen a distinct upward turn and Magiltons love and understanding of this great club went a very long way. That is what comes of having an owner who knows nothing about football or the club he owns, nor has any interest in, but, unfortunately, that is now water under the bridge. Since the sacking of Magilton this club has gone on a persistantly and quickening downward curve.

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Guthrum added 14:16 - Aug 24 BillBlue - you seem quite happy to hand out the "negative ticks" yourself. Not to mention holding an opinion that all who agree with you are "honest", "able to think for themselves", while those who do not are somehow stupid. That is no way to carry on a rational debate. I's all very well to revel in constant negativity about our current position, but constructive ideas have to be based on the place where we find ourselves now, not some mythical realm populated by brilliant young managers, skilled-but-cheap players and deep-pocketed financiers.

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Guthrum added 14:21 - Aug 24 Magilton was ok (and a very good player for ITFC), I was extremely sorry to see him sacked, but to put forward the idea that he was some sort of burgeoning Eddie Howe is mythologising to a considerable degree - and not bourne out by the facts.
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youngblue added 18:41 - Aug 24 We need to get real football back at Portman Road and that definitely won't happen with Tabb and skuse starting. Mick needs to stop playing his favourites and get some young talent playing with flair. This won't happen under mick. Never will. But I also question what Marcus Evans is doing for this club too?
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BillBlue added 20:24 - Aug 24 Guthrum - Yes I do use the negative tick when I have read a post with which I heartily disagree, that is what it is there for, but only when I disagree but, then you see, I do have the courage to post my thoughts whether they will be popular or not. If you had read my post you would have seen I was talking about people who tick and offer nothing. A big difference. Young blue, spot on and if you are young, as your name implies then it is a crying shame you don't have a team of which you can be truly proud.

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BillBlue added 20:33 - Aug 24 Guthrum - I have just taken the time to retread my posts and cannot find anywhere that I have suggested the two points you say I have, tells me perhaps you only skim read or you do not understand what you are reading!
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Walk_the_Wark added 21:29 - Aug 24 Ok Bill I'll count you in- can't remember if you were against Mick's appointment? Maybe you were..
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Walk_the_Wark added 21:33 - Aug 24 And where's Keanish- the voice of reason lol!! You still happy mate??? Idiot
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rugbytomc added 21:47 - Aug 24 Nocanariesallowed-I think you summed up perfectly what I think there! Last season we saw evolution not revolution and I would like to see some more this season although I think unless we get some loan signings in then we might struggle with that. I hope Marriott bags a tonne of goals on loan and come back and be the star that Rhodes could have been for us!
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BillBlue added 22:12 - Aug 24 Bad memory, was. Wanted a young unproven Manager with a great deal to prove plus an older head to help!
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