CARRICK’S BIG HEADS UP NOW
Jonny goal boosts Canaries play-off bid
MICHAEL CARRICK faces the latest challenge of his burgeoning managerial career at Millwall today.
The Middlesbrough boss experienced the most emotional night since he took charge at the Riverside when his injuryravaged side beat Chelsea in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final.
Now he must ensure their heads are screwed on for the task of taking points off Millwall – and Carrick (above) is well aware of the potential hazards.
He said: “It’s pretty clear that Tuesday night was a high. Feeling the energy, togetherness and spirit was quite rewarding for that one-off occasion.
“But that game is gone now and we have to be 100 percent right for Millwall.
“To prepare yourself after that and regroup is a skill in itself and not everyone can do it. We’ve all spoken about it because it’s imperative we wipe the slate clean and start again.”
vChampionship: Kick-off 3pm
SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY’S newest signing Ike Ugbo is adamant they will stay up.
The striker is set to make his debut at Southampton today after cutting short his loan spell at Cardiff from Troyes to join Wednesday for the rest of the campaign.
And Ugbo (right) is sure Danny Rohl’s side will not go down after cutting the gap to survival from 12 to three points.
“We can all see the direction the team is going in and come the end of the season, I don’t see the league position being a problem,” said Ugbo.
D 2 7 7 6 6 4 6 5 10
4 9 6 3 5 8 8 2 8 8 7 10 4 6 9
P W Leicester .............. 26 21 Ipswich ................. 26 16 Southampton ........ 26 15 Leeds ................... 26 14 West Brom ............ 26 12 Sunderland ........... 26 12 Hull ...................... 27 11 Norwich ................ 27 11 Coventry .............. 26 9 Cardiff .................. 26 11 Watford ................ 26 9 Bristol City ........... 26 10 Middlesbro ........... 26 11 Preston ................ 26 10 Millwall ................. 26 8 Swansea ............... 26 8 Blackburn ............. 26 10 Plymouth .............. 26 7 Stoke .................... 26 7 Birmingham .......... 26 7 Huddersfield ......... 26 5 Sheff Wed ............. 26 6 QPR ...................... 26 5 Rotherham ........... 26 3
F A Pts 54 18 65 48 33 55 46 31 52 45 25 48 36 24 42 36 28 40 41 38 39 44 43 38 38 28 37 34 33 37 42 36 36 30 28 36 38 39 36 31 44 35 28 31 32 35 39 32 39 48 32 43 45 29 25 32 29 30 41 28 26 44 25 21 40 22 21 37 21 24 50 18
L 3 3 4 6 8 10 10
11
7 11 8 10 12 11 10 10 14 11 11 12 11 16 15 14
JON ROWE’S stunning solo goal fired Norwich closer to the play-offs.
Norwich’s top scorer grabbed his 12th of the season and Christian Fassnacht made it 2-0 in the 89th minute, but the Canaries had to survive a late scare after Tyler Morton pulled one back for Hull in stoppage time.
Angus Gunn had already pulled off a string of terrific saves before Norwich opened the scoring, but he was lucky to still be on the pitch.
Championship: Kick-off 3pm
Hull were incensed after Aaron Connolly was cleaned out by Gunn as he raced out of his penalty area in the 14th minute.
Connolly looked to be caught in the face with an elbow and had to go off injured – yet Norwich bizarrely, earned the freekick. That was the cue for England Under-21 star Rowe to show his class, picking up Lewis Coyle’s poor defensive header just inside the Hull half before surging through. Rowe then cleverly struck with the outside of his right boot from 20 yards to leave Ryan Allsop helpless. 67% 5
5
9
1
12
0 REF:
POSSESSION SHOTS ON TARGET SHOTS OFF TARGET CORNERS OFFSIDE FOULS CARDS
ATT:
2
MARK ROBINS has told his players to go and attack the second half of the season – starting today.
Nine months ago, the manager (right) encouraged the Sky Blue Army to ‘dare to dream’ as their campaign reached a climax. And Coventry have lost once in their last 10 – mirroring the club’s charge into the top-six last term.
Robins said: “You can draw similarities with what happened last year.
“There’s no doubt we’re in a good moment. But the players need to keep striving.”
All the pre-match talk was of Liverpool’s Fabio Carvalho joining Hull on loan until the end of the season.
The Portuguese ace, 21, took just 58 seconds to fire off a shot. But, just like the rest of his team-mates, he was denied and largely kept in check by stubborn Norwich.
Hull had most of the ball in the first half but did not do much with it.they dominated the second period and Ozan Tufan went close with a 20-yard right-foot shot that grazed the post in the 50th minute. And soon after, Carvalho badly
4 33% 4 5 2 0 14 0 flashed a shot wide after being put through by Morton’s wonderful flick.
Sub Fassnacht gave Norwich a cushion by forcing home with his thigh late on, but Hull would not quit and Morton thundered a superb shot into the back of the Norwich net with a swish of his left boot.
But it was too little too late. The win, their first at Hull since 2007, takes Norwich to eighth spot in the Championship.
Championship: Kick-off 3pm
DARREN MOORE feels Huddersfield are improving despite just one win in their last eight league games.
The Terriers boss (right) said: “The last five or six games the performances have been good, they have been better.
“We want to see the results follow on the back of those performances and we feel they are coming.”
Plymouth defender Brendan Galloway says new boss Ian Foster has had a big impact.
He said: “It has been very good. We have been working really hard, the messages are clear.”