Football: Hot Goss the tormentor of the Town: Norwich win East Anglian derby

Norwich City. . .1

Ipswich Town. . .0

NORWICH rule this Eastern corner of fine football and solid principles, after a third successive victory which wipes out the memory of a double defeat inflicted by Ipswich last season and reinstates them to the third position where they concluded their last remarkable campaign.

They were the first Premiership points lost by Ipswich, indeed the first goal they had conceded. It fell once again to Jeremy Goss who, in his 11-season long career, has hardly troubled the scorers - only five in the League in all - but who now has two in successive games.

This latest one, a first-touch control in the 29th minute before guiding the ball beyond Clive Baker with his other foot, did not quite carry the 'Wow]' quality of his volley against Leeds at the weekend which drew comparisons with Marco van Basten, but was more significant as far as the Norwich supporters were concerned.

Last season's victory for Ipswich at Carrow Road was a mugging, protested Norfolk voices, two breakaway goals rewarding a spoiling, defensive operation. This time it was the visitors' turn to make the majority of play but, without their injured new striker, the goal-a-game Ian Marshall, they did not enjoy the penetration Norwich wrought from fewer attacks.

Mick Stockwell, the Ipswich right-back, had several opportunities, stinging Bryan Gunn's fingers from 30 yards after six minutes with a shot of some force which he should have repeated later on.

Norwich defended well, smothering the blue shirts sent forward to augment the skill and dash of Chris Kiwomya and Boncho Genchev, and successive clean sheets is especially welcome for the manager, Mike Walker, after their suicidal tendencies last season.

His opposite number, Mick McGiven, summed it up when he said: 'We are disappointed not to get the reward that our performance merited'. Yet that said, it was Norwich who came closest to changing the scoreline when Mark Robins, still searching for his first score of the season but the architect of this goal, met Ruel Fox's pass with an angled drive that came back off the underside of the crossbar. As it happened they did not need a second, their first victory over their local rivals in eight attempts assured Gossa-style.

Norwich City (1-3-4-2): Gunn; Culverhouse; Polston, Butterworth, Bowen; Fox, Goss, Crook, Newman; Robins, Sutton. Substitutes not used: Howie (gk), Megson, Ekoku.

Ipswich Town (4-4-2): Baker; Stockwell, Linighan, Wark, Whelan (Milton, 70); Whitton, Palmer, Williams, N Thompson; Genchev (Yallop, 64), Kiwomya. Substitute not used: Forrest (gk).

Referee: A Gunn (South Chailey, Sussex).