Football: Norwich intent on beating freeze: Carrow Road faces morning inspection
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Your support makes all the difference.NORWICH CITY may have to wait until next year to complete their Uefa Cup third-round tie with Internazionale of Milan if the wintry East Anglian weather prevents the first leg taking place at Carrow Road tonight.
A light covering of snow was cleared from the pitch yesterday to allow the Italian club's squad to train on it last night. The pitch will be inspected by the Swiss match referee this morning. Prospects of play will depend on last night's frost - with a possible -5C forecast locally yesterday.
If the game - a 21,000 sell-out - is called off this morning, the Canaries will try to play it tomorrow. If that option is ruled out, the football fans of Norfolk may have to wait until January to witness the Serie A side in action.
'Inter have already advised us that they couldn't play it again until after Christmas,' Robert Chase, the Norwich chairman, said. It is possible that the second leg in Italy on 8 December might become the first leg - to the potential advantage of the Canaries. 'That would be a matter for Uefa,' Chase added.
Last night, however, staff at Carrow Road were confident that the game will go ahead tonight. Whenever it is played, Mike Walker, the City manager, knows that his side must be wary of all 11 opponents, not just the likes of Dennis Bergkamp and Ruben Sosa.
'It's not the big names that concern me, more the supporting cast,' Walker said. 'We know all about Bergkamp and Sosa, but if they have off days, they have other players who can punish us as well.' He picked out Angelo Orlando and Davide Fontolan as 'particular threats from a game which will be a much greater tactical challenge than the tie against the Germans.
'Bayern Munich (beaten by Norwich in the second round) played a certain way, we knew what to expect with two wide men and the way they pushed on - a good side but a bit fallible at the back, we thought.
'For me, Inter have more mobility, they are technically as good if not better than the Germans. They have a bit more individual flair.'
Ruel Fox, the Norwich forward, will test his hamstring injury this afternoon. For Inter, Antonio Manicone is suspended, while Nicola Berti, Salvatore Schillaci and Paolo Tramezzani are injured.
Sheffield Wednesday's full-back problems continued yesterday when Phil King, their left-back, walked out of the Hillsborough club. After completing a month's loan at Notts County, King has cancelled his week-to-week contract. 'He doesn't want to play for us but we have to continue paying him,' Trevor Francis, the Owls manager, said. 'Those are the rules and we have to abide by them.' His first-choice right-back, Roland Nilsson, wants to return to his native Sweden.
Andy Payton, Celtic's former Middlesbrough forward, is discussing a pounds 300,000 move to Barnsley.
(Photograph omitted)
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