Will Still rang the changes, 7 of them in total, but it was still a strong side and after a shaky 30 minutes or so Saints got into gear and never really looked back as they cruised to a comfortable victory in the second half.

They say in football that you can only play what is in front of you and that was the case in this game, with Norwich themselves making 9 changes to Saints 7.

For the first half hour we struggled to find any sort of cohesion, the Canaries were flying hard and fast at our defence and it creaked, although as in previous matches, much of it was of our own making.

Will Still kept with the back three formation, if only because he had no choice with Ryan Fraser literally the only winger left at the club, the can't make up his mind Sam Edozie aside.

But then it changes a little, Flynn Downes anchored the midfield, protecting the back four with a four man midfield in front of him and Cameron Archer & Ross Stewart up front.

But after that shaky start with Alex McCarthy needing to make a couple of good saves to keep the scores level, we seemed to get to grips with the task in hand and just before the break Cameron Archer took a short pass from Ross Stewart in his stride and then curled in a great shot that left the keeper no chance.

In the second half there was really only one team in it, Norwich kept going and looked good on the break, but our back three stood strong, Joshua Quarshie & Ronnie Edwards deserve a mention here, both much maligned in some quarters in the opening Championship matches, they grew into this game and you could see the confidence growing both defensively and passing the ball forward and this was perhaps key.

Just after the hour mark it was two, Ryan Fraser made a run forward into space and Ryan Manning spotted it and played a sublime ball into that space, some might say that the full back should have done better, but Fraser had been proactive and created the opening and the Norwich man had to chase him and had no real idea where the ball was.

Fraser took the ball on and slotted it past the keeper and at that point I think Norwich knew that the game was up.

Now Saints were in command, Alex McCarthy didn't have many saves to make in the second period, but he still had to make a decent save early on and now it was just a question of dealing with balls into the box which he did with ease.

Ironically after creating and scoring the second goal, this was the last action for both Fraser and Manning who went off for Kuryu Matsuki & Charlie Taylor respectively, a good piece of tactical nous by Will Still who brought in the more defensively minded Taylor and also the fresh legs of Matsuki.

10 minutes later and we did the same up front, both Stewart & Archer had worked hard and now we brought on the fresh Damion Downs & Ben Brereton Dias to keep the pressing from the front up.

In the 81st minute came a moment few were expecting. probably not even Kuryu Matsuki, he picked up the ball on the right and then made a 20 yard run into the space in front of him and unleashed a goal that Matt Le Tissier himself would have been proud of, top left corner from 25 yards leaving the keeper grasping at fresh air.

That sealed the win, although we spurned a couple of good chances late on to make it four, Will Still will have been pleased with the nights work.

Obviously some will point to the fact that Norwich made 9 changes and that we essentially beat a Norwich 2nd string, but we made 7 changes ourselves and we were missing the likes of Matteus Fernandes who was Will Still confirmed was rested rather than anything transfer related.

In the starting line up, only Flynn Downes, Shea Charles & Ryan Fraser can truly expect to start on Saturday at Watford, to be blunt all the other positions for the trip to Watford are up for grabs, no one has been convincing in any of them.

Alex McCarthy did his chances of pushing Gavin Bazunu for a place no harm and the three in the back four were fairly solid after the first half hour.

Of those pushing for a place on Saturday. both wide men Ryan Manning and full debutant Mads Roerslev, also had solid games and used the ball well, I would not be surprised to see both start on Saturday.

Up front Cameron Archer showed what he can do when given the ball and able to run at defences and shoot, Ross Stewart was a little rusty and looked a yard off the pace at times, but that will come with games.

The subs also showed they could add something to this season, Kuryu Matsuki looked hard working and showed he had an eye for goal, we of course hope that Matteus Fernandes doesn't leave, but if he does then Matsuki could be a surprise package this season.

Charlie Taylor slotted in on the left and his experience and organising capabilities could also see him start on the left on Saturday ahead of Manning, he too could play a big part this season.

The two forwards who came on did not have a lot of time to shine, but both could have added to the total and in fairness to Ben Brereton Dias he put in a lot of effort and was professional in his performance despite his time so far at St Mary's being a disaster.
Damion Downs had been written off by some after two appearances in the Championship totalling less than 90 minutes, he is big strong and fast, lets reserve judgement on him for a little while.

Last sub was Moses Sesay, he only had 6 minutes plus injury time on the pitch and at 18 years old looked composed in what he did, again could be a good late sub in Championship matches to close out games.

Ok we should not get too carried away, this was Norwich's reserve side to use an antiquated term, but this was also essentially our reserve squad and highlights our strength in depth in all areas bar on the wing.

Will Still will see this game as being useful as it allowed some of his fringe players a run out and some of those he will see as first team regulars when they find their form, I think he would consider both Ronnie Edwards & Joshua Quarshie his first choices in a back three, but moth have started the season shakily, they got back on track last night and I for one would not be disappointed if they were both in the starting line up on Saturday with Taylor Harwood-Bellis in the centre.

As I said you can only play what is in front of you, I think that the big advantage we have over most of our rivals for promotion is the depth of our squad, as happened two years ago as we powered through Autumn & Winter as injury & suspensions kicked in, we have replacements who are in many cases as good as those they are challenging for a place with.

So for me it was all about taking the positives and not the negatives, I am not dressing this up as a win over Liverpool, it is what it is, but it is a step in the right direction, there are 43 games left in the Championship regular season, results are what matters at the moment, not performances.

All Photos Via Reuters

Block8 added 10:01 - Aug 27 I liked the Stewart and Archer combination, Archer is a natural goal scorer and Stewart worked their defence tirelessly. Both just need some match fitness and in Stewart's case to remain fit!
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Boris1977 added 10:17 - Aug 27 Archer is a scorer of stylish goals or as the. Old skool cliché a scorer of great goals rather than a great goal scorer. Maybe with a run in the team he can put that right
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saintmark1976 added 10:21 - Aug 27 Agreed neither of them are “pulling up trees” keepers. Bazunu first choice ahead of McCarthy though ? Not on the basis of yesterday’s game where McCarthy kept us in it early doors,much as he was responsible for our appearance at Wembley after Bazunu suffered an injury the season before last.
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IanRC added 11:00 - Aug 27 Frankly that second team performance looked much more organised and together than our first team on Saturday. I would be quite happy to see that side start on Saturday perhaps with the inclusion of THB and then Fernandes and Robertson at some stage.
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wibbersda added 11:50 - Aug 27 I maybe getting ahead of myself, but does anyone here think this a team that could survive the Prem? I think not.
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Bowlercow added 12:16 - Aug 27 Things that were good last night:- Three really good goals Three different scorers A clean sheet A marginally better organised defence A starting line up that looked positive from the off Was Alex in goal the reason the back line looked better? Will has often changed to attack minded players in the last 30 minutes It was good to see two major strikers from the start.Archer and Stewart looked like they may be able to establish a strong partnership They both worked for each other

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Farlow added 12:38 - Aug 27 If Macarthy had played on Saturday we would not have lost,
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SaintPaulVW added 16:04 - Aug 27 Positives: Thought Mads Roerslev was really solid. Looks a good addition. Fraser and Manning played well too. Archer looked a lot more committed and Stewart got in the right places but just couldn't finish. Hopefully just a bit of match fitness needed. McCarthy despite one odd moment when he needed a Cruyff turn to get out of trouble, was solid. 3rd goal was a screamer. Negatives: Downes still isn't as good as he was 2 years ago, missed passes and loses the ball too easy. CB's were at sea for the first 20 mins - even ran into one another, gave the ball away cheaply but then seemed to sort themselves out after that. BBD was awful when he came on.

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YosemiteSaint added 17:43 - Aug 27 This match could have gone either way; it was a comedy of errors on both sides early on. But we took our chances (quite neatly, too) and put the game to bed after the second. It's not going to get any easier than it was last night. But we started to show some grit and guile, and here's hoping that extends into the league.
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davidargyll added 17:58 - Aug 27 There is no doubt what a difference to confidence the first, and especially the second, goal when they went in made to the team. It was almost as if the air of self-disbelief that seemed to have surrounded the team so far this season was suddenly blown away. And they all suddenly realised that “No, we are not as bad as others have suggested we might be. So let’s play with a bit of flair and make it FUN!!” That said, in the negative I agree about Downes and his inability to concentrate. Over confidence is what comes to mind which was only marginally improved if at all by making him skipper on the night. I may be wrong but I hope he has now realised that he is no longer (if he ever has been) a PL player and really needs to buck his ideas up to justify his position in the Championship. My fingers are firmly crossed. And as for Matsuki’s HOWITZER, could this be another talent that has been unearthed from the wide blue yonder? If so, GIMME GIMME MORE PLEASE, and the memory of a certain Mr Dibling arsing about is becoming a rapidly fading memory

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BigbadBarry8myboat added 22:29 - Aug 27 Anyone asking why our defence looked better. Just look at the players not playing. Goalkeeper and Centre back. Bazunu is great with his feet bat he does not anticipate shots so he's beaten when he has to move. The you have Jack Stephens who was extended for his organisation and communication skills, but who is silent as captain and couldn't organise the proverbial Brewery drinks. More communication in that second half than in the 3 games Stephens has played in. Downes look like the captain Stephens cannot be.

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