The meanest defence in the Football League stands in the way of Norwich City extending a remarkable club record when the Championship programme resumes.

The Canaries have scored in 32 consecutive away league games stretching back more than 18 months, all but six of them under current boss Paul Lambert.

But to keep that sequence going they will have to become the first visiting team to score a league goal at Queens Park Rangers this season when they visit the leaders on Saturday week, backed by more than 3,000 travelling fans.

Rangers, still unbeaten, have scored 12 times without reply in their five home games so far and have conceded only three goals in five matches on their travels. The last time City failed to score away from home was in the 2-0 Championship defeat at Blackpool on March 7, 2009.

A 1-1 draw at Birmingham a fortnight later kicked off their unbroken scoring run and Bryan Gunn's team scored in the remaining three away matches of the season, despite losing all three and being relegated.

At the start of last season in League One, City scored at both Exeter and Brentford under caretaker boss Ian Butterworth and then found the net in 21 successive away league games after Lambert took over.

That sequence has continued in their first five away games on returning to the Championship, with Saturday's 3-0 win at Bristol City taking the run to 32 games and keeping alive their chances of a new national record.

The best run of consecutive away matches scoring a goal is 40, achieved by Arsenal between February 19, 1930, and Christmas Day 1931.

The Gunners scored no fewer than 103 goals in that run of 40 away matches, with the Canaries so far netting a more modest 54 in 32 matches.

• City have sold out their allocation of 3,100 tickets for the game at Queens Park Rangers on Saturday, October 16.