Canary keeper David Marshall will have to get used to a new face standing 20-odd yards in front of him as City began to prepare for life – or rather three games – without Dion Dublin.
The 38-year-old will now sit out Norwich's trip to Wolves tomorrow – as well as the mid-week Carling Cup encounter with Manchester City at Eastlands and the live Sky clash at home to Sheffield Wednesday in eight days time.
It won't, of course, be a wholly new face that parnters Gary Doherty at Molineux tomorrow – Jason Shackell's timely return from his ankle knock will ensure that one City skipper is replaced by another. But no-one seems to be in any doubt that the Football Association have done Norwich no favours in turning down their appeal against Dublin's red card.
?He's been great the last few games,? said Marshall, on the eve of making his first-ever appearance at Molineux.
?With Shacks being injured we needed somebody to come in and I think he's just steadied the ship. He's obviously got a lot of experience and stuff – and he's been massive with his defensive headers and stuff.
?But at least with Shacks coming back that's a bonus. And, hopefully, he can do just as good a job as Dion's done because, as I say, he's been great the last three or four games.?
Like everyone bar the night's referee, the City No1 couldn't really see what all the fuss was about. Dion and head-butts don't exactly fit in the same sentence. It's not his style.
?From where I looked, it didn't look too much to be honest, but obviously I'm a long way away. And Dion obviously thinks he's innocent – and I can't imagine him having a head-butt.
?Especially at that stage in the game when the game was really over anyway,? said Marshall, speaking at Colney yesterday before that crushing appeal verdict was announced.
The repercussions of Tuesday night continue to ripple around Norfolk with one of the key protagonists, Danny Mills, opting to have his say after Canary boss Peter Grant yesterday refused to back down from his 'cheat' accusations.
Aside from everything else, it is indicative of the way the world is in 2007 that Mills' response came originally not via the pages of a newspaper, but from his own Internet blog.
He was just as combative on his blog as he was on Tuesday night as both the accusations and, allegedly, the elbows flew.
?Peter has had a good chance to review the situations and his comments, but has reiterated that I cheated,? Mills wrote overnight on his website, www.dannymills.co.uk.
?For me it is comments from a man under pressure, said in the heat of the moment, looking for excuses for his own team's failings.
?As a manager you have to take ultimate responsibility. When it goes well, you take the praise, but when it doesn't then you need to look long and hard at yourself. It's no good trying to pass the buck like a hot potato as anybody can make excuses.
?Cheat is a disgraceful word to be labelled with. I am not one and will defend myself to the nth degree.?
As for the Dublin incident, again Mills defended his actions. But note the use of the term 'knocked over' – he doesn't claim that Dion head-butted him. Or, indeed, even that he felt Dublin 'intended' to head-butt him as the referee, Mr Singh, would steadfastly maintain.
Read Mills' version again and Dublin starts a three-match ban tomorrow for knocking over Danny Mills.
?We were nowhere near the ball and I got knocked over,? added Mills. ?It would have been easy to lay on the floor clutching my face in an attempt to get him sent off, but did I? No, is the answer to that.
?The referee is the man who decided it was a red card incident, not me.?
In the meantime, Marshall was expecting another big test of Norwich's character at Wolves tomorrow with Mick McCarthy's men likely to be smarting from that 1-0 home defeat by Hull City on Tuesday night.
?Wolves, you would expect, are going to be involved in the shake-up towards the end of the season,? said Marshall.
?So it's another tough game. But if we won't to be involved as well, it's these places that we have to go and get something.?
It will be something of a new experience for the former Celtic keeper. For the majority of Canary fans, a day out in Wolverhampton is never, exactly, a reunion of old Championship friends. They do, at least, know what to expect.
?I've never been there so I'm looking forward to it,? said Marshall, well-versed in the more hostile end of the spectrum.
?There's a few grounds that I've never been to here – and I've played in hostile atmospheres before,? he added, the Nou Camp as a teenager springing to mind.
?It doesn't really matter, to be honest with you. The most important thing is that we concentrate and get a result after the poor result on Tuesday.?
Amidst everything else that happened, the Canaries did at least hold reasonably firm – albeit with the help of the crossbar. That but for the last six minutes of normal time, they could have come away from SE7 with a huge point. That's something to cling to.
?I thought we showed a lot of character the other night and obviously dug in which is all you can ask – it's the most important thing,? said Marshall, as another away-day adventure looms.
?And then you need a little bit of luck in front of goal and a little bit of quality in front of goal – you need to score to win games.
?But I think we've got enough experience to go to places like that and win – and, hopefully, we can do it Saturday.?
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