Norwich City

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Norwich City head coach Philippe Clement says his side's clean sheet was as important as the three points in their 1-0 win over Charlton Athletic.

it was the first time since 30 August that the Canaries had not conceded a goal in the league.

The victory continued Norwich's resurgence under new boss Clement - they have lost only once in their past seven games and are now just a point from safety.

"We get a clean sheet because we defended really well as a team," he told BBC Radio Norfolk.

"It's not that Vladan Kovacevic had to make really amazing saves, or you can have several chances against and you can have a clean sheet with luck. That was totally not the case.

"The team did a very good defensive job against a team who's really dangerous in a specific way with their long balls, their fight, their duels, diagonals and set pieces.

"So keeping them away from our goal was also a really important part of winning today."

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Norwich City will aim to boost their Championship survival hopes when they welcome Charlton Athletic to Carrow Road on Friday afternoon (15:00 GMT kick-off).

The Canaries are unbeaten in their past three (W1 D2) and could move out of the relegation zone for the first time since 21 October if they win, Portsmouth lose and Oxford fail to win.

The Addicks ended a six-game winless run (D1 L5) with a 2-1 victory over Oxford last time out and are eight points clear of the bottom three.

• Norwich have won two of their past three league games against Charlton (L1), as many as in their previous 15 (D4 L9). This is the first league meeting between the sides since February 2015.

• Charlton have won just one of their previous five away league games against Norwich (D2 L2), though it was in their last visit in September 2014.

• Norwich beat Millwall 2-1 on Boxing Day last year, ending a five-game losing run on the day. They last won consecutive Boxing Day matches in 1999/2000 (both times vs QPR).

• Charlton beat Cambridge 2-1 on Boxing Day last season, last winning consecutive Boxing Day league matches between 1994 and 1997 (a run of four).

• Norwich are unbeaten at Carrow Road under Philippe Clement in the Championship (W2 D1), having lost seven out of seven under Liam Manning. The Canaries are looking for three home wins in a row for the first time since between January and April 2024 (8).

Phil Daley
Sports Editor, BBC Norfolk

Image source, Shutterstock

Norwich City head coach Philippe Clement has spoken to the media before the Canaries' Boxing Day game against Charlton at Carrow Road (15:00 GMT).

Norwich are in the Championship relegation zone, three points adrift of safety.

Here are some of the key points:

• Josh Sargent is out of concussion protocol and will be available for selection on Friday.

• Amankwah Forson is a doubt after picking up a small hamstring injury against Preston while Shane Duffy will miss the game with a similar problem.

• On the 1-1 draw at Preston where they conceded a 96th-minute equaliser, Clement says the players have had honest discussions about dealing with that situation better.

• On Jovon Makama, who has scored four goals in his past four starts, Clement says they have been using Romelu Lukaku as an example for him to learn from, using his strength to get into a good position to get his shot away.

• With four games in 10 days coming up, Clement says: "I love football so the more the better."

• Three of those games are at Carrow Road, with Clement adding: "Fans can give the team a lot of extra energy in the difficult moments, so I hope all the fans have a good time over Christmas and bring extra energy to the group."

You can listen to full live commentary of Norwich City v Charlton Athletic with BBC Radio Norfolk on FM and DAB from 14:00 on Saturday.

Norwich City's Tony Springett believes "the sky's the limit" for Jovon Makama following the striker's latest goal in the 1-1 draw at Preston North End.

It was Makama's seventh goal since arriving from Lincoln City in the summer and made him Norwich's joint-top scorer with Josh Sargent.

"He can create something out of nothing. I'm proud of him, he's doing well. He's one of my close mates, I'm over the moon for him. He's a good lad, fitted in with the group well, as soon as he came everyone loved him," Springett told BBC Radio Norfolk.

"He's got good energy, trains hard and has still got another level to get to, I think, the sky's the limit with him. If he keeps working hard, keeps scoring, you don't know what could happen for him."

Winger Springett, meanwhile, said he was "overwhelmed" to have played four games this month - including a start against Watford - after 18 months out with a back injury, which required spinal surgery.

"It's definitely been the hardest time of my life, but I had some really close people around me keeping my spirits high," he said.

"I didn't want anyone feeling sorry for me, I kept it quiet and worked my hardest to get back involved and it's worked out for me."

Springett was pressed into service at left-back against Watford on 6 December because of other injuries in the squad.

"I love this club and if I'm needed to play left-back, right-back, anywhere on the pitch, I'll do a job," he added.

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Norwich City head coach Philippe Clement felt his side were "unlucky" to concede a late equaliser against Preston North End.

He told BBC Radio Norfolk: "Coming here against Preston, third in the league and a hard place to come, and showing this on the pitch, for 90 minutes with good organisation and good moments on the ball, and a really good goal makes it hard to lose two important points in the dying seconds.

"But [in terms of] mentality I can't say anything against my team, it was a really good performance.

"Vlad [Kovacevic] didn't have to make many saves and was really good in a few moments with high crosses and coming to help the defence.

"In the last action, I think we can do better with a few players and can keep the ball better in front, like we did against Southampton, but it's really unlucky that we lost these two points."

Norwich are next in action at home to Charlton on Boxing Day.

Phil Daley
Sports Editor, BBC Norfolk

Norwich City head coach Philippe Clement has spoken to the media ahead of their trip to Preston in the Championship (12:30 GMT).

Norwich are in the relegation zone, three points adrift of safety.

Here are some of the key points:

• Josh Sargent has been training but requires further assessment before Saturday's game.

• Mathias Kvistgaarden is having his load "managed" during training due to a knee injury, but will be available.

• Jack Stacey returned to full training after a hamstring injury and will travel to Deepdale.

• Clement praised Jacob Wright's intelligence in training and says he's been impressed with the midfielder since being asked to play behind the strikers.

• On Preston, Clement says he's aware of their defensive qualities, but also how aggressive they are all over the pitch. "They deserve to be where they are. We dream of being in the top three."

You can listen to full live commentary of Preston v Norwich City with BBC Radio Norfolk on FM and DAB from 12:00 on Saturday.

Listen to the full interview with Clement and more Norwich City content on BBC Sounds.

23rd placed Norwich City will look to defy the odds and make the ascent up the table under new boss Philippe Clement as they visit third placed Preston North End.

The Canaries have only lost two of their six games under Clement (W2 D2) compared to five defeats in their previous six under former boss Liam Manning.

It's put them within striking distance of safety but North End have one of the toughest defences in the Championship and have not conceded a loss in five games (W2 D3).

With Stoke City lingering just outside the top six, the Lilywhites will need to ensure they extend that run into a sixth game to ensure they stay within the play-off spots.

• Preston won 1-0 in their last league game against Norwich in February, last winning back-to-back meetings with the Canaries in April 2006.

• Norwich have lost just one of their last eight away league games against Preston (W4 D3), and are unbeaten in four since a 3-1 loss in February 2019.

• Since losing their final two home matches in the Championship last season, Preston North End have only lost two of their 11 league games at Deepdale this term (W5 D4 L2).

• After beating Southampton last time out, Norwich will be aiming to win consecutive league matches for the first time since February (5-1 v Swansea and 1-0 v Watford).

• Preston North End striker Daniel Jebbison has scored five goals in his last seven Championship starts, after only netting once in his first 11 starts in the competition (for Sheffield United v Hull City in January 2023).

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Jovon Makama told BBC Radio Norfolk after his controversial winner against Southampton:

"A goal is a goal. It went in and I ran away and celebrated. I can't quite remember how it went in.

"It (VAR) can stay away for now!

"It has been an incredibly tough start to the season and it's such a nice feeling to come away smiling.

"That's two home wins in a row now and I think we needed it so much just as a team and for the fans as well and the club as a whole.

"They've been in really good form but it just goes to show how good a team we are when we are aggressive, when we go after it and really put our bodies on the line. That's what we did from minute one today.

"You can see just how it means to the boys to give something to cheer about and ourselves something to be happy about.

"As a team we are really getting together and working hard for each other.

"Every performance we are fighting more and more."

Rob Butler
BBC Radio Norfolk Canary Call, presenter

Image source, Getty Images

Norwich City's top goalscorer Josh Sargent will miss the Championship game against Southampton at Carrow Road on Saturday due to concussion protocol.

Sargent, who has scored six league goals so far this season, was withdrawn during Tuesday's 1-1 draw at Sheffield United after suffering a blow to the head.

Canaries head coach Philippe Clement has been speaking to the media before the match with his side five points adrift of safety.

Here are some of the other key points:

• Kenny McLean is "doubtful" for Saturday after he came off at Bramall Lane with a hip problem.

• Forward Mathias Kvistgaarden's knee injury is still being assessed. Clement said he could be involved against Southampton.

• "I cannot ask for more at the moment," Clement said, adding that his players are responding well to his training plans.

• Clement said he's aware that standards need to rise as City look to avoid relegation: "It's raising bars for many people, players and staff."

• The Canaries are on a run of playing the form teams in the division, said Clement, and the Saints will pose a "huge test".

You can listen to full live commentary of Norwich v Southampton with BBC Radio Norfolk on FM and DAB. Coverage begins at 14:00 GMT on Saturday, 13 December.

Norwich City will be looking to boost their Championship survival hopes when they welcome an in-form Southampton on Saturday (12:30 GMT).

The Canaries are five points adrift of safety and have just one win in their past 16 matches, but have improved since head coach Philippe Clement took over, with that victory and two draws from his first five league games in charge (L2).

The Saints have won six of their past seven (L1) under Tonda Eckert, climbing from 21st to ninth and are now just within a point of the play-off places.

• Norwich City have won just one of their past six league games against Southampton (D2 L3), a 2-1 win in November 2021.

• Southampton have won one of their past six league visits to Norwich (D2 L3), a 3-0 win in June 2020 in the Premier League.

• Norwich ended an eight game winless league run at Carrow Road with a 3-1 win over QPR in November. They last secured consecutive home league wins in January this year.

• Southampton are on a run of 20 away league games without a clean sheet, last registering one in a 0-0 draw at Fulham in December 2024. They last had a longer stretch without a shutout on the road between March 2009 and February 2010 (21) – which was ended by a 2-0 win at Carrow Road against Norwich.

• Southampton's Adam Armstrong has had a hand in four goals in his three league games against Norwich for the Saints (3 goals, 1 assist), assisting (November 2021) and scoring (January 2024) in his two games at Carrow Road in that run.

Norwich City boss Philippe Clement spoke to BBC Radio Norfolk after his side's 1-1 draw at Sheffield United.

"I think we should have won the game. If you come alone in front of the goalkeeper in the last 10 minutes you need to kill it off and you have a victory," he said.

"You have games where the opponent is better and you struggle and fight and you get a point and yet you are very satisfied. It was not that kind of game.

"I would not say it is two lost points because I am proud of what the players brought but it could have been better.

"I think four or five weeks ago they would have lost this game with losing important players and going behind."