Half-a-century ago, there wasn’t even a Division Four, let alone a League Two, its modern day equivalent. After delays meant that the 1920/1 campaign was not regionalised, the next thirty seasons – split only by the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 – saw the bottom 48 teams split in a north-south divide with the top two sides in Division Three (North) and (South) earning promotion.
The Canaries were formed in 1902, and became a professional club in 1905, just twelve months before the Shrimpers. After three years in the Norfolk & Suffolk League, the final one producing the League Championship, they successfully applied for promotion to the Southern League, where they achieved a best place of seventh in their inaugural season. The first meetings of the two clubs came in 1908/9 after Blues were promoted to Division One, when the hosts won on both occasions, the scores being 3-0 at Roots Hall and 2-0 at The Nest, in Rosary Road.
In 1920/1, like Southend, Norwich became founder members of the new Third Division. However, unlike the Shrimpers, in 1933/4 the Canaries won promotion to Division Two when they won the title by seven points from Coventry City. United were destined to stay in Division Three (South) for its duration, never finishing higher than third.
City moved to their current home, Carrow Road, in 1935 (between 1902 and 1908 they played at Norfolk County FA headquarters in Newmarket Road), attracting a then club record crowd of 29,770 against West Ham United in August of that year. In the final full season before hostilities Europe-wide broke out, 1938/9, Norwich required to beat Nottingham Forest 4-0 on the final day to remain in Division Two. They did win, by one goal to nil, and were demoted by 0.048 of a goal on goal average, as League placings were decided in those days.
After the War had ended, the Third Division (South) resumed in 1946/7, and in both that campaign and the next, Norwich were forced to apply for re-election to the League, finishing second from bottom on both occasions. First time out, their position was not helped by heavy defeats – 3-0 and 5-1 – to the Shrimpers.
Throughout the 1950s, the clubs were regular rivals in East Anglia. That first meeting at Roots Hall, a 3-1 triumph for the hosts, saw Blues deny leading goalscorer Ralph Hunt from netting, a feat that became ever-more difficult as he slotted home 31 times during that campaign, a club record. Southend completed the season in fourth, their third-best position to date, whilst their first visitors came seventh.
In 1957/8, Blues won both matches against Norwich, Sammy McCrory grabbing a brace in a 5-2 Roots Hall win and also netting twice in the return fixture, which ended 2-0. A run of three defeats on the trot at the end of the term meant that the Canaries were pipped seventh place by United in the final week of the season. Both, though, qualified for the de-regionalised Third Division.
They played each other four times in the next two League seasons, United winning the home matches 1-0 but conceding four on their travels both times. This was a spell when City were buoyant, and at one stage forward Terry Bly bagged 29 goals in 30 games during 1959/60. Norwich were promoted to Division Two again, finishing in second place and leaving Blues behind.
In that season, it was the Norfolk club’s FA Cup run that provided the most entertainment. Having beaten Matt Busby’s Manchester United 3-0 at Carrow Road in the Third Round, Cardiff City lost 3-2 in Round Four and both Tottenham Hotspur and Sheffield United were defeated 3-2 in replays, goalkeeper Ken Nethercott dislocating a shoulder in the original tie against the Blades but painfully and heroically continuing nonetheless. They were knocked out by Luton Town, 1-0 in a replay, in the last four, the only time a Third Division side has reached that stage.
United remained in the Third Division until a disastrous 1965/6 campaign, which included a record League defeat (9-1 to Brighton & Hove Albion) and a humiliating 3-1 reverse at Workington Town. Blues were relegated to the fourth tier of English football for the first time in their history, but Norwich completed the Swinging Sixties by retaining their Second Division status throughout the decade, even if the closest they came to promotion was fourth in their first season back.
In 1961/2, City became just the second winners of the Football League Cup, winning an unlikely final 4-0 on aggregate over Fourth Division Rochdale. This was still a competition that the major clubs disregarded, and the only problem was that Suffolk enemies Ipswich Town were celebrating League Championship success.
1971/2 was a good year for both sides. Southend came out of the basement division wilderness with second place and promotion to the Third Division, whilst Ron Saunders guided the Canaries to the Second Division title in his third year in charge at Carrow Road. Whereas the former’s success lay in a 14-match unbeaten streak from late February to March under Arthur Rowley, Norwich started the season with 13 games undefeated that lead to their ultimate triumph.
Southend outlasted Norwich in terms of longevity in their respective divisions, staying in Division Three for four years, City’s stay was shorter – just two terms in fact – but they enjoyed their brief time at the top, reaching the finals of the League and Texaco Cups, losing 4-2 in a two-legged final to rivals Ipswich in the latter. They had got one-up on the Tractor Boys earlier in the year though, when they recorded their first top-flight victory against the Portman Road club.
Saunders left the club and was succeeded by John Bond, who likewise tasted League Cup defeat in his first campaign at the hands of his predecessor’s Aston Villa, 1-0 at Wembley. They finished behind the Villains and Manchester United, in their apocalyptic campaign, to earn their place in the First Division back at the first attempt.
This time City stayed for six seasons in the top division, earning a club best finish of tenth in 1975/6. In 1980/1, Bond resigned to join Manchester City, leaving number two Ken Brown to cop the flak for leading the side to the dreaded drop. Things could not have been more different in Essex, with the Shrimpers sweeping all before them to earn their only piece of genuine silverware – the Fourth Division Championship under Dave Smith. The side, which included the likes of Mervyn Cawston, Derek Spence, Ronnie Pountney, Alan Moody, Dave Cusack and Keith Mercer, contained some of the best players United have ever fielded.
However, Norwich were soon back once again in Division One after re-signing Martin O’Neill from Nottingham Forest. That was the catalyst for another bout of success, culminating in a 1984/5 Milk Cup triumph over Sunderland. This period was a troublesome one for the Shrimpers, as they suffered relegation back to Division Four under fallen World Cup winner Bobby Moore and ended up threatened with the drop to the Conference with a 20th-place finish.
Things also went horribly wrong at Carrow Road. Despite that League Cup win – a first at Wembley in three attempts – a run of eight League defeats in nine games plunged City into relegation trouble. Even so, a win at Chelsea in their last match should have been enough for the Canaries, with Coventry requiring three consecutive wins to deny them. Which the Sky Blues ultimately did. When Liverpool and Juventus supporters clashed at the Heysel Stadium in Belgium, worse was to follow. Norwich were denied their rightful place in the UEFA Cup as English clubs were banned from European competition for five years.
Whilst Southend slowly recovered in the Fourth Division, Norwich won the Second Division Championship with four matches to spare. In 1986/7, City would have qualified again for Europe after setting a new club-best fifth place finish in the League, but the suspension remained. Two seasons on, under Dave Stringer, the Canaries actually contested top spot, but faded away to fourth, and again, like the luckless Everton, Norwich were denied a trip to the continent.
When the Premier League was formed in 1992/3, Norwich were included – just – after an 18th-place finish in the 22-team First Division. Whereas the Canaries had remained stagnant, Blues sealed a double-promoted, and within three seasons had jumped from the old Fourth Division to the new First.
This was the greatest season in Norwich’s history as they completed the campaign in third spot under rookie boss Mike Walker. Ironically, it was achieved behind Manchester United and Aston Villa once again, but that was inconsequential. Finally, with English clubs back in Europe, Norwich hosted UEFA Cup football in 1993/4.
Vitesse Arnhem were beaten 3-0 on aggregate, and Norwich landed a plum tie against Bayern Munich. They won the first leg, at the Olympiastadion, 2-1, thus becoming the first English side to emerge triumphant from that ground. A 1-1 draw meant that the Canaries progressed, and Inter Milan lay in wait. The Italians won both legs with late goals, both netted by future Arsenal star Dennis Bergkamp. Walker resigned after clashing with Robert Chase, the chairman, and within two years of hosting the Italians, City were back at Roots Hall.
Meanwhile, in that very same season, Southend were also embarking on a European adventure, and travelling to Italy in the Anglo-Italian Cup. A 1-1 draw with Luton Town and a 3-0 victory against Watford meant that Blues reached the ‘International Round’, where they lost 3-0 away to Fiorentina, but won 2-1 at Cosenza and then progressed thanks to a 5-2 Hall win against Padova. Only a semi-final 4-3 penalty shoot-out defeat against Notts County at Meadow Lane prevented a Wembley final being reached.
In fact, the first meeting of the sides for 35 years came in Norfolk. Keith Jones was the solitary goalscorer in a 1-0 win for United, whilst John Byrne grabbed the Shrimpers strike in a 1-1 Roots Hall draw. That season saw Blues finish two places above Norwich in 14th, as O’Neill resigned as manager after another fall-out with Chase.
Even the appointment of Mike Walker again could not reignite the fire at Carrow Road, but there were destined to be only two more League meetings between the clubs as Blues subsided dramatically in a double-relegation, finishing bottom of the table both times. In September, the sides played out a goalless draw, in February in Essex, Andy Thomson scored in a 1-1 draw.
So, whilst the Shrimpers crashed back to basement division, in 2001/2, Norwich almost earned the right to play in the Premiership again, losing a penalty shoot-out 4-2 at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium to Birmingham City in the Play-Offs. By then Nigel Worthington was the boss, and he finally led his club to the title in 2003/4. A year later, a chastening 6-0 defeat to Fulham on the last day of the season silenced the Canaries’ chirping; the Shrimpers were back in League One after a Play-Off triumph against Lincoln City – the gap is closing again!
Robert Craven
www.thelittlegazette.com