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Roeder offers City's cup hero Lupoli no immediate prospect of a start as a replay looms

3rd January 2009 By Latest News Leave a Comment

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Arturo Lupoli guaranteed himself hour upon hour of messaageboard debate this weekend after his 71st minute leveller – eight minutes after his arrival as a 63rd minute substitute for Darel Russell – gave City a 1-1 draw against Charlton Athletic and booked themselves a replay back at Carrow Road on Tuesday, January 13.

His arrival on the pitch was always going to be a key moment given the Italian's 'Play me or I'm away..' speech at Colney yesterday – the fact that he opted to share his celebrations with the 3,200 travelling Canary supporters will keep his name firmly on their lips as City boss Glenn Roeder decides whether or not to reward the on-loan Fiorentina striker with a start away at Sheffield United next weekend.

Then, of course, he won't have Russell to call on – he is suspended courtesy of a fifth yellow card.

And unless the City manager unearths something out of the January transfer window in the meantime, then Lupoli's return to City's starting line-up must, surely, follow.

Afterwards, Roeder was offering no such guarantees. In fairness, Wes Hoolahan's arrival after the interval did as much to turn the tide back Norwich's way.

“I don't think he's ever lost his confidence,” said Roeder, quizzed as to what today's fifth goal of the season for the Italian might have done for his confidence.

It did much for Roeder's own position given that questions were again being asked after City found themselves a goal down and going out at the interval following Jonjo Shelvey's first-half opener.

“And he didn't lack confidence when he scored the goal,” added Roeder, equally grateful to David Marshall's reactions for keeping Norwich in the fourth round hat. All the talk tonight will be of Lupoli, however.

“But there are other things within his [Lupoli's] game and his physique that has restricted him to [not so] many opportunities,” added the Canary boss.

“The game is very much about power and pace and strength. But he's finished it well.”

As for the prospect of the 21-year-old heading home this window in search of more regular football, the City boss insisted that wasn't an option; it was not Fiorentina's call to make.

“He's here for a full season's loan – and that's it. As far as I'm aware, it couldn't be broken in any case,” said Roeder.

The perils of re-jigging your defence time and again – this time to accommodate Adam Drury's return at centre-half and Jon Otsemobor's return to the bench – also haunted Roeder's best-laid plans as it played a big part in Charlton's 20th minute opener.

For there was Elliot Omosuzi failing to second-guess a deep, diagonal ball behind him that Hameur Bouazza gleefully latched onto.

With Deon Burton making the near-post run, the one-time Watford star opted to pull the back to the edge of the box where Shelvey lurked. The 16-year-old, centre-midfield prospect then re-wrote the record books by becoming the youngest-ever player to score in Charlton's history with a glorious, first-time 20-yard finish inside a startled David Marshall's right-hand upright.

Given his physique, his presence, his touch and that finish, the kid is unlikely to play League One football for long. If ever.

For the travelling Norwich faithful, their response was to give Lupoli a long and loud welcome as he warmed up on the near touch-line.

Before the break and the game should have been over. Bouazza again found himself in the same acres of space behind Omosuzi. Diving goalward he opted to drive across the very face of the Norwich goal with Shelvey begging for a pull-back and a tap-in.

From the resulting corner, Burton was granted a free header on the penalty spot which Marshall had to acrobatically tip the ball one-handed onto his bar. Lloyd Sam would wriggle free in the 44th minute; his low cross would skip straight through the six-yard box as at least two red shirts stretched in vain for the final touch.

All of which prompted a bitter chorus of 'Roeder, Roeder sort it out! Sort it out!' One of 'Roeder out! Roeder out!' – albeit less in force and number – would follow before the interval.

In amidst it all Jonjo Shelvey was running the show. At 16-years of age.

The arrival of Jon Otsemobor and Hoolahan at the break at least found the latter hooking City's first shot of any note wide on 49 minutes, but it was all still fairly scratchy stuff and needed Marshall's reactions to deny Burton to keep Norwich in the contest.

The whole contest would, of course, turn again in the 63rd minute with Lupoli's arrival for Russell. After that and you could have written the script yourself.


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