CITY Manager Glenn Roeder and assistant boss Lee Clark have pleaded guilty to charges of bringing the game into disrepute following last month's 2-1 defeat at Bristol City.

The pair will now attend personal hearings with the FA and the Eastern Daily Press today speculated the length of time it will take to schedule these hearings means neither will face a touchline ban for City's two remaining Championship fixtures.

The EDP story said:

Canaries management team Glenn Roeder and Lee Clark have avoided a potentially crucial touchline ban as City's season reaches a nerve-jangling finale.

Roeder and Clark are in hot water after a run-in with referee Andy D'Urso in the closing moments of the 2-1 defeat at Bristol City last month.

Both were hit with disrepute charges for their actions - and the FA confirmed hours before yesterday's deadline for a response had arrived, that the pair would plead guilty.

However, they have both asked for a personal hearing - and that means that no action will be taken against them until the season is over.

"They have both admitted the charges and requested personal hearings," said an FA spokesman.  "We will look to schedule these in due course, but it will take some time."

The plea, and the request to put across their mitigating circumstances, means that Roeder and Clark are free to direct operations from the touchline for the game against Queen Park Rangers on Saturday and the trip to Sheffield Wednesday eight days later.

And that could prove crucial as the Canaries attempt to negotiate their way out of an end-of-season dilemma which has seen them slip to within three points of the relegation zone.