9:40pm Tuesday 1st December 2009
By Chris Phillips
THREE second half goals ended a 57 year wait for Norwich City at Southend United tonight.
The Canaries had not triumphed away at the Shrimpers since 1952.
But a slick display after the break from the visitors at Roots Hall meant the on-song Canaries secured a fifth successive league triumph.
Grant Holt took his season's tally to 18 with two well taken goals while Korey Smith was also on target to sink Steve Tilson's side.
Southend could have opened the scoring early on though as, with three minutes of the clock, the in-form Lee Barnard fired just wide of the right post from 20 yards after being teed up by his new strike partner Jabo Ibehre.
Barnard then headed a wide right cross from Simon Francis wide of the opposite upright but City soon registered their first effort of the evening on target as Holt fired a low long range shot straight at Shrimpers goalkeeper Steve Mildenhall.
Clear cut chances were, at this stage, few and far between as the game became quite scrappy but, in the 23rd minute, Canaries midfielder Simon Lappin fired just wide of the right post from 25 yards.
Moments later a well struck effort from Chris Martin flew inches over the crossbar following a misplaced pass from Barnard but it was soon Southend's turn to almost be opening the scoring as Ibehre unleashed a 20 yard shot which City goalkeeper Fraser Forster did well to push around the left post.
Having survived the scare, Norwich hit back on the stroke of half-time with Lappin firing straight at Mildenhall from long range but at the start of the second period it was Southend pushing forward as Jean-Francois Christophe headed over a fine left wing cross from Scott Malone.
Norwich immediately replied with Smith charging through the centre of the park before teeing up Wes Hoolahan whose low drive was smartly smothered by Mildenhall.
The visitors were now beginning to enjoy more of the ball but, in the 55th minute, Southend hit them on the break with Barnard releasing Damian Scannell down the right hand side of the penalty area.
The recalled winger had Alan McCormack well positioned to his left in front of goal but he opted to go for glory himself and fired a tame effort over the crossbar.
Franck Moussa then headed over a right wing cross from Francis but in the 68th minute City broke the deadlock as Holt grabbed his first goal of the night.
The striker latched onto a Smith pass after Hoolahan's left wing cross had not been dealt with Morrison and fired an assured right foot finish into the bottom left hand corner of the net from eight yards.
Blues almost immediately levelled when Barnard headed just wide of the left post but Norwich came close to making it 2-0 in the 75th minute when Jens Berthel-Askou's header from Stephen Hughes' right wing corner was tipped over by Mildenhall.
But, two minutes later, the visitors did double their advantage when Martin released Smith in the right hand side of the penalty area and his low shot deflected into the back of the net off Malone.
Blues boss Tilson responded by bringing on both Dougie Freedman and James Walker in a double substitution and, after their arrivals, Barnard's left foot shot from 20 yards was tipped to safety by Forster.
Ibehre then had a close range effort from a Francis cross ruled out for handball before Gary Doherty's mis-hit clearance from a Malone cross was well saved by Forster.
But Norwich survived the spell of pressure and made sure of the win in injury time when Holt fired home from the spot after McCormack had brought down Luke Daley.
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