It's Not About the Result!

Its about getting ready for when the season starts for real.

Gorleston were never going to win this match but enjoyed the raised profile caused by the visit of a Premiership team.

Having been mentioned in virtually every national newspaper this week the Sky Sports cameras were also present to report on this pre-season friendly.

Gorleston started the game lining up with last season's championship winning team but it took the Canaries only six minutes to score the first goal when Grant Holt thumped the ball home from a narrow angle.

Defender Zak Whitbread made it 2-0 in the 5 minutes later with a header from Wes Hoolahan’s cross following a short corner with Holt, who was actually in the middle of changing his boots at the time.

Gorleston goalkeeper Elliot Pride denied Holt with a fine fingertip save but it was 3-0 after 27 minutes when Holt scored from the penalty spot after Chris Martin had been upended by Adam Thurtle.

Korey Smith scored the fourth in the 33rd minute when he curled a right-foot shot through a crowd of players and a slight deflection helped to beat the dive of Pride.

Two minutes before the break, Steve Morison nodded back Tom Adeyemi’s cross for fellow substitute Simeon Jackson to head home from close range to make it 5-0.

Pride made two more good saves leading up to half time.

Gorleston fielded a totally different line up in the second half, with their new signings taking to the field and arguably, maybe because those players needed to show manager Richard Daniels what they were capable of, put in a better performance, moving the ball quicker to feet.

However, the flow of the game was still predominantly towards the Greens net.

Four minutes into the second half, Bradley Johnson drilled in the sixth for City from the edge of the penalty area.

Aaron Wilbraham was thwarted by a fine save from substitute ’keeper Jack Whatmough but he eventually made it 7-0 in the 75th minute when he tucked home a cross from Andrew Crofts.

Line ups:
• Gorleston: First half: Elliot Pride, Thomas Daniels, Reece Hunn, Gary Williams, Adam Thurtle, Eddie Thompson, Chris Sandford, Aaron Huggins-Bowers, Ali McKenna, Steve Taylor, Bradley Hough.

Second half: Elliot Pride (Jack Whatmough, 53), Tarren Grint (Kyle Ingram, 81), DJ Kareche, John Bell (Josh Armes, 83), Kyle Howell, Darren Cockrill, Ian Morgan (Simeon Randell, 86), Scott Woodgate (Jack Garrod, 72), Mitch Forbes, Ollie King (Christy Finch, 76), Liam Harvey-Cooper (James Pipe, 76).

• Norwich City: First half: Rudd, Francomb, De Laet, Whitbread, Tierney; Fox; Korey Smith, Adeyemi; Hoolahan; Holt (Morison, 30), Chris Martin (Jackson, 30).

Second half: Ruddy; Russell Martin, Barnett, Ward, Brindley (Dawkin, 71); Bennett, Crofts (Ball, 86), Johnson, Surman; Morison (Wilbraham, 61), Jackson (Vaughan, 61).