CHRIS LAKEY Youth team boss Ricky Martin fields a strong starting line-up when he takes charge of Norwich City reserve for the first time tonight.

CHRIS LAKEY

Youth team boss Ricky Martin fields a strong starting line-up when he takes charge of Norwich City reserve for the first time tonight.

The Canaries have organised a friendly match against a Spurs second string at Carrow Road (7.30pm), with Martin taking on the role vacated by Keith Webb last month when the long-time City man joined King's Lynn as their manager.

City boss Peter Grant is keen to give some of his fringe players much-needed match time and after tonight's scheduled reserve team match against Oxford was postponed, he moved quickly to find a replacement fixture.

All but three of tonight's starting line-up have first team experience - goalkeeper Joe Lewis, defender Matt Halliday and 19-year-old Lawrence Hunter, a triallist from the Midlands.

“I think it will be a good game,” said Martin, who will add reserve team duties to his role as Academy boss until the end of the season. “For some of the lads it's been several weeks since they last played.

“The main thing for most of them is just getting minutes under their belts. For some nit might be a chance to put themselves in the shop window because they might be going out on short-term loans.”

Matthieu Louis-Jean continues his long comeback from a hamstring injury in a defence which contains Halliday, Craig Fleming and Hunter.

The Jarvis brothers, Rossi and Ryan, play in midfield alongside Robert Eagle and Paul McVeigh.

Up front Peter Thorne, who played the last 24 minutes at Tamworth on Saturday, partners Ian Henderson.

Norwich: Lewis, Louis-Jean, Halliday, Fleming, Hunter, Rossi Jarvis, McVeigh, Eagle, Ryan Jarvis, Thorne, Henderson.