NORWICH CITY RES 0-1 LEICESTER RESERVES
NORWICH City suffered their second one-nil home defeat in three days on Monday night when Keith Webb's reserves were beaten by Leicester's second string.
The deciding goal came just one minute from the end of normal time when substitute Louis Dodds fired a deflected effort past Paul Gallacher.
It was a harsh blow for City, who could even have levelled matters deep into stoppage time when Ryan Jarvis' shot on the turn was deflected narrowly wide.
But despite enjoying the best of the chances - with both Jason Shackell and Paul McVeigh guilty of glaring misses - City found themselves registering their second defeat in a row in front of a crowd of 1,522.
City started the game brightly and could have taken the lead as early as the third minute.
Lee Blackburn dribbled past three challenges on the right, but saw his effort blocked in the six yard box.
The rebound fell to McVeigh on the edge of the area, but his effort was also stopped by a blue shirt.
Three minutes later and Jonson, playing as part of a three man strike force alongside Crow and Jarvis, used his pace to take him clear into the area.
But his shot from a tight angle merely ended up in the side netting.
It took Leicester seven minutes to cause any alarm in the City defence.
Shackell needed to be alert to block a half-volley from former Canary loan striker Trevor Benjamin after the one-time Cambridge man had muscled his way into a shooting position.
On 11 minutes Liam Norvell was the first player to be booked after he hacked down Crow, who looked to be sprinting clear down the left.
On 17 minutes the move of the match so far almost saw Jarvis score for the second home reserve match running.
Jonson held up the ball before squaring to the young striker.
His neat flick left Heath for dead, but he just failed to lift the ball over the advancing figure of visiting 'keeper Conrad Logan.
Meanwhile, City's stopper Gallacher was forced into action on 24 minutes, collecting a header from Norvell on the far post.
Seven minutes later he got down well to stop a long range Benjamin shot which lacked enough pace to trouble the former Scotland number one.
Crow forced Logan into action in the 38th minute after beating the offside trap but failing to find either corner of the net.
And with the half drawing to a close, Shackell spurned the best chance of the match, blazing over from six yards after a Smith corner had landed at his feet unmarked.
At the start of the second half Keith Webb withdraw Jonson and sent on Rossi Jarvis, with the team switching to a 4-4-2 formation with Brennan pushing up to left midfield.
And City spurned a glorious chance to take the lead on 52 minutes when McVeigh opened up the defence with a jinking run, only to toe-poke his effort wide of the near post.
Althouth Leicester were enjoying more possession, it was City who were creating the better chances, and Blackburn drew an excellent save from Logan with a header on the far post which he turned round one-handed.
Not to be outdone, Gallacher made an even better stop on 82 minutes, spectacularly saving Tommy Wright's close-range header.
But with the clock ticking down, City switched off and allowed Leicester to snatch the points.
Benjamin used his strength to hold-up the ball and laid the ball off to sub Dodds who powered home a shot via a deflection.
With one minute of added time left to play, Jarvis almost secured a share of the spoils, but his shot on the turn was blocked for a corner, which proved the last action of frustrating match for City.
Full time: Norwich City Reserves 0-1 Leicester City Reserves
Norwich City Reserves: Gallacher, Cave-Brown, Brennan, Smith, Shackell, Gusterson, Blackburn, Crow, Jarvis, Jonson (Rossi Jarvis 45), McVeigh. Subs not used: Halliday, Lewis, Eagle.
Leicester City Reserves: Logan, Norvall, Sheehan, Wesolowski, Stearman, Heath, Butcher (Dodds 78 ), Dawson, Wright, Benjamin, Porter.
Subs not used: Wykes, Lycett, Muggleton, Gondal.
