NORWICH City ended the worst goal drought in their history, but it was not enough to stop them crashing to another defeat, this time to Bristol City at Carrow Road.
When Darren Huckerby's struck with a solo effort inside the last 10 minutes to cancel out Michael McIndoe's opener, it looked as though the Canaries had set-up a grandstand finish to claim all three points themselves.
But a long-range strike from substitute Scott Murray with five minutes left, followed by an injury time effort by Lee Trundle wrapped-up the win for the west country side and piled yet more misery on the long-suffering home support.
It could have been a different story altogether had Norwich taken one of at least three good chances inside the first 10 minutes of the match, but it was not to be.
New loan signing John Hartson was handed his City debut at Carrow Road as the Canaries looked to end their six-game goal drought.
The big Welshman started alongside Czech striker David Strihavka, the last player to score a goal for City.
Lee Croft dropped down to the bench, allowing caretaker boss Jim Duffy to field a midfield of Rossi Jarvis, Darel Russell, Simon Lappin and Darren Huckerby, with the latter starting on the right.
Jamie Cureton made a welcome return to the bench following his ankle injury. He was joined on the sidelines by Croft, Michael Spillane, Chris Martin and goalkeeper Matthew Gilks.
It was the visitors who got things underway, looking to continue a bright start to the campaign which helped them climb to fourth in the table.
New-boy Hartson got his first touch inside the first minute, looking to get Lappin away down the left. Unfortunately his pass lacked pace, and Bradley Orr was able to intercept.
But his second touch of the match almost led to a goal in the third minute.
Nice play between Otsemobor and Huckerby on the right saw the ball played into the feet of Russell on the edge of the area, his back-heel found Strihavka, whose touch fell into the path of Hartson 15 yards out.
The 32-year-old's first touch got the ball out of his feet, and he sent in a low right foot shot which 'keeper Adriano Basso got down well to push away for a corner.
It had been a bright start by the Canaries, with the recent loan signing from West Brom already showing what a threat in the box he can be.
Two minutes later and he was at it again, this time testing Basso from 25 yards with a bending shot which the 'keeper made a meal of going down to his right.
And from the resulting corner the striker made it a hat-trick of near-misses, powering a header from Lappin's kick inches wide of the far post with much of Carrow Road expecting the net to ripple.
The Canaries were piling on the pressure inside the Bristol box, and on eight minutes another chance went begging.
Again Hartson was at the centre of things, chesting a cross from Lappin down into the stride of Drury who had stayed up from a previous attack.
Unfortunately, with only three goals to his name in a Canary career spanning almost 270 games, Drury's lacked composure and volleyed over the bar from eight yards out.
Bristol had so far been unable to escape their own half, but a rare attack on nine minutes ended with defender Orr hitting a shot well wide into the Norwich and Peterborough Stand after collecting a corner 20 yards from goal.
Marshall, announced as player of the month before kick off, produced his first save of note on 12 minutes, pushing away a low shot from McAllister from the left corner of the box which threatened to sneak in the far post.
Bristol had apparently weathered the early storm, and were beginning to string one or two useful moves together in the City half. To their credit though the Canaries were doing the ugly things well too, with Shackell sharp into the tackle on 14 minutes as Byfield threatened to pounce on a loose ball in the area.
The Canaries tested Basso again on 19 minutes, Russell unleashing a left-foot shot from the edge of the box which the 'keeper again looked less than comfortable with as he palmed it down in front of him. Fortunately for him, his defence were alert to the danger, mopping up the danger before Hartson could reach the rebound.
There was a moment of concern for City fans on 24 minutes when Drury hit the deck clutching his right knee in pain after coming off worse in a 50-50 challenge on the halfway line.
After a few minutes of treatment, Drury tried to continue but immediately signalled his discomfort to the bench before limping down the tunnel, replaced on the pitch by Michael Spillane.
This saw Murray move to left-back, with Spillane joining Shackell in the heart of defence.
Despite the change, City continued to play on the front foot, with a nice break on 35 minutes ending with another half chance for the Canaries.
Marshall comfortably collected a deep cross from the right before throwing the ball to Huckerby in space on the right.
He darted over the halfway line, before finding Otsemobor on the overlap. He pinged in a first time cross to the near post where Strihavka was sliding in. But visiting captain Louis Carey had read the danger, jumping in to block on the right corner of the six-yard box.
On 39 minutes Strihavka won a free kick 45 yards from goal in a central position after Strihavka was dragged to the ground by Carey.
Lappin produced a trademark dipping free kick to the far post, but Hartson could not make a strong enough connection, with the ball finishing behind for a goal kick and the striker dropping to his knees in disappointment.
Despite their first half supremacy, City had yet to turn their territorial advantage into goals. And on 42 minutes they were handed a reminder that Bristol were no mugs, with Marshall having to clutch a 20-yard shot from David Noble out of the air.
Half time: Norwich City 0-0 Bristol City
Neither boss opted for any changes at the half time break, with City hoping their first half misses would not return to haunt them.
Inside the first minute of the second half Bristol left-back Jamie McAllister became the first name in referee Tony Bates' notebook for a crude tackle on Huckerby over by the dug-outs.
But on 48 minutes the visitors rocked Carrow Road by storming into the lead. Ivan Sproule ran rings round Murray away on the left before delivering an excellent ball onto the head of Michael McIndoe, who made not mistake from six yards out.
It was a hammer blow for the Canaries, who had been the better side so far, but yet another case of their wastefulness in front of goal costing them.
The goal seemed to know the life out of City while at the same time reinvigorating Bristol as the visitors began to play the ball around nicely, leaving the Norwich players chasing shadows at times.
And on 53 minutes Bristol should have punished the Canaries further, David Noble pulling a chance horribly wide of the far post when unmarked less than 10 yards out.
The crowd were beginning to get on City's backs, and there were more loud moans on 61 minutes as Lappin lifted a difficult volley over the bar when a cut back across goal might have been wiser.
With City needing a spark from somewhere, Duffy brought Croft into the fray on 68 minutes, replacing Murray.
This saw Lappin move to left-back, with Huckerby going wide left and Croft taking up his usual position on the right flank.
On 70 minutes the change almost led to the equaliser. Croft picked up the ball wide right before playing a ball into Otsemobor's path who was overlapping.
He got to the by-line and fizzed a cross across the six-yard box. Strihavka came diving in, but Carey read the danger, just managing to flick the ball away from the Czech forward.
Three minutes later and Hartson produced a smart turn from Otsemobor's cross, but his low shot was straight at Basso from 10 yards out.
Chances were still coming and going for City, with Hartson nodding wide of the far post on 77 minutes from Lappin's short corner.
It was the final moment of the loan man's game, with Chris Martin coming on to replace him.
But just when Norwich looked to be ending a seventh successive game without scoring, Darren Huckerby answered Norwich's prayers.
Bradley Orr dawdled on the ball in the right back position, and Huckerby nipped in to pick his pocket. His pace took him clear of Orr's despairing lunge and into the box where he sent a shot under the body of Basso and into the back of the net to draw the Canaries level and end the worst goal drought in their history.
But with five minutes remaining the Canaries were undone again as Bristol regained the lead.
A scramble in the City area saw the ball find its way out to substitute Scott Murray 30 yards from goal. Murray seemed to slide his attempted volley, but it fooled David Marshall after coming through a crowd of players, striking the foot of his left post before rolling apologetically over the line.
It was a soft way for City to succeed, and a killer blow coming just minutes after Norwich had apparently found a way back into the game.
And to run salt into the wounds, fellow sub Trundle went clean through in stoppage time to make the score 3-1.
And that was it, with Norwich leaving the pitch to a chorus of boos.
Full time: Norwich City 1-3
Norwich City: Marshall, Otsemobor, Drury (Spillane 29), Shackell (c), Huckerby, Murray (Croft 68), Hartson (Martin 78), Lappin, Russell, Strihavka, Rossi Jarvis. Subs: Gilks, Cureton.
Bristol City: Basso, Orr, McAllister, Fontaine, Carey (c), Noble, McIndoe, Elliott, Sproule (McCombe 81), Johnson, Byfield (Trundle 68). Subs: Henderson, Murray, Skuse.
Golden Goal times: 47:23, 81:35, 85:06, 90:00
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