CANARY YELLER
Smith backs Pukki to fire immediate Prem return
CARDIFF 1
Sawyers 49 NORWICH 0
DEAN SMITH insists Teemu Pukki can end Norwich’s goal drought and spark an immediate return to the Premier League.
The Canaries may be among the Championship promotion contenders but kicked off the season where they left off in the top flight – firing blanks as they lost a fiery clash in which both sides finished with 10 men.
Smith’s side managed just one goal in their last six games of last season’s relegation and failed to find the net again on a glory day for Cardiff.
Pukki hobbled off with cramp as he works his way back to full fitness after a busy summer with Finland in the Nations League. But Smith said: “We’ve got a player who has scored 54 goals in this league over the last two seasons he’s been here.
“He pulled up with cramp in his calf but needed the minutes. He’s only been with us for three weeks after playing a lot of minutes over the summer.
“But we also have to be better at finding ways to feed him.”
You have to go back to mid-april at Old Trafford for the last time a Norwich player other than Pukki netted a league goal.
And they managed just one shot on target despite Kenny Mclean poking Todd Cantwell’s corner onto the crossbar.
Smith said: “We were good across two-thirds of the pitch but we lacked that bit of quality needed in the final third. We will get better.” But it was a dream start for the Bluebirds (below, Cedric Kipre celebrating) and boss Steve Morison after a hectic summer.
He got rid of 10 senior players and drafted in 14 new signings, including midfielder Romaine Sawyer from West Brom who struck an opportunist winner on his debut.
“Romaine is a bit of a football geek,” said Morison. “He loves the tactical side of the game and he’s an organiser. He really does get it.”
Joe Ralls pulled back Teemu Pukki on the break before Perry Ng collided with the Finn.
Norwich captain Hanley confronted the Cardiff defender, who fell to the floor.
Ng was booked and picked up a second yellow card minutes later for a clumsy challenge. Hanley
later took out Cardiff sub Mark Harris with a heavy tackle to follow Ng down the tunnel.