Velasco handed his first start as Roeder rings the changes for Watford trip

Norwich City (4-4-2): Marshall; Velasco, Camara, Doherty, Pearce; Croft, Pattison, Fotheringham, Bertrand; Dublin, Evans. Subs: Gilks, Otsemobor, Cureton, Shackell, Gibbs.

Hard on the heels of Saturday's disappointments, so City boss Glenn Roeder made four changes from the starting line-up against Blackpool with one-time Spanish international Juan Velasco duly making his first Canary start ahead of the luckless Jon Otsemobor.

The City full-back – dubbed Rip van Winkel by Roeder for his part in Norwich's weekend downfall – joined Jamie Cureton, Kieran Gibbs and Jason Shackell on the bench, as the Canary chief reshuffled his pieces to not only accommodate Darren Huckerby's well-trailed exit, but also – you suspected – to allow for Watford's all-action, physical style.

Hence the fleet-footed Gibbs gave way to the muscular attributes of Matty Pattison in the centre of the City midfield, while Ryan Bertrand could look over his shoulder and fine the extra physical presence of Mo Camara behind him at left-back.

What was interesting was the way in which Roeder opted to keep faith with 19-year-old on-loan Reading defender Alex Pearce – despite the City boss suggesting that Shackell was chomping at the bit for a return following Saturday's defeat.

In part, that may simply be down to the fact that the Thames Valley teenager has already proved one to love a challenge and faced with Nathan Ellington and Darius Henderson this evening, there would be plenty of physical challenges to be had.

Huckerby's absence was, of course, down to the groin strain he picked up in that 2-1 defeat with Roeder suggesting that he might not even make Saturday's trip to the Ricoh Stadium.

For 30-year-old Velasco tonight was going to be a big night as he seeks first to justify his initial, three-month deal and then, beyond that, to sow the seeds for a longer-term deal.

There would certainly be little or no hiding place tonight with the travelling Canary supporters likely to be given their first, real chance to decide whether Velasco was likely to prove a more formidable member of the Foreign Legion than one or two of recent memory.

You could only presume that he arrived in Norfolk in the first place on the back of some decent recommendations from Roeder's friends in football. Tonight will be the night to see whether their advice was worth heeding.