Full time: Paulton Rovers 0 - Norwich City 7

Report by Bristol Evening Post 

 

Promising young England youth striker Chris Martin helped himself to four goals as Paulton Rovers' FA Cup adventure was brought to an end by Norwich City at Winterfield Road this afternoon.

Canaries boss Paul Lambert fielded a strong side to make certain that his team would not be on the end of what would have been a monumental FA Cup upset and was rewarded as the League One promotion-chasing outfit put themselves in the second round with little fuss.

Paulton  started the match brightly - defender James Tyrrell forcing goalkeeper Declan Rudd into an early save before striker Rob Claridge had a header cleared off the line - but Norwich eased any nerves they may have had by claiming three goals in the opening period.

Prolific marksman Grant Holt added to his 12-goal tally for this season by finding space between two defenders to nod home a Korey Smith cross at the far post to open the scoring on 15 minutes. That one-goal lead soon became two when Chris Martin produced a clinical finish from close-range after some good trickery by Wes Hoolahan to create the opening. Holt added a third and his second of the afternoon with a powerful header to convert a Simon Lappin corner two minutes before the break.

Paulton's chances suffered a further setback just minutes earlier when skipper Dan Cleverley, who started the game just three weeks after sustaining a fractured metatarsal,   had to be withdrawn after feeling the effects of the injury.

Andy Jones' Zamaretto South & West Division One side managed to contain Norwich for the best part of half-an-hour after the break - thanks mainly to some superb saves from goalkeeper Kyle Phillips - and almost pulled a goal back themselves when only an instinctive stop by Rudd denied defender Ollie Price a headed goal at the back post.

Norwich, however, managed to add to their tally with a finally taken effort by Hoolahan on 75 minutes before Martin curled in a delicious free-kick to punish the tiring Paulton players even further. He claimed his hat-trick with a tap-in from as little as two yards outt with seven minutes remaining. To watch Martin head in his fourth and Norwich's seventh was a cruel way for Paulton to end a day that will nevertheless live long in the memories of everyone associated with the Somerset village side.            

 

 

Paulton Rovers (4-4-2): Phillips; Ball, Price, Tyrrell, Rich; Lacey, Jeffries, Cleverley (Waters 38), Lane (Cousins 55); Claridge, Plummer (Burborough 75). Subs: Tovey, Burborough, Hemmings, Redwood. 

Norwich City: (4-4-2): Rudd; Askou, Doherty, Nelson, Drury (Wiggins 56); Lappin (Tudur Jones 68), Russell, Smith, Hoolahan; Holt (McDonald 68), Martin. Subs: Theoklitos, Cureton, Adeyemi, McVeigh.