Not a Wind-Up

Norwich City 4-1 Brighton and Hove Albion

Gus Poyet is new to football management, but not quite as new as his trainers.

The ex-Chelsea and Spurs midfielder only became Brighton boss a fortnight ago and clearly hasn't yet broken in his new sneakers. When you first get a pair of white trainers they can be too white can't they? You usually feel much less self-conscious once you have at least lost that 'fresh-out-of-the-shoe-box' shine.

It's like having a new haircut - when your trainers are too white everybody feels the need to point out "New trainers!" as if you didn't know.

It was comfortable enough in the end for Norwich. Gary Holt, Wes Hoolahan and Chris Martin all scored - that's 35 goals between them already.

Much of my attention after this game was taken up with Norfolk's second-biggest football team. King's Lynn lost 2-1 at home to Retford in the Unibond League Cup at The Walks. It could well be there last ever match.

A winding up order looks certain to go ahead in the high court tomorrow with the club owing the taxman over £65,000.

I've had a few memorable nights watching Lynn. Notably their FA Cup 2nd round tie with Oldham in 2006 in front of 5,000 at The Walks and then, 18 months later, travelling to watch them play their big promotion rivals Team Bath in a first v second clash as both sides were competing to break into conference football. The Linnets won it 4-0 - as impressive an away performance as you will see at any level.

That all seems so long ago now. What must it be like to applaud your favourite team off the pitch knowing that could be it? Not relegation, not a cup defeat - but the death of the club. I hope it isn't too late.

There's Something About St. Mary's

Southampton 2-2 Norwich City

There was a time when this would have been a Premier League fixture. Then there was a time when this would have been a Championship fixture. It is now a third tier fixture.

Norwich and The Saints were both relegated from the top flight in 2005 and then dropped out of the next division at the same time back in May. They were able to come together and, just for 90 minutes, pretend they were still playing at a higher level.

It was a fabulous game. Norwich went 1-0 and 2-1 down, in recent years the canaries going behind away from home usually led to the sort of sporting collapse the England cricket team of the 1990's used to pride themselves on.

Wes Hoolahan and Stephen Hughes each equalised with Hughes proving that Paul Lambert can do very little wrong as City manager right now by poking in the goal that made it 2-2 with virtually his first touch after coming on.

Not that the demure Scot got the credit he deserved. The tannoy man at St. Mary's put on his best serious voice, the sort of grave, bearer of bad news tone that all PA men have to adopt when the away team dares score a goal.

"Norwich's second goal - scored by Gary Doherty."

A nasty moment for a football commentator. I was sure it was Hughes. Had I really just committed the sin of picking the wrong scorer? Was this my payback for organising all those mailshots telling me I had gone three years without an eye test?

Thankfully the confused faces of my press box brethren gave me the conviction to stick with my original shout. 30 seconds later PA man was back, still capturing the sort of tone reserved only for away teams scoring and royal deaths.

"Correction - Norwich's second goal was actually scored by Stephen Hughes."

A great game. Even the half-time entertainment was of a much higher quality than we have become used to sitting through. No cheerleaders, men in furry animal costumes or daft contrived games involving a 'lucky' fan attempting to kick a ball through a hole in a piece of wood.

Instead Mick Channon, who played with great distinction for both clubs, was awarded an honorary degree on the pitch complete with gown and mortar board.

You see - us football types can appreciate the higher-brow side elements of life in that desperate gap of 15 minutes between halves.

Soggy, Soggy, Soggy

Norwich City 2-0 Tranmere Rovers

Who would be a goalkeeper?

This was one of those wet, windy and wild days which has players dodging the odd plastic bag caught in a gust, fans using programmes as make-shift umbrellas and commentators getting all precious about their notes getting soggy.

Norwich 'keeper Fraser Forster spent much of this game peering through the rain as City struggled to break down a resolute, determined Tranmere side. At one point the visitors did mount an excellent Chris Shuker inspired counter attack. He played the ball into the path of team mate Paul McLaren who was on the 6-yard line. It looked a certain goal. Forster though, bounced across and virtually clawed the ball off the goal line. A magnificent save.

At the same end in the second half one of the Tranmere defenders was harshly judged to have used his hand to equal effect to block an Adam Drury shot. An hour gone and City won a penalty. Hoolahan scored and Gary Doherty got the second ten minutes from time.

Appropriate that those two players should score on the day that the East Anglian Children's Hospice got the chance to sponsor the club for a day. I interviewed both players at the charities Snetterton HQ back in April. Footballers get a lot of criticism in the media for their off-field antics but the amount they do for good causes is often conveniently forgotten. Hoolahan left EACH that day covered in green paint after well and truly joining in with play time. It isn't often people manage to get that close to the impishly skillful Hoolahan.

They DO Hand Out Medals in November

Swindon Town 0-0 Norwich City

Norwich win 5-3 on penalties

Like Grant Holt and Simon Lappin, I sat out this one as the canaries progressed to the area semi-finals of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy. A grim goalless draw was followed by a penalty shoot-out success.

I spent a pleasant evening hosting the EDP Active Norfolk Sports Awards back in Norwich alongside former boxer Jon Thaxton.

As the final applause faded at about 8.30pm I realised that when you are somebody who covers the canaries you are always on duty.

With the award winners still having their pictures taken, I was approached by a couple of members of the audience. They were Norwich fans and knew that crunch JPT clash would by now be into the second half. Despite the fact I had spent the previous hour standing on a stage in front of them, with no sign of X-Factor-style-dry ice or clever mirrors, they still expected me to be on top of all things canary.

"How are City getting on?"

The responsibility was too much, it was clear I was going to have to find out. So a dash through the photographers and into a position where I could get a phone signal followed. I returned to inform them that it was 0-0. In this interactive age, this was football on demand.

Paulton Foiled

Paulton Rovers 0-7 Norwich City

It was one of those days when wanting Norwich City to win had you well and truly in the minority. They all wanted to be there on the off chance that this could be one of the FA Cup's biggest upsets of all time. Paulton had to bridge a gap of 119 league places, their average home league crowd is 235, City's 100 times higher than that, their manager Andrew Jones sells flowers for a living but he found himself just yards away from Champions League winner Paul Lambert. There was the traditional pre-match downpour and the cup cliches were completed by one Paulton fan who had made his own model FA Cup out of foil.

No matter how excited I have been by a match I have never had the inclination to make my own model trophy - I wonder what happens to them when the dream doesn't quite come true?

Norwich City spoiled the fun of all those wanting a shock. Grant Holt got 2, Wes Hoolahan 1 but it Chris Martin was the biggest cup scrooge, hitting four goals. With victory safe, Holt and Simon Lappin then cynically set about getting booked for the fifth time each this season. Funnily enough they managed it and will now miss the Johnstone's Paint Trophy trip to Swindon, rather than a league game. The twinkle in Paul Lambert's eye when asked about the yellow cards (Lappin for kicking the ball away and Holt for blocking the Paulton 'keeper after failing to rile the ref by arguing and kicking the ball away himself) suggested a plan had come together,although this will never be admitted publicly I am sure.

This was a day in which I experienced football at all levels. From the Paulton part-timers to Trevor Brooking's seat and then a long delay on the M4 which caused us to arrive at South Mimms services in time to queue behind Peter Crouch (in full Spurs tracksuit) fresh from playing against Sunderland. Perhaps it is an omen. Will the 'beanpole striker', as you have to call him, be waiting along the canaries metaphorical road to Wembley, rather than the actual one? Will have to get past Carlisle or Morecambe first. Whoever wins that first round replay, it's going to open up several more opportunities for celebrity spotting at service stations - we are away again!

Stars on Stripes

Stockport County 1-3 Norwich City

You know how airlines sometimes overbook flights? Well it turns out hotels do it too. A 9.30pm arrival on a Friday night in Stockport is just as glamorous as it sounds, especially when you are turned away from your reserved bed for the night because of a mistake on the hotel's part. They grudgingly helped us find another one in the end.

While we were demanding to see the duty manager in a hotel reception, the combined weight of the Sale Sharks and Gloucester rugby teams were slugging out a Guiness Premiership rugby game at Edgeley Park. No surprise then that the poor old pitch hadn't quite recovered from the ordeal the next day.

A stripe of dead grass ran the length of the pitch at the ground a couple of yards in from one touchline. It almost looked as if the ground was being prepared for next cricket season.

As well as the poor pitch, the Stockport press box provided its own challenge. The fact that each of the desks had a slight overhang at the back meant that every time you left your seat you ran a serious risk of cracking your head on the table of the journalist behind. There would be no jumping out of your seat here, unless one fancied a stylish Terry Butcher head-bandage.

It wasn't the best of games, but two for Grant Holt and a Wes Hoolahan penalty saw Norwich through, the quality of the match best summed up by the fact that Stockport's goal came off the backside of striker Peter Thompson.