Norwich 0-2 Hull

Match Report

An away trip to Carrow Road — where we have not won since 2010 — was one of the early kick-offs this weekend, and it looked to be one of the easiest opponents to face in November, especially with Norwich winning just two of their 13 games and losing their last five. There were planned protests at the ground as Liam Manning’s future at the club looked doubtful, and a sense of toxicity loomed in the stands. With our recent form (seven points from nine since returning from the international break) and our opponents failing to win at home this season, we simply had to walk away with three points.

We made heavy weather of it, but two second-half goals from Gelhardt and Gyabi, which stunted Norwich’s momentum, allowed us to take control of the game and secure another victory under Sergej. It was tedious and difficult to watch at times, but we eventually managed to get over the line.

Sergej made two changes to the starting XI he fielded against Charlton last week: Ndala and Coyle replaced Ajeyi and Drameh. That meant, in a 4-2-3-1 formation, we lined up as follows: Pandur between the posts; Coyle, Hughes, Egan, and Giles as the back four; Slater and Amir as defensive midfielders; Joseph, Crooks, and Ndala as the attacking trio; with Gelhardt leading the line.

The men in yellow and green came out of the blocks much quicker than us — they had their reputation and future on the line, after all. In the 14th minute, they had an opportunity to take the lead. An accurate ball from McLean was crossed into the box from a corner on the left-hand side. Duffy got away from his man but headed his effort into the ground rather than at goal, allowing Pandur to punch it out for another corner.

Hull were lacklustre and tedious to watch in the first 15 minutes. They sat back, allowing the Canaries to attack them. There was a short period where we could not get out of our own box, and the players showed little commitment or connection. Was this going to be typical City syndrome? Play an opponent struggling near the bottom of the table, then break their losing streak? It felt only a matter of time until they scored — they were certainly more up for it.

Our best chance of the half came in the 24th minute after we turned over possession and released the ball to Gelhardt on the right channel. He played a low ball into the box, and Crooks’ cheeky dummy allowed it to roll to Ndala, whose shot was blocked. The ball came back out to Gelhardt, whose subsequent effort flew over the bar. We didn’t have much to shout about for the remainder of the half, with just three shots to our name (none on target) compared to their eight.

Towards the end of the half, Norwich should have taken the lead after one of their efforts struck the woodwork. They had a couple more chances to break the deadlock but, lacking confidence, just couldn’t find the back of the net — which was good for us. However, if we’d been playing a side brimming with confidence (like Coventry or Stoke), we’d have been trailing heavily at half-time.

Whatever bollocking Sergej gave and changes he made in the dressing room — it bloody worked. He switched the formation, bringing on Ajeyi for Amir before the restart, putting five at the back and allowing Giles and Coyle to push further up the pitch to inject more pace into the channels. Ajeyi also brought strength and physicality to the back line and was a better match for Schlupp, their best player.

We found ourselves ahead after just four minutes, stunning Carrow Road into silence. A long ball looped up by their keeper was met by Crooks, who won the aerial duel; his flicked header released Gelhardt, who got in behind and drove forward. One-on-one with the keeper, he managed to squeeze it under his body and into the back of the net. That’s four goals in four consecutive games for the English forward.

Although we got ourselves back into the game, it was the hosts who completely dominated possession, enjoying 64% of the ball and again having more attempts on goal than us. But it was much like the first half: they lacked a cutting edge in front of goal. The fans started to turn on their manager and the board, with calls for them to be sacked. Some tennis balls were even thrown onto the pitch — plain stupidity, as it only had a negative impact on the Norwich players, who seemed frustrated not only with themselves but with their own supporters for not getting behind them.

For the Tigers fans watching this unfold, there were still some nerves hovering as it approached the 80th minute — we’re no strangers to letting leads slip. But the confidence and security of taking all three points came in the 87th minute, after a low ball fizzled across to an unmarked Gyabi. His first effort in front of goal was saved by the keeper, but a left-footed shot from the rebound ensured the net bulged.

This win has put us into the top six (at the time of writing, before the 3pm kick-offs), and fans, players, and staff are now starting to ooze optimism as we remain unbeaten in six games. Should we start booking hotels near Wembley?