Norwich City

Every Friday, the BBC Radio Norfolk team provide a quiz for Norwich City fans.

This week's episode has a Stoke City flavour as the Canaries travel to the Potteries for their Championship game on Saturday.

Here are the questions:

Jack Stacey scored on his 100th appearance for Norwich City against Wrexham. Which player who was sold in the summer of 2020 played exactly 100 games for the club?

Norwich beat Stoke City 4-2 at Carrow Road in February 2025. Who opened the scoring for the Canaries in that game?

Norwich haven't lost at Stoke since a 3-1 defeat in January 2016. Which Canary was sent off in that game?

Who scored Norwich City's first ever goal at Stoke's current ground? He gave the Canaries the lead in a 1-1 draw in August 2002?

*For a bonus point who scored Norwich's last goal at Stoke's old Victoria Ground in a 2-1 win in 1997.

Us and them: Name the player from the career path: Manchester City, Bury (loan), Norwich City, Stoke City, QPR, Barnsley, Blackpool, Macclesfield, Shrewsbury, Warrington Town.

Birthday Bonus: Happy 36th birthday to a player who played seven games on loan for Norwich and went onto play for Inter Miami before becoming the MLS club's TV host. Name the player.

You can email your guesses to thescrimmage@bbc.co.uk. Subscribe to the Scrimmage Daily on BBC Sounds for more Norwich City chat.

Image source, Opta

Norwich City travel to Stoke City on Saturday (15:00 BST) as 15th in the Championship takes on second.

Norwich are yet to lose on the road in the league this season but will aim to tighten up the defence after keeping only one clean sheet so far against 10-man Blackburn Rovers.

After a fast start, Stoke City have lost twice in their last three league games.

• Stoke City are winless in their last nine league meetings with Norwich (D3 L6) since a 1-0 away win in October 2018.

• Having lost six of their seven away league games against Stoke between 2005 and 2016 (W1), Norwich are now unbeaten in their last five visits (W2 D3).

• No side has conceded fewer Championship goals this season than Stoke (4), with the Potters yet to concede more than once in any of their six games so far.

• Norwich are unbeaten in all three of their away league games so far this season (W2 D1), in stark contrast to their home form of which they have lost all three.

• No player has scored more Championship goals this season than Norwich's Josh Sargent, with his five goals coming from just seven shots on target.

Image source, BBC Sport

A potential move to take the Championship play-offs down to eighth place would damage the competition's credibility, according to former Huddersfield, Stoke and Middlesbrough defender Tommy Smith.

The EFL board is set to discuss proposals to increase the number of teams in the end-of-season play-offs from four to six but Smith, who was promoted to the Premier League with Huddersfield via the play-offs in 2017 is not a fan of the idea.

"It's not for me - I think it suits teams who don't really have a chance to get in the top six," he told the BBC's EFL podcast 72+.

"From a credibility point of view the top six is there to be aimed at and you have to earn your place in it."

The play-offs were first introduced for the 1986-87 season where sides finishing third down to fifth were involved along with the team third-from-bottom in the top flight.

After two seasons the format was changed to be played out between teams finishing third to sixth in the second tier.

"To finish eighth in the Championship and potentially get promoted to the Premier League it just doesn't sit right with me," added Smith.

"Notoriously over the past years getting into the top six is tough and when you get in there after a long hard season it feels brilliant, so to make it a top eight it dilutes it."

Rob Butler
BBC Radio Norfolk Canary Call, presenter

Image source, Rex Features

Norwich City head coach Liam Manning has confirmed that Papa Amadou Diallo will miss months of action with a leg injury.

The 21-year-old Senegalese winger came off late in Saturday's 3-2 home defeat by Wrexham with a thigh injury which requires surgery.

Manning has been speaking to the press ahead of Saturday's game at Stoke City (15:00 BST). Here are some of the key points:

• Diallo requires surgery and is likely to miss the rest of 2025.

• Captain Kenny McLean will possibly return against Stoke. He missed the defeat against Wrexham with a back injury.

• "Players were really honest" - Manning said some frank conversations have taken place following the Canaries' fourth home defeat of the season in all competitions.

• Manning said he will have "a few more sleepless nights" before telling the players the team for Saturday's game.

You can listen to live commentary of Stoke City v Norwich City with BBC Radio Norfolk. Coverage starts at 14:00 BST on Saturday.

Louie Moulden has given an insight into the life of a third-string keeper at Carrow Road.

The 23-year-old joined City in the summer after his release by Crystal Palace and counts Man City and Wolves among his former clubs, though his first-team appearances have been limited to 68 loan appearances in non-league, with another 12 at League One Northampton in 2024.

He is currently back-up to summer signings Vladan Kovacevic and Dan Grimshaw, having made two appearances on the bench in the EFL Cup, and told BBC Radio Norfolk: "Day-to-day is knowing my role is to push the other boys, make sure my level's high and get the most out of myself and then hopefully the opportunities come later down the line.

"For the moment it's about making sure I am training well, showing the manager what I can do and playing my part in making sure the weekends go as well as they can do.

"It's quite a strange dynamic, we all want to play but only one of us is going to. It's about focusing on myself. Of course I am friends with them, we all know we all want to play but it's about getting on with it respectfully – we have got a really good group and train really well."

With the East Anglian Derby looming on 5 October, Canaries fans have already begun talking about the potential for extending their 16-year unbeaten run against the Tractor Boys.

"I think sometimes the fans maybe worry the players don't know what games to mean to them," Moulden added. "We're all very aware of what the Ipswich game means to the fans. The players know it, the players feel it.

"Once the game comes round we'll take it in the correct manner, we know what it means to the fans and we'll give it a right good go."

Listen to the full episode of The Scrimmage and more Norwich City content on BBC Sounds.

Former Canaries winger Onel Hernandez couldn't hide his passion as he joined Rob Butler and Chris Reeve for a special edition of BBC Radio Norfolk's The Scrimmage podcast.

The 32-year-old Cuban made more than 180 appearances over seven years before departing Carrow Road in the summer and spoke with passion about the current state of affairs at the club.

Among the topics he discussed were the importance of Kenny McLean, Josh Sargent being isolated, missing Borja Sainz, players needing to step up and the importance of getting behind Liam Manning.

He said: "It's not a great start to the season, it's frustrating but there's no way to get rid of a coach or be negative.

"The team needs everyone behind them to get out of the situation together. If you get out of the difficult times then you'll see the light at the end (of the tunnel).

"Liam Manning needs time. Maybe he has trusted the players too much and will think now he'll make a change."

Reflecting on the 3-2 defeat to Wrexham - City's fourth straight home defeat in all competitions this season - Hernandez said: "You can lose games but at least show some fighting spirit out there.

"Go out and show teams they can't just score goals at Carrow Road. A few months ago no-one could beat us, we had a (great) home record."

Norwich face Stoke and West Brom before the East Anglian Derby at Ipswich on 5 October where City's 16-year unbeaten record against their rivals will come under threat.

Hernandez said: "It's more than a game. I hope we get a good result there, but let's be honest, the results have not been great. Momentum is very important. We need some good momentum from the next two games to take into that game otherwise we will not win, it's important to have positivity behind you."

In a rallying call to City fans and players, he added: "The most important thing is to stick together, although I understand the frustration of the fans. It's not a transition season anymore, it's showtime, we need to show up.

"The fans spend loads of money travelling everywhere for us, and what do we give them back at the end of the day. If you don't understand it as a player then I don't know what's wrong with you."

Image source, Rex Features

Norwich City manager Liam Manning has said he is "tired of waiting" for his side's home fortunes to change following their 3-2 loss to Wrexham.

Jack Stacey put the Canaries 1-0 up at half-time but three unanswered goals from Wrexham in the second period succumbed Norwich to their fourth straight loss at Carrow Road.

Jovon Makama scored a late consolation for the hosts.

"We were far too passive, we don't step up and take responsibility," said Manning to BBC Radio Norfolk after the match. "That 15 minutes [after half time] cost us.

"We're not quite where we need to be and I'm a bit hurt, angry, frustrated and a bit tired of waiting.

"We've got to all take responsibility, step up and change it because today wasn't good enough."

Norwich City will seek to end their Carrow Road hoodoo as Wrexham head to Norfolk on Saturday (15:00 BST).

The Canaries have taken seven points from nine on the road after a battling 1-1 draw at Coventry last time out, but have lost both home games in the Championship and were also soundly beaten in the EFL Cup infront of their own fans.

Wrexham picked up their first win at this level in more than 40 years in their last game on the road at Millwall, but went down 3-1 at home to QPR last time out to remain among the early strugglers.

• Norwich City are unbeaten in each of their six games against Wrexham in the Football League, winning each of the last five (D1).

• This will be the first meeting between Norwich City and Wrexham since February 1982 in the second tier, a 4-0 win for the Canaries.

• Norwich City have lost their first two home league matches so far in 2025-26 – only in 2021-22 in the Premier League have they lost their first three home games in a season.

• Wrexham are looking to win consecutive away second tier league games for only a third time, also doing so in August 1978 and December 1980.

• Josh Sargent has netted 33 goals in 50 home Championship matches for Norwich City. Since 2004-05 – and including play-offs – the only player to net more times in his first 50 home Championship games is Dwight Gayle (37).

Norwich City midfielder Liam Gibbs says he was "surprised" Marcelino Nunez moved to their East Anglian rivals Ipswich Town this summer.

The Chile midfielder made the controversial transfer to the Tractor Boys in August - the first senior player to do so since goalkeeper Andy Marshall in 2001 - for a reported £10m, startling his Canary team-mates.

"I was very surprised, it came as a shock to everyone," Gibbs told BBC Radio Norfolk.

"The players at Norwich have obviously all spoke about it and it's tough because he was a team-mate of ours. Nobody wants a team-mate to go to the rival club and then compete in the same league as us, going for promotion just like us.

"It's a horrible one but I think we've all sort of moved on from that now and just focus on what we can do and, come the derby game (at Portman Road on 5 October), hopefully keep the run going and beat them."

Gibbs knows a thing or two about such a switch, having done the reverse when he made the move to Norfolk from Ipswich's Under-18s team in 2021.

The 22-year-old was the last player to move between the two teams before Nunez's departure.

"I saw an opportunity to play first-team football because at the time I was just on the fringe of that," Gibbs said.

"I've come over, I've played a lot of Championship games and got a lot of Championship minutes which at the time I didn't feel I was going to get at Ipswich.

"I've made the decision based on what I felt what was best for me at the time. He [Nunez] may say the same thing and then I'll just have to say 'fair enough' to him. But I believe I've made the right decision."

Listen to the full interview with Gibbs and more Norwich City content on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Rex Features

Norwich City forward Mathias Kvistgaarden will be out injured for six weeks.

The Dane limped off with a knee problem at Coventry during the Canaries' most recent Championship game.

Defender Ben Chrisene will miss eight weeks with a hamstring injury sustained in the same match.

Head coach Liam Manning has been speaking to the media before Saturday's game at home to Wrexham - here are some of the key points:

• Both Kvistgaarden and Chrisene do not require surgery to aid their recoveries from injury.

• Manning said he is not worried about his side's failure to win at home yet, but admits it is important the team put that right as soon as possible.

• Defender Jeffrey Schlupp is back training but not available for Saturday's game.

• Centre-back Jose Cordoba has recovered from flu and will be back in the squad.

• On Wrexham, Manning said he admires their recruitment following their return to the second tier of English football.

You can listen to full live commentary of Norwich v Wrexham with BBC Radio Norfolk on Saturday. Coverage begins at 14:00 BST.

"We almost stole the show, it was just an absolute onslaught from Coventry."

"I am so so proud of how the lads really dug in. You'd take a point at Cov all day long."

This week on The Scrimmage, Rob Butler and Chris Reeve discuss the 1-1 draw at Coventry City plus Mathias Kvistgaarden's goal and acrobatic celebration before being joined by a special guest to help preview Saturday's tasty tie with 'Hollywood' Wrexham.

Listen to the full episode of The Scrimmage on Sounds.

Marc Webber
BBC Final Score reporter

Image source, Rex Features

Saturday's smash-and-grab at Coventry may have been mission incomplete when Haji Wright poked home an equaliser in the 96th minute, but it was still an impressive point for Norwich City.

When you know the opposition can outplay you in attack, it's all about rummaging in the locker marked 'game management' and seeing what tools you have.

And Norwich were more tooled up than a freshly-stocked DIY warehouse.

The defence was alert, hoovering up several balls that would have normally found their way on to Coventry heads and feet.

If there was a Norwich Man of the Match, it would surely have been keeper Vladan Kovacevic, who made three amazing saves to keep them in the game.

The boos around the ground told you the number of injury stops had the whiff of the dark arts in play by Norwich.

But needs must - and it shows the defence is probably not the area of concern for this developing side right now.

Play along with our Norwich City quiz for the ultimate Canaries fan, brought to you by BBC Radio Norfolk.

Every Friday, Chris Goreham and Rob Butler bring you 'Quiz Goreham' which consist of five questions all relating to Norwich City.

Think you know all the answers? Send them in to thescrimmage@bbc.co.uk

Listen to previous editions of 'Quiz Goreham' and more Norwich City on Sounds.

Coventry City are yet to lose in the Championship and will be hoping that continues as they welcome a Norwich side that have struggled for consistency on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The Sky Blues have scored more goals than anyone else in the division, largely down to their 7-1 win against QPR in their last home game.

Norwich are aiming for back-to-back wins for the first time this season having won two and lost two of their opening four games.

• Coventry are winless in their last 10 league games against Norwich (D3 L7), losing six of their previous seven.

• Norwich have won on four of their last five league trips to Coventry (D1), one more than in their first 48 league visits (W3 D9 L36).

• After beginning the 2025-26 season with a goalless draw against Hull City, Coventry's last three league games have seen 20 goals scored (F14, A6). Indeed, since Frank Lampard's first game in charge in November, no side in the competition have seen more goals in their games than the Sky Blues (95 – F56 A39).

• Norwich are looking to win three successive away league games for the first time since October 2022 under Dean Smith.

• Josh Sargent's is currently on 49 Championship goals for Norwich following his brace against Blackburn Rovers last time out; since his debut in the competition (30th July 2022) only Joel Piroe (51) has reached 50 goals in the competition.