Time to produce the goods away from home ?

By 4two
December 18 2002

This is the first tough test of the Festive Period for the Saddlers, who will be wanting to carry their good home form with them to Carrow Road. Both sides are expected to remain unchanged, and Gareth Ainsworth is back in the Walsall squad.

Norwich City (4th) Vs Walsall (18th)
Competition : Nationwide League Division 1.   Date & Time: 21.12.02 - 3.00pm
Tickets: Their are 1496 seats available for Saddlers Fans. The Canaries sent 504 tickets to the club, but it appears these have not been sold. They are priced at £15 Adults, £9 Students, OAP's & U16s while the under 12's can get in for £5. The Gate is expected to be around 19,000 (not a sellout).
	Directions (Road): The ground is well signposted from the A11 and A47.  From the southern bypass (A47) take the A146 into the city.  At the traffic lights turn right and follow the outer ring road: Left at the roundabout. Right at the next lights.  Follow the inner ring road round to the right, over the river and the ground is on your right. If in doubt follow signs for the the railway station until you get to the river (where the rail station is off to the left and ground on your right). (FootballGroundGuide)
News: expected line up of : 1 - Robert Green, Darren Kenton, Malky Mackay, Craig Fleming,  Adam Drury, Mark Rivers, Philip Mulryne,  Gary Holt, Clint Easton, Iwan Roberts, Paul McVeigh. All the talk is about McVeighs contract and will he or won't he go. It has cast a shadow of the Canaries preparation,
News: No one expects Lee to tinker with the line up after another victory last weekend. Ainsworth will find a place on the bench, but would anyone be surprised if  he replaced Corica?, he is experiencing a dip in form. Maybe not but Lee is big fan of Stevie Corica, so this one is a no go.
one2watch: Will Junior produce the goods away from Bescot? This is the question everyone wants to know. He has gone walkabout in recent away games and faded out of the action. Like McVeigh, Juniors contract has been the focus of media attention this week, but it seems our Brazilian talisman will be here till the end of the season.
one2watch: Paul McVeigh is a midfielder with a canny knack for scoring goals. If you were going to compare him to any Saddlers player, you would say he plays the same role as Stevie Corica. He has 11 goals so far this season and is currently in the media spotlight over his contract that ends in the summer. McVeigh is an ex Spurs youngster and Northern Ireland International.
Norwich City       Walsall Ven Versus Pos A 0 - 2 Crystal Palace L 12 A 0 - 1 Wolves L 8 H 1 - 0 Derby W 13 A 0 - 2 Burnley L 11 H 2 - 0 Crystal Palace W 12 H 3 - 0 Sheff Wed W 23 A 2 - 4 Wimbledon L 19 H 0 - 0 Nottm Forest D 6 A 1 - 2 Bradford L 14 Ven Versus Pos H 2 - 0 Wimbledon W 11 H 3 - 1 Grimsby W 21 A 2 - 3 Portsmouth L 1 H 1 - 0 Gillingham W 15 A 2 - 3 Wimbledon L 15 A 0 - 2 Leicester L 2 H 4 - 2 Stoke W 21 H 3 - 4 Crystal Palace L 15 A 0 - 0 Coventry D 7 4-0 vs Grimsby, Watford Biggest Home Win 4-2 vs Stoke 2-0 vs Brighton, Reading Biggest Away Win 3-0 vs Millwall 2-3 vs Sheff United Heaviest Home Defeat 0-2 vs Ipswich, Reading 2-4 vs Wimbledon Heaviest Away Defeat 1-3 vs Wolves 21 Players Used 24 11 Clean Sheets 6 5 Failed To Score 6 3 Best Winning Sequence 2 7 Best Unbeaten Sequence 3 2 Worst Losing Sequence 4 4 Worst Sequence With No Win 5
Last Time  1-1 1/1/02 - Nationwide League Division 1
The Verdict:  We are more likely to pick up points on our travels this season than we were last season. A Win is not out of the question as long as we approach it in the same way we approached the Pompey game, which we were unlucky lose. The wins against Grimsby and Wimbledon will have boosted confidence, and as long as we avoid defeat at Carrow Road we will remain on target for a good festive period.  Norwich are going to be up at the top come the end of the season, and a draw would be nice.
PREDICTION: Canaries 1-1 Saddlers
What do the Canaries Say?