The luckless Lee Croft paid the most obvious price for Norwich's goal-less start to the season when he found himself dropped to the bench for this afternoon's opening home Championship clash against Blackpool.
The City winger had been 'mentioned in despatches' for all the wrong reasons by Canary chief Glenn Roeder after both the 2-0 defeat against Coventry City and the midweek Carling Cup exit to MK Dons.
Not that Croft was alone in missing the proverbial barn door – an accusation that could be laid against the door of the majority of his team-mates.
Either way, his exit allowed Matty Pattison to step into the starting line-up with Roeder giving himself the option of slipping ex-Seasiders hero Wes Hoolahan into a free role just behind the front two as a combination of Mark Fotheringham, Sammy Clingan and Pattison mopped up behind him.
At the back, there were four changes as six of the starters made their official home debuts. The most expected saw the return of both John Kennedy and Dejan Stefanovic to the centre of the defence as the first-choice pair were rested for the trip to the stadium:mk.
That then allowed Elliott Omozusi to return to his more preferred role at right-back; at left-back, it was a first appearance for on-loan Chelsea starlet Ryan Bertrand.
Roeder has long maintained that the two England Youth internationals will provide one of the most potent full-back pairings in the division. This afternoon is their first chance to prove that point.
In the on-going absence of that elusive target man, Roeder decided to keep 18-year-old Omar Koroma up his sleeve; it was time to go back to the Coventry pairing of Jamie Cureton and Arturo Lupoli – the hope with the latter was that with a week's extra training under his belt, his sharpness in front of goal would return in timely fashion.
On the bench and Darel Russell can continue to feel slightly hard done-by – he, after all, came closest to breaking Norwich's duck with that swirling drive against an upright on Tuesday.
For the much-changed visitors there was at least one familiar face – in the shape of ex-Town midfielder Jermaine Wright. On the Blackpool bench was ex-loan defender Zesh Rehman.
And then there was Mo Camara… and Matthew Gilks… it was an afternoon full of reunions in the warm and welcome Norfolk sunshine.
City (4-3-1-2): Marshall; Omozusi, Bertrand, Kennedy, Stefanovic; Clingan, Fotheringham, Pattison; Hoolahan; Cureton, Lupoli. Subs: Nelson, Shackell, Croft, Russell, Koroma.
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