Saturday 7th November 2020
Kick Off 3pm
Carrow Road, Norwich
AKA : Electric Avenue
Matchday Referee
DARREN ENGLAND
Assistant Referees
Peter Kirkup Steven Meredith
Fourth Official : Gavin Ward
Here we see some intense almost military style training in the ‘how to hold a flag’ course at the FA. Some of these referees haven’t slept for three days, they’ve been deprived of food and water but still after all that they raise a smile. Thank you for your service. Ant Middleton was unavailable for comment but raised an eyebrow when we questioned such severe training methodology. He would only whisper ‘Don't mess with these guys, they are lethal, you never know when they will strike’
Darren John Herbert England : What do we know ?
Darren has four names, so he can choose which one he wants on any given day. Sometimes he calls himself Herbert and wears a smoking jacket whilst drinking port from a fine crystal glass. On other days he calls himself John. When he’s John he dances round his small bed sit in Cleethorpes to the song ‘ Hello John got a new Motor’ and imagines himself working in Arthur Daley’s car lot. When he is Darren he puts a wig on and talks in a Welsh dialect complaining about the smell in Port Talbot and the cost of oil for squeaky wheels. Mr England is an all round good bloke who has refereed more than 5 matches in his career but far less than a thousand. Some of them in the premier league. His favourite food is Kurdish soup, nobody knows why or even if that’s true. He is never far away from controversy and has regularly been criticised by many managers this season and last. He loves a strange decision. However we have had him under surveillance for the last three days and he has done nothing irregular at all except go shopping with his mum in Waitrose. The thing going in his favour is in all the games (3) he has refereed involving the swans, none have been lost.
What do we know about Norwich ?
I’ve been to Norwich, it was raining, I went a second time and it was still raining, those visits were four years apart but I was confidently told it had not stopped raining at all. The Normans and English fought battles in Norwich. That was pre Middle Ages and for so many people to get together and have a fight who are all called Norman was a feat in itself. Remember this was before social media, all inclusive holidays and McDonald’s. The Normans did really well against the English all of whom were related in some way to the Matchday referee. We love history here at Swansea Independent.
Here is a Norman, this is a flying Norman and most certainly one of the prime reasons the Normans are today revered in small villages south of Norwich.
This is another Norman, he is famous for being stupid, but don’t be fooled, he is believed to have led the charge of the Normans at one of the most famous Norwich battles, ‘The Normans having a charge’ Many Swans fans live or come from Norwich. Norwich Jack is one, Norwich Jack 2 is also rumoured to live there.
Electric Avenue
The owner of Norwich City is Eddy Grant, he once applied for some financial help to buy a guitar hence his surname. Eddie is famous for his home cooking and for standing on the pitch absolutely smashed off his face on red wine shouting ‘Electric Avenue’ dressed as a ridiculously attractive woman, but you would never admit it. Nobody could work out why he did this, the sales of the only song he ever wrote were very good and this type of advertising was frowned upon by many football fans and his mum. Eddy has never commented on why he did it other than to say, I don’t remember doing that. Course not Eddy, it was the four bottles of Malbec you necked before kick off.
The only other fact we can find on Norwich is that their accent is belittled by other areas of the country, we will make no comment on this as it’s a bit like turkeys voting for Christmas.
Swans v Norwich head to head
Fifty six games played to date.
Both sides have won 23 with 10 being drawn.
Before being promoted to the premier league swans fans will recall a disastrous home game in which Norwich won 4-1 back in November 2018. Apart from that records show things are pretty equal but Norwich away is a pretty difficult trip and even now swans fans would accept a draw.
In History
Norwich City 2 Swansea City 3
Saturday 15th November 2008
Swansea recovered from an early Arturo Lupoli goal to stun struggling Norwich.
Mark Fotheringham set Lupoli up for a low 12-yard shot, before sweet build-up from Jordi Gomez and Angel Rangel saw Jason Scotland equalise from close in. Two quick goals after the break sealed Norwich's fate, Darren Pratley firmly heading in Gomez's corner. Gomez assisted again to set Ferrie Bodde up from six yards, before Mark Fotheringham made the consolation, his shot deflecting in off Angel Rangel.
Swansea manager Roberto Martinez
"In football everyone must have a dream and ours is to play in the Premier League. But it could take us five years or even 10 years to achieve. Expectation levels are always very high in south Wales, but at the moment all we are trying to do is to consolidate at this level. Obviously I am very happy with the number of points we have won so far but our aim this season is to stay in this division. There are six or seven players here who have the ability to play in the Premier League, but at the moment we have still got to prove that we can compete week in, week out at this level. It was a big thing for us to come to a place like Norwich and get a result like this. This is the first time we have come to a Premier League environment and been ourselves, played the way we can and picked up the three points we deserved. It's a big step forward for us, a big moment."
Bodde and Scotland celebrate
Norwich: Marshall, Otsemobor, Kennedy, Doherty, Bertrand, Bell, Clingan, Fotheringham (Hoolahan 62), Pattison, Lupoli (Cureton 66), Lita.
Subs Not Used: Nelson, Drury, Omozusi.
Goals: Lupoli 28, Rangel 61 og.
Swansea: Konstantopoulos, Rangel, Williams, Monk, Bessone, Gomez, Britton, Bodde, Pratley, Gower (Pintado 78), Scotland (Brandy 90).
Subs Not Used: Krysiak, Tate, Bauza.
Booked: Bodde.
Goals: Scotland 43, Pratley 47, Bodde 48.
Att: 24,262
Ref: Grant Hegley (Hertfordshire).
What the opposition think ?
Swansea City have enjoyed a great start to the new campaign and look to be one of the early favourites for promotion to the Premier League this season.
Prior to the Swans' Tuesday night game with Brentford, and Norwich’s fixture with Millwall, we spoke to Wales Online football reporter Ian Mitchelmore, who covers Steve Cooper's side, to talk about their chances this season and what he expects when they travel to Carrow Road. canaries.co.uk: Swansea City have enjoyed a very positive start to the season, losing just one of their opening nine games. Is there an expectation that the club can challenge for the top two places this season having finished last campaign in the play-offs?
All in all, it's been a hugely encouraging start, and after reaching the play-offs last time around, the Swans definitely feel they can mount another promotion challenge this season. Players like Matt Grimes, Connor Roberts, Freddie Woodman, Ben Cabango and Marc Guehi have far more Championship experience now and are much better for it. As for a top two spot, that will be incredibly difficult, particularly with the likes of Norwich City, Brentford and Bournemouth in the division. But Swansea’s squad is a balanced one now while Steve Cooper fully understands what it takes to deliver the goods in the second tier after an impressive debut campaign in senior management last time out.
Cooper quotes
“We know it will be a really tough test, they were in the Premier League last season and had a strong Championship campaign the year before,” he said.
“A lot of that structure and the coach are still in place, so a lot of that identity remains and they are a team that commit to that.
“So it will be a tough game, but I think it comes at a good time for us and we are really looking forward to going there and committing to the game.
“We will be ready for it, as these are the games you have got to look forward to.
“We don’t fear anybody. We embrace the challenges in front of us, even at the end of this really busy period.
“We are really looking forward to it. We will be looking to attack it with everything we have got, because that is always our idea.”
TEAM NEWS
Swansea City: Freddie Woodman; Kyle Naughton, Ryan Bennett, Marc Guehi; Connor Roberts, Korey Smith, Jay Fulton, Jake Bidwell; Kasey Palmer; Andre Ayew, Jamal Lowe.
Substitutes: Steven Benda, Ryan Manning, Matt Grimes, Viktor Gyokeres, Wayne Routledge, Yan Dhanda, Joel Latibeaudiere.
Referee: Darren England
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