Bowditch's swift impact leaves Ipswich crowing

Norwich City 0 Ipswich Town

Supporters will forgive players almost anything if at some time they can make a lasting impact in the furnace of a local derby. Some see an entire career pass by without managing it but Dean Bowditch did the trick yesterday at just 16 years of age and with his very first involvement in senior football.

Joe Royle had not yet lost patience with his strikers but he was beginning to become a little concerned at Ipswich's failure to translate their superiority into something tangible. After 70 minutes he sent for Bowditch and within 60 seconds the blue corner of Carrow Road was singing and dancing and beginning the celebrations of a first triumph in this neighbourly skirmish in six attempts.

Bowditch, who Royle described afterwards as a "special talent", in fact had an important role in both goals as the Suffolk side moved to within a single point of Norwich while closing the points divide on those teams occupying the play-off places to seven. They would have been furious with themselves had they not gone home with all three because this was a disjointed performance from Norwich, lacking subtlety and strength.

"I don't think even the most die-hard Norwich fan would disagree that we deserved to win today," Royle said. "The only worry I had was that we might be punished for not putting our chances away."

The "two Darrens", Ambrose and Bent, who have done so much to transform Ipswich's season since Royle's arrival, were guilty of blowing three chances in the first half. As the home team at last began to land a few passes on target and involve the former Canaries goalkeeper, Andy Marshall, for the first time, those missed opportunities began to grow in importance.

The referee had also turned away from two invitations to break the deadlock, the second as obvious a penalty shout as there can be as Marshall's opposite number, Robert Green, brought Matthew Richards to the floor. Astonishingly Graham Laws was unmoved – as he had been four minutes earlier when Thomas Gaardsoe blocked a strong run from Mark Rivers.

Ipswich's previous two visits to this ground had ended in goalless draw and a third began to loom large when Bowditch's first touch in senior football put him clear as Craig Fleming crumpled to the floor with a foot injury that saw him ferried away to hospital. Bowditch pulled the ball back for Tommy Miller, whose skewed effort was headed away by Adam Drury but only as far as Fabian Wilnis. He rifled the ball home.

In injury time and with Norwich throwing everything forward, Bowditch launched a breakaway which Bent showed composure to finish, his low shot beating Green.

Norwich had earlier been frustrated by Marshall's reactions when Paul McVeigh got a touch to a shot from David Healy. But, the dynamic runs of Rivers aside, they were unable to find much penetration.

Goals: Wilnis (72) 0-1; D Bent (90) 0-2.

Norwich City (4-4-2): Green; Kenton, Fleming (Mulryne, 75), Bromby, Drury; Rivers (Henderson, 76), Holt, Easton (Abbey, 80), McVeigh; Healy, Roberts. Substitutes not used: Crichton (gk), Russell.

Ipswich Town (3-5-2): Marshall; Holland, Gaardsoe, Makin; Wilnis, Wright, Miller, Magilton (Naylor, 89), Richards; D Bent, Ambrose (Bowditch, 71). Substitutes not used: Pullen (gk), Reuser, Abidallah.

Referee: G Laws (Whitley Bay).

Booking: Norwich: Roberts.

Man of the match: Holland.

Attendance: 21,243.