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The luckless Lappin finds himself with a game to play as Roeder’s strength in depth costs him dear

23rd September 2008 By Latest News Leave a Comment

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As the Canaries tonight prepared to play host to their latest 'friendly' visitors at Carrow Road – managerless Colchester United Reserves – so it would be the names not on Paul Stephenson's squad list that will command most attention.

In particular, that of David Bell whose on-going ankle injury remains the subject of weekly updates.

At one stage pencilled in for that away trip to Plymouth, the ?600,000 summer signing then need a pin-point steroid injection to tackle the discomfort he still felt in the joint as and when he went to kick the ball at full power.

According to City boss Glenn Roeder on Friday he was due to resume full-time training with his senior squad yesterday; it is clear, therefore, that this eving's clash with the U's has come just too soon for the one-time Luton winger to top up his match fitness.

Indeed, given that Norwich's next official reserve isn't until Monday, October 6, when League One Southend United send their second string up the road to Norfolk, Roeder may yet be tempted to organise a behind-closed-doors clash to give Bell a full work-out before he makes his belated debut.

Either that or stage a full 11 versus 11 game at Colney with which to put that troubled ankle to the test.

There is likewise no sign of Gary Doherty's own ankle injury being ready for a full, 'competitive' run-out. The one-time Republic of Ireland international has been sidelined since the pre-season tour to Sweden with a nasty ankle injury and may yet be looking for an October return.

If he fails to make that October 6 date, he will have an even longer wait for a reserve team run-out – the Gunners are the next confirmed date in the Reserve team diary with a trip to Carrow Road for Arsene Wenger's young guns now penned in for Tuesday, November 18.

The two players likely to benefit most from this evening's run-out are Roeder's two loan stars – Portsmouth's OJ Koroma and Spurs reserve skipper Troy Archibald-Henville.

Given the games that the manager has to play loan number-wise, the teenage pair could be fighting for the one and only loan spot left available to Roeder for Saturday's trip to struggling Barnsley.

With four, domestic-based loans already all-but booked in at Oakwell – Elliot Omosuzi, Ryan Bertrand, Antoine Sibierski and Jonathan Grounds – that leaves just one place left for either Koroma or Archibald-Henville.

Whether or not Simon Lappin can find anyone in the crowd to watch him and end his Canary miseries is another matter. The last surviving member of the 'Plymouth Brethren' has long been told that he is surplus to requirements by Roeder; to his credit, however, he hasn't ruffled any feathers as he waits – out in the cold – for someone, anyone to phone.

Lappin's cause is not helped by the fact that down the length of that left-hand side, Roeder now has all-too many options. Given that Grounds' first choice position his left back the luckless Scotsman now has three players ahead of him in that particular queue – Grounds, Bertrand and the fit-again Adam Drury.

Some 30-yards further forward and the left-wing berth is no less busy. Drury's availability again after that long-term knee injury allows the City chief to push Bertrand further forward and shore up that side of the pitch defensively – particularly if he has Lee Croft doing his party pieces on the far side.

If not then Wes Hoolahan steps up to the plate; if not then Matty Pattison looks for the nod.

“The boss has said that it's two players for every position and he's got that now more or less,” Drury told the official site today, with the unfortunate Lappin discovering he has three players for both positions down his favoured left-side.

“[So] you know if you have a bad game, you're not going to be in the side,” added Drury.

“Same in training. Day in, day out you have to give it your best to get in the team and once you're in the team, it's up to you to keep hold of your shirt.”

As the dust starts to settle on Roeder's various injury concerns – with Dejan Stefanovic, in particular, expected to be fit for the trip to Yorkshire – the Canary boss faces all manner of interesting selection decisions. Particularly in defence where that hastily re-built back four duly racked up City's first clean sheet of the season.

So if it ain't bust, do you go and fix it? And if Croft has provided an answer on the right, does that mean Bertrand stays on the left?

“With two new centre-halves and a whole new back four, it was fantastic to get a clean sheet,” said Drury, whose own outing ended with a bout of cramp – little surprise given his 11-months on the sidelines.

“It felt a bit like my debut again,” said the man who, in the dim and distant past, can be remembered for lifting the Football League Championship trophy in front of the thousands that had gathered beneath the City Hall balcony.

“I was very nervous before the game,” he admitted. “It's nearly a year now since I played a proper league game, so it's good to be back.”


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