Gary Gowers, Editor MFW
Born and raised the wrong side of the Norfolk/Suffolk border, Gary has City in his DNA. Part of a long line of Canary die-hards, he’s been a Carrow Road regular since the age of six and a season-ticket holder since his injury-plagued, amateur playing days ended. Once a terrible local government accountant, now a terrible sports writer.
First Norwich game: August 1972 v Everton
Carrow Road home: River End Lower
Favourite all-time player: Darren Huckerby
Favourite current player: Tim Krul
Most memorable game: Bayern Munich (away)
Favourite away ground: Goodison Park
Favourite City manager: John Bond
Ben Ambrose
Ben is MyFootballWriter’s video content producer. In tandem with Jordan, the lads are responsible for filming, editing and producing the site’s content for our new YouTube channel, Norwich Talk. Now a River End regular, Ben started his NCFC odyssey in 2007 – so is the Max Aarons of our team.
First Norwich game: Southampton, August 2007
Carrow Road home: Front row, Lower River End
Favourite all-time player: Wessi! How can it not be?
Favourite current player: Marco Stiepermann
Most memorable game: Play-off semi-final (home)
Favourite away ground: Stamford Bridge
Favourite City manager: Agent Lambert
Craig Bailey
Born in Norwich, Craig has been watching City since 1985, when the joy of winning a cup was quickly followed by crashing back down to earth with relegation. He’s a season ticket holder in the Lower Barclay, a music, tech and animal lover, music, comedy, book and poetry creator and self-proclaimed funny man! A bugger when he’s drunk.
First Norwich game: 1985
Carrow Road home: Upper Barclay
Favourite all-time players: Mark Robins, Mark Bowen & Darren Eadie
Favourite current player: Teemu Pukki
Most memorable City game: Man City (a) in 2013 (for personal reasons!)
Favourite away ground: White Hart Lane – a soft spot for Spurs
Favourite City managers: Ken Brown, Mike Walker & Paul Lambert
Kathy Blake
In her own words, an ‘ageing’ City fan, Kathy is a season ticket holder of 50 years. She has stood/sat in just about every area of the ground during that time, but has finally given in to creaking limbs and sits with the old gits in the South Stand. Away from football, she is a storm chaser (really), wildlife enthusiast and cricket lover.
First Norwich game: Sheffield Wednesday FA Cup 4th round, January 1967
Carrow Road home: South Stand
Favourite all-time player: Grant Holt
Favourite current player: Teemu Pukki
Most memorable City game: Milk Cup semi v Ipswich (Feb 1985)
Favourite away ground: The Hawthorns
Favourite City manager: Close thing between Mike Walker and Daniel Farke
Steve Cook
Born in Norwich and indoctrinated into the Yellow Army by his father at the age of 4, Steve now shares that same rite of passage with his own children. A season ticket holder in the Barclay, proud owner of two shares in Norwich City and occasional ‘commentator’ on Sky Sports, he considers himself a classic example of what could have been.
First Norwich game: 1979 at home to Bolton (we won)
Carrow Road home: Upper Barclay with my dad and son
Favourite all-time player: Hucks
Favourite current player: Hhmm…
Most memorable City game: Milk Cup semi against ‘them lot’
Favourite away ground: Can I say Wembley? If not, The Emirates
Favourite City manager: Paul Lambert – even though he broke my heart
Ed Couzens-Lake
Forever in his dreams an unplayable right-winger putting over tantalising crosses for Chris Sutton to feed off, Ed has written loads of books about the Canaries. Born, like Lord Nelson, in a quiet North Norfolk village, he now lives and works in temporary exile near Chichester in West Sussex.
First Norwich game: January 16th 1981 vs Rotherham. City won 2-0
Carrow Road home: I’m a wanderer now but usually found in the River End
Favourite all-time player: Martin Peters
Favourite current player: Ben Godfrey
Most memorable City game: 1985 League Cup Final
Favourite away ground(s): Loftus Road and White Hart Lane
Favourite City Manager: Ken Brown
Mick Dennis
Was Aarons to Stewart Lewis’s Coney in the Capital Canaries’ promotion season from the West Fulham League Div Four. A retired sports journalist and broadcaster whose career began as City correspondent of the EDP and ended with a labour of love: editing the three Tales From The City books.
First Norwich game: 1971
Carrow Road home: Community Upper
Favourite all-time player: Duncan Forbes
Favourite current player: Todd Cantwell
Most memorable game: Ip5w1ch away, 2011
Favourite away ground: Watford (7 miles from home)
Favourite City manager: Ken Brown
Gary Field
Born afar from Nelson’s County, but Norfolk has always been Gary’s considered second home since an early age. Booted and suited from 9 to 5, he’s a Chartered Surveyor. A season ticket holder and regular away traveller, he is also Canaries Trust Board member, City shareholder, with a general interest in football governance.
First Norwich game: Martin Peters’ testimonial, October 1978.
Carrow Road home: 59ers lounge
Favourite all-time player: Darren Huckerby
Favourite current player: Timm Klose
Most memorable City game: Wembley Play-off final 2015
Favourite away ground: Emirates Stadium.
Favourite City manager: Paul Lambert
James Finbow
Son of an Ipswich fan, James dodged the ‘dark side’. Now a graphic designer by trade having played, coached, scouted, officiated the beautiful game, he’s been a hero-worshipper of Flecky, Eadie and Holty in his time. A collector of football shirts, he was a season ticket holder in the Lower Barclay and is currently marooned on 68 English league grounds visited.
First Norwich game: Millwall 1988
Carrow Road home: Barclay Lower, Block D
Favourite all-time ever player: Robert Fleck
Favourite current player: Tom Trybull
Most memorable City game: Bayern Munich v City
Favourite away ground: The Emirates
Favourite City manager: Dave Stringer
Jack Goddard
Forced to start going to games at the age of five, Jack begrudgingly never had a choice but to support City. However, despite university and world travels getting in the way of late, he has now been a season ticket holder of 15 years. Jack has a degree in sports journalism and is more than happy to write/moan about Norwich City.
First Norwich game: A 2-1 win over West Brom in December 1999.
Carrow Road home: The Aviva Community Stand
Favourite all-time player: Grant Holt
Favourite current player: Mario Vrancic
Most memorable game: 1-0 away win at Portsmouth in 2011
Favourite away ground: Fratton Park (see above)
Favourite City manager: Paul Lambert
Andy Head
Season ticket holder and formerly co-editor and writer of the Y’Army City fanzine. Takes sole credit for Darren Huckerby signing for the club, having written a song about him for the fanzine to the tune of “Candle In The Wind”, which was on Look East and saw Andy and colleagues singing wistfully to Hucks in a pub urging him to stay.
First Norwich game: Aldershot at home in 1984
Carrow Road home: Upper Barclay
Favourite all-time player: Darren Huckerby
Favourite current player: Christoph Zimmermann
Most memorable City game: Norwich 1 Aston Villa 0, 1993
Favourite away ground: Old Trafford
Favourite City manager: Paul Lambert
Emma James
Despite living nearly 200 miles away from the City, Emma had no choice but to support Norwich with some of her earliest memories being of the Canaries on TV or the lengthy car journey’s up to Norfolk. Has a degree in Print Journalism from Nottingham Trent University, and aims to continue in the field of sports journalism while using her love of a good statistic.
First Norwich game: Norwich vs Wycombe (August 22, 2009)
Carrow Road home: Jarrold Stand
Favourite all-time player: Grant Holt/Robert Snodgrass
Favourite current player: Moritz Leitner
Most memorable City game: Norwich 5-1 Nottingham Forest
Favourite away ground: Pride Park Stadium, Derby
Favourite City manager: Paul Lambert
Will Jennings
Ex-Durham University History student. now sports journalist. A former season-ticket holder in the Jarrold who attempted to follow the Yellow Army both at home and away. A City fan since that glorious 2003/04 season, having watched – and unsuccessfully sought to replicate himself as a centre-half – those brilliant defensive performances of Fleming and Mackay.
First Norwich game: March 2004
Carrow Road home: South Stand (Jarrold to me!)
Favourite all-time player: Andrew Crofts
Favourite current player: Grant Hanley
Most memorable City game: Ipswich 1-5 Norwich
Favourite away ground: Bramall Lane
Favourite City manager: Paul Lambert
Allan Kemp
Born just over the border in North Suffolk, Allan attended his first City game in March 1982. Many years later, he’s an exiled Canary living down in Bristol but still coincides family visits with home games. An accountant by trade, he’s also a qualified FA Coach and enjoys writing. In 2012, his book – Hall of Fame Norwich City’s All-Time Greats was published and he’s been a regular writer for the website – It’s Round and It’s White.
First Norwich game: Watford home 4-2 March 1982
Carrow Road home: Either Lower Barclay or the South (Jarrold) Stand
Favourite all-time player(s): No-one specific but the 1985-86 and 1988-89 teams stand out fondly for me
Favourite current player: Emi Buendia
Most memorable City game: Bayern Munich (home)
Favourite away ground: Ashton Gate, Bristol City
Favourite City manager: Daniel Farke
Stewart Lewis
Stewart left his native Norfolk for university in Cambridge, then worked in London. He was a director of the opinion research firm MORI for 20 years. Carrow Road remains the spiritual home. Life highlights: singing with Pavarotti, watching Norwich in the San Siro, playing with Mick Dennis – but not necessarily in that order.
First Norwich game: 1963 (early days of Keelan)
Carrow Road home: City Stand (but have had season tickets in all four stands)
Favourite all-time player: Martin Peters
Favourite current player: Emi Buendia
Most memorable game: 1985 Milk Cup semi win over Ipswich
Favourite away ground: City Ground, Nottingham
Favourite City manager: Dave Stringer
Martin MacBlain
Born in Bury St Edmunds in 1980, Martin swiftly crossed the border to live in Aylsham but it wasn’t until a move to Glastonbury that he became a true Canary. At an early age, he swapped football for hockey and despite retiring from playing in 2004, is still involved in coaching at a high level. Outside of hockey, Martin is a history and politics teacher.
First Norwich game: 1994 v Leicester
Carrow Road home: Lower Barclay
Favourite all-time player: Darren Eadie
Favourite current player: Mario Vrancic
Most memorable City game: Middlesbrough at Wembley
Favourite away ground: Ashton Gate
Favourite City manager: Daniel Farke
Martin Penney
Born into a Cockney family, Martin had to swim against the tide from an early age. His mother was evacuated to Brisley in 1940 and frequent return visits to the Frost family began his affection for NCFC. Was Sports Editor of the Harlow Gazette, spent three years in the Met, was a Sports sub-editor on The Sun and also wrote for the NME.
First Norwich game: 1967 v Plymouth
Carrow Road home: Upper Barclay
Favourite all-time player: Mark Bowen
Favourite current player: Christoph Zimmermann
Most memorable City game: Bayern Munich (away)
Favourite away ground: White Hart Lane
Favourite City manager: Paul Lambert
Chris Sadler
Currently resident in north Norfolk, but has padded the mean streets of Gt Yarmouth, Diss and Thetford. Has written the odd article on Norwich City and other subjects and cheerfully anticipates a future spattered with NCFC successes like the green speckles on a 1992-94 home shirt.
First Norwich game: 20th September 1975 v Leicester City (2-0)
Carrow Road home: River End
Favourite all-time player: Dean Coney Ted MacDougall
Favourite current player: Emi Buendia
Most memorable game: 24th March 1985 v Sunderland (1-0 – plus a trophy)
Favourite away ground: Portman Road
Favourite City manager: Ken Brown
Robin Sainty
Robin is a true football person. After a career as a striker at clubs like Wisbech Town and King’s Lynn, he managed teams in the Eastern Counties League for 13 seasons before concentrating on his beloved Norwich City. He is chair of the Canaries Trust and an EDP columnist.
First Norwich game: January 1967, FA Cup 4th round v Sheffield Wednesday
Carrow Road home: South Stand, Block M, Row O, Seat 172
Favourite all-time player: Kevin Reeves. I cried when he was sold
Favourite current player: Grant Hanley
Most memorable City game: Milk Cup Final
Favourite away ground: The Etihad
Favourite City manager: John Bond. Built one of the best ever City teams
Samuel Seaman
Sam’s love for the Canaries started aged 7, in the midst of City’s double-promotion glory days. Supporting Norwich from the East Midlands, he’s become a connoisseur of away grounds and currently studies football journalism at the University of Derby. Despite being likened to Wes Hoolahan, is in fact the Emi Buendía of the five-a-side game.
First Norwich game: August 2010 v Newcastle
Carrow Road home: South Stand
Favourite all-time player: Wesley Hoolahan
Favourite current player: Emi Buendía
Most memorable City game: Play-Off Final 2015
Favourite away ground: Goodison Park
Favourite City manager: Daniel Farke
Rick Waghorn
Rick returned to his family’s Norfolk roots when he joined the Evening News in 1992 as a sports reporter. He became the paper’s Norwich City football writer at the start of 1993-94… just in time to follow the Canaries on their epic UEFA Cup adventure. After 13 years with the EN, he left Archant in 2005 to set up MyFootballWriter.com.
First Norwich game: December 1992
Carrow Road home: Press Box
Favourite all-time player: Ian Crook
Favourite current player: Ben Godfrey
Most memorable game: Bayern Munich (away)
Favourite away ground: Olympic Stadium, Munich
Favourite City manager: Mike Walker