NORWICH CITY 1 CITY 1
League Division 1
30th December 1972
attendance 24,203
scorers
City Towers(75)
Norwich Paddon(21)
Ref J Hunting
City Corrigan, Jeffries, Pardoe, Doyle, Booth, Barrett, Summerbee, Hill, Marsh, Mellor, Towers – sub Brennan(unused)
Norwich Keelan, Butler, Black, Stringer, Govier, Briggs, Livermore, Bone, Cheesley, Paddon, Anderson – sub Foggo(88)
FROM THE PRESS BOX
PETER GARDNER WRITING IN THE MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS FOOTBALL PINK FINAL 30TH DECEMBER 1972
Graham Paddon, 23 year old, Manchester born midfield player, put one over on his home town team today when he shot Norwich City into a 21st minute lead at Carrow Road.
Yet hard working Manchester City did not deserve to be behind after a fine first half of flowing football in a match full of incident and endeavour.
Paddon, a £25,000 capture from Coventry two years ago scored with a splendid 30 yard free kick after City skipper Tommy Booth had nudged Norwich’s Paul Cheesley.
However City deserved at least one goal with Rodney Marsh driving in a superb shot which goalkeeper Kevin Keelan punched out in a remarkable reflex action save.
Ian Mellor was always looking for a third goal to maintain his recent goal a game record.
Mellor. again looking impressive, slipped a tackle by Butler and moved confidently forward only to shoot across the face of the goal. Summerbee sprinting in from the opposite flank, was a stride too late in getting to the ball which went out of play by the far post.
Booth, City’s acting skipper, was penalised when he pushed Cheesley midway inside the City half and from Stringer’s free kick Paddon headed straight at Corrigan.
Marsh forced Govier to concede a corner. Summerbee crossed to the left and Booth headed back across the face of the goal, Doyle raced forward to drive in a fierce header which Keelan spectacularly turned over the bar. But the referee had already penalised City for an offence inside the six yard area.
Booth moved forward to receive a long throw-in from Doyle and there was a flutter of panic in the home defence, who again cleared at the expense of a corner when the City centre half threatened them with another fine back header.
Booth again became the target man when Doyle swung in a free kick, awarded after Black had leaned on Summerbee. But once more the big City defender was unlucky with a header which went just outside.
The referee, missing nothing spotted Booth nudge Cheesley outside the penalty area.
And with a remarkable shot from all of 30 yards out Paddon gave Corrigan no chance to put Norwich into a 21st minute lead.
A minute later Norwich might have had a second when Cheesley drove in a low shot which beat Corrigan but went a foot outside the far post.
A good run by Towers took him deep into the Norwich defence before he released the ball to the unmarked Summerbee, whose shot on the run went over the top.
Summerbee again threatened down his flank and this time Black had to push the ball behind for yet another City corner.
Corrigan sold himself when he came out and missed a long throw-in from Paddon, but fortunately for the Blues Cheesley headed just over.
In the 34th minute a City equaliser looked on the way following good work by Mellor, who intelligently pulled the ball back from the line straight into the path of Marsh. The City leader jabbed in a wicked rising shot but somehow Keelan made a superb reflex save to punch the ball away.
Towers worked hard for possession deep in the left hand corner and when he finally crossed to the far post Hill drove over the top from a good position.
Half-time Norwich City 1 Manchester City 0
Anderson won a corner off Pardoe as Norwich quickly moved forward again. Then from a cross by Briggs, Cheesley snatched at a shot from close in and the ball was just over.
At the other end Mellor put the ball inside for Hill but he was quickly hustled off the ball as he squared up for a shot from the edge of the six yard area.
Mellor left two defenders behind in another fine dribble but when he released a shot it was blocked by Stringer.
Mellor worked a neat one two with Marsh but when going for the return found Briggs had anticipated the move and the Norwich man smartly swept the ball into touch.
City continued to build up well from midfield but they were getting few breaks in front of goal.
And there was always danger when Norwich counter-punched, particularly from the speedy Bone and the always dangerous Cheesley.
Summerbee moved into the middle in an effort to break down the solid Norwich defence, which refused to yield in spite of the immense pressure City were putting into their game.
Even when the Blues did break through they found Keelan a highly competent goalkeeper, who once more blunted Marsh’s scoring ambitions by holding another piercing drive from the England forward.
Barrett headed a Butler free kick across the face of his own six yard area, but Jeffries, covering well, cleared first time.
Paddon gave a glorious ball to Anderson, but Barrett tackled well and the young City defender followed up by checking Butler when the Norwich right back threatened a break.
The 75th minute finally saw City get the break for which they had worked so hard.
With the action thick at the heart of the Norwich defence, Hill calmly rolled the ball back to the edge of the penalty area where Towers sprinted forward to drive a rising shot into the roof of the net.
Two minutes from the end Norwich brought on Foggo for Stringer, who had a cut on his face.