Video and photo gallery: Norwich City’s European adventure - Vitesse Arnhem overwhelmed by Canaries
John Polston celebrate his goal against Vitesse Arnhem with Ruel Fox. - Credit: Archant
An historic night of football at Carrow Road – the first European match, the first European goal and the first European victory.
NORWICH CITY 3, VITESSE ARNHEM 0
The Canaries' first reward for their best ever finish in English football – third place in the fledgling Premier League – was a game against a Dutch side who were overwhelmed by City on the night.
Vitesse had started off playing in typically Dutch fashion, keeping the ball well, but once City got their minds adjusted to it all, they never looked back.
Three goals in the space of 21 second-half minutes did the trick, and effectively ended the tie.
Efan Ekoku got the first, before that midfield genius Ian Crook set up Jeremy Goss for the second. It wouldn't be Goss' only contribution to the cause that year.
Victory – and possibly the tie – was wrapped up when John Polston added a third goal on 71 minutes.
Most Read
- 1 Driver caught hitting speeds of 119mph on A47
- 2 Can you answer these 10 GCSE questions designed for 16-year-olds?
- 3 Fake chefs deliver out-of-date lasagne to Carrow Road ahead of Spurs clash
- 4 Homes destroyed after blaze breaks out in terraced housing
- 5 Where the streets have no cars... the community that banned the school run
- 6 Investigation closed after cash stolen from popular attraction
- 7 Crash closes part of B1145 in west Norfolk
- 8 City burger joint takes beef off the menu
- 9 More cameras could be on way to fine law-breaking Norfolk motorists
- 10 Cyclist airlifted to hospital with serious injuries following incident
And on a night of firsts there was a senior debut for an 18-year-old winger – Darren Eadie.
• Competition: Uefa Cup, first round, first leg
• Date: September 15, 1993
• Norwich City
Manager: Mike Walker
Gunn, Bowen, Newman, Polston, Culverhouse, Goss, Megson, Crook, Fox, Ekoku, Sutton
Subs: Robins (88), Eadie (86)
• Vitesse Arnhem
Manager: Herbert Neumann
Van Der Gouw, Straal, Van Der Looi, Bos, Vermeulen, Lammers, Cocu, Latuheru, Loeffen, Gillhaus, Helder
No subs used
• Goals: Norwich City: Ekoku (50), Goss (67), Polston (71)
• Referee: R Sedlacek
• Ground: Carrow Road
• Attendance: 16,818
VITESSE ARNHEM 0, NORWICH CITY 0
Pretty much a different affair over in Holland for the Canaries.
A procession of coaches, packed with fans, had left Norfolk and followed the team on something of a tortuous journey.
There were no goals for them to remember the journey, but who cared? City were through to the next round.
Goalkeeper Bryan Gunn simply added to his status with a sterling display between the sticks, keeping out everything that came his way.
It was a tough night, in more ways than one, and Ian Culverhouse, John Polston, Efan Ekoku and Rob Newman all went into the referee's notebook.
Norwich had opportunities to win the match, but were never punished for not taking them.
It was a case of job done – and the question on everyone's lips could now be uttered: 'Who would City get in the next round?'
There were some big clubs in the mix, and my, didn't they pull one out of the hat.
• Competition: Uefa Cup, first round, second leg
• Date: September 29, 1993
• Vitesse Arnhem
Van der Gouw, Sturing, Van der Looi, Bos, Vermeulen, Lammers, Cocu, Straal, Latuheru, Gillhaus, Helder
Subs: Pothuizen (54)
• Norwich City
Gunn, Bowen, Newman, Butterworth, Culverhouse, Polston, Goss, Crook, Fox, Ekoku, Sutton
Subs: Megson (88)
• Referee: T Kefalas
• Ground: Nieuw-Monnikenhuizen
• Attendance: 9,133
Follow @pinkun1993 on Twitter for real-time updates of Norwich City's Uefa Cup journey from 20 years ago
