THE Canaries showed there was plenty of fight in them under the Glenn Roeder regime as they recovered from two goals down to secure a draw in a incident-packed derby against Ipswich Town at Carrow Road.
City looked to be heading for another morale crushing defeat after finding themselves two goals adrift at the break thanks to strikes by Alan Lee and Pablo Counago.
In all fairness, even the half time score had been an injustice for the home side, with Jamie Cureton spurning two clear-cut chances in the opening 45 minutes, with visiting 'keeper Neil Alexander also in top form to keep out Dublin.
But second half Norwich showed all the fight and character Roeder had called for in the lead-up to the game, with new loan signing Martin Taylor halving the deficit with a deflected header on 55 minutes.
And 11 minutes later Cureton showed his true class, pouncing to score with a deft lobbed volley which would not have looked out of place in the Premiership.
Chances came and went for both sides in the closing stages, but the Canaries ended the game with 10 men after Darren Huckerby was given a straight red card for a high tackle on Gary Roberts.
All the same, it had been a stirring comeback, with the home support in outstanding form all afternoon.
Martin Taylor, the defender who signed on loan from Birmingham on Thursday, was thrown straight into action alongside Jason Shackell in the heart of defence.
Of more surprise was the sight of Julien Brellier making his first appearance since his red card at Wolves on September 22. He partnered Darel Russell in midfield.
Luke Chadwick was also brought back into the starting line-up, with the fit-again Dion Dublin restored to the attack alongside Jamie Cureton.
For Ipswich, Tommy Miller was there only absentee through injury, with Sylvain Legwinski partnering Owen Garvan in their midfield.
Up front, Pablo Counago and Alan Lee were charged with getting the goals to improve Ipswich's play-off hopes and heap more misery on the bottom-of-the-table Canaries.
Before the match new boss Glenn Roeder and his assistant Lee Clark were introduced to the Carrow Road faithful to a rousing reception.
And the Canaries were quick out of the blocks, Cureton heading wide under pressure after being found by an Otesmobor cross from the right.
Before the game Roeder had called on the home support to really get behind their team, and they were certainly responding - beginning with a deafening rendition of On The Ball City.
On five minutes there was another sight of the visitors' goal when Dublin rose highest to meet a Lappin corner at the far post, only for referee Rob Stiles to rule the veteran had got airborne by illegal means.
But two minutes later and only a brilliant save by Town 'keeper Neil Alexander denied Dublin the opening goal.
Cureton whipped in a great cross from the right, and it was met with a glancing header by Dublin 10 yards out which looked to be dipping into the bottom corner.
But former Cardiff stopper Alexander twisted brilliantly in the air to turn the ball behind for a corner.
Ipswich's first meaningful effort on goal came as a result of a foul by new-boy Taylor on Counago 20 yards from goal.
Billy Clarke took the kick, but his effort was straight into the wall, with the follow-up from Garvan easily collected by Marshall.
It had certainly been a fiery start to the game, and on 10 minutes Legwinski became the first name in Styles' book for a lunging challenge on Chadwick as he made in-roads into the Town half.
Town seemed to have weathered the initial City storm, but on 15 minutes Cureton tested Alexander once more, this time stinging his fingers with a drive from the right corner of the box which the 'keeper gathered at the second attempt.
But a minute later and it was Marshall called into action to keep the scores level. A swift break by Jonathan Walters across the halfway line ended with the winger playing a ball into the path of Clarke just inside the area away on the right.
He took one touch before striking a low shot with his left boot which Marshall blocked with an outstretched leg, with Russell tidying up the danger.
Straight up the other end and Huckerby had appeals for a handball waved away after David Wright appeared to block his attempted cross just inside the area with a raised forearm.
Chadwick was providing Norwich's most effective outlet so far, and on 19 minutes Counago joined Legwinski in the book for a late tackle on his away on the right.
Dublin was showing few signs of his lengthy injury lay-off, and again came close on 25 minutes with a diving header from Huckerby's cross which flashed wide of Alexander's right post.
But despite the Canaries creating the better openings so far, it was Ipswich who took the lead on 27 minutes.
A big ball up to the front was won by Alan Lee and flicked into the path of strike partner Counago on the edge of the area.
And Norwich's defence was caught slightly flat-footed as Lee lost his marker to receive Counago's return ball and fire a low shot past Marshall and into the left corner of the net.
It was a hammer blow for City, but to the crowd's credit they were quickly back behind the home side again, urging them on to find that extra 10 per cent.
And the Canaries responded - although lady luck was not proving so kind, as on 32 minutes only the width of the post denied them an equaliser.
A free kick by Huckerby from the left was met perfectly by Shackell on the far post, but his downward header crashed off the base of the post, allowing Ipswich to clear.
And a minute later City were denied what looked like a sure-fire penalty, with Cureton then missing a sitter just a second later.
A great defence splitting ball by Lappin planted the ball perfectly into Russell's stride 30 yards from goal. He ran into the box and seemed to be clattered to the ground by Wilnis.
Even then the ball ran into the path of Cureton, and he inexplicably pulled his shot well wide of goal from little more than eight yards out.
Norwich were certainly playing the better stuff, and could be forgiven to feel that the footballing gods were wearing blue tops this Sunday lunchtime.
And that thought was reaffirmed just seconds later as Town doubled their advantage in the most fortuitous way possible.
Firstly Russell was harshly adjudged to have fouled Counago 25 yards from goal when it looked more like he's muscled the Spaniard off it.
Lee then miss-kicked horribly, with the ball bobbling through the box to Billy Clarke. Even then Marshall pulled off a great save from his shot and the ball appeared to have gone into touch.
But with the assistant referee giving nothing, it was turned back into play for Counago to fire into an unguarded net from three yards out.
Television replays subsequently showed - admitedly not conclusively - that the ball could well have gone over the touchline before it was played to Counago, adding a greater sense of injustice to the scoreline.
And in the final minute of the first half the Canaries missed yet another golden opportunity to get on the scoresheet.
Lappin jinked his way through the right edge of the box, before pulling the ball back to Chadwick who's side-footed effort was blocked. But the ball stayed stuck under De Vos's body, with an almighty scramble ensuing.
Finally it ran loose into the path of Cureton on the corner of the six-yard box, but his toe-poked effort bobbled inches wide of Alexander's far post when he again should have found the back of the net.
Norwich City 0-2 Ipswich Town
As the teams re-emerged for the second half Roeder made his first change of his tenure, replacing Dublin with John Hartson.
Otherwise it was 'as you were' with Norwich desperately searching for a way back into the game.
And on 55 minutes City did find a way back into the match - with the goal coming via the head of new boy Taylor.
The Canaries won a corner away on the right, with Lappin delivering an excellent ball into the near post.
It was met by the head of Taylor, and while the ball definitely clipped a Town player on the way in, there was little doubting the man on loan from Birmingham would be claiming it as he wheeled away in celebration.
The goal had certainly lifted the players and fans of Carrow Road, and two minutes later a delightful drag-back by Chadwick from Russell's pass found him in a one-on-one position with Alexander.
But once again Alexander proved the Canaries bogeyman, spreading himself to save with his legs.
All the same, the tempo had been upped again at Carrow Road, with the visitors again on the back-foot.
Alexander was well on the way to winning man of the match for the Suffolk side, and on 65 minutes he again denied City - this time charging from his line to deflect an attempted lob by Cureton away for a corner after a neat flick from Hartson.
But a minute later and Cureton finally did hit the net with as cool a finish as you will see in any division.
Hartson again was the provider, flicking on a long ball into his path in the area.
There was still plenty of work to do, with a defender bearing down on him and surely his earlier misses still fresh in the memory.
But Cureton bided his time, allowing the ball to bounce once before producing the most exquisite of lob-volleys with the outside of his right boot, with the ball nestling in the corner of the stranded Alexander's net.
Carrow Road erupted in celebration, with Cureton going straight to the Snakepit to celebrate.
There was no doubt the visitors were rocking, with Alexander having to get down low to palm behind a low Hartson shot from 20 yards out on 71 minutes.
Away boss Jim Magilton clearly sensed the tide had turned, and made a tactical change to introduce the man who loves scoring against City, Danny Haynes, and also Liam Trotter.
Roeder also used the time-out to make a switch, with the tiring Chadwick replaced by Lee Croft wide right.
The chances were still coming for Norwich, with the Ipswich defence having little answer to the physical presence of Hartson.
And on 76 minutes he showed great control with his chest to control a high ball before unleashing a left foot volley which grazed Alexander's side-netting.
It was not all one-way traffic though, with Lappin having to head clear off his own line after a corner was flicked on at the near post.
On 82 minutes Cureton was forced to leave the pitch with what looked like a hamstring injury. With no other striker on the bench, Smith was brought on and went to the left with Huckerby going up front.
On 85 minutes it was Marshall's turn to produce a world class save. A swift break by Town finished with Trotter rolling what looked to be perfect ball along the ground to the far post where Haynes was waiting to pounce.
He got there ahead of Taylor and looked a sure bet to tap home, but Marshall came out to block, turning the ball onto the roof of the bar and keeping the score level with whoever scored next surely getting the winner for their team.
And with four minutes of added time signalled, it was still anyone's game.
And in the closing stages City were handed a blow when Huckerby was handed a straight red card for raking is studs down the shins of Walters in front of the dug-outs.
The tackle really left referee Styles with little choice, and while the game was old enough for the dismissal not to matter in terms of the match, it now meant the Canaries would be without their talismanic winger for three games.
Full time: Norwich City 2-2 Ipswich Town
Norwich City: Marshall, Otsemobor, Shackell (c), Taylor, Huckerby, Brellier, Dublin (Hartson 46), Cureton (Smith 82), Chadwick (Croft 75), Lappin, Russell. Subs: Gilks, Murray.
Ipswich Town: Alexander, Wilnis, De Vos (c), Garvan, Leqwinski (Trotter 75), Counago (Haynes 75), Lee, Walters, Wright, Harding, Clarke. Subs: Supple, Bruce, Roberts.
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