Point by point, we creep ever closer to safety. The gap between City and the bottom three is now eight points, the widest it has been all season. And with only thirteen games remaining, our relegation rivals have much to do to catch us.

However, what should be quiet satisfaction at City edging nearer to this season's primary objective of staying up is tempered by mild disappointment at yesterday's proceedings. This was a game we really ought to have won.

The manager opted to select the same XI that won so handsomely at Luton last week, carding: Myhill; France, Cort, Collins, Delaney; Ellison, Welsh, Andrews, Elliott; Duffy, Beast.

On a fresh East Yorkshire afternoon, City kicked off heading towards a creditable turnout of Norwich fans, filling the North Stand more impressively than most this season. The first half chance of the game fell to the Tigers, when an Andrews corner was glanced well wide by Elliott. It was an open affair and memories of Huckerby's prolonged tormenting of the City defence were revisited on seven minutes when he sprang into space on the left, beat his man and sent a looping cross over that required a watchful tip over the bar from Myhill.

City were showing more willing to shoot from distance, and Duffy and Welsh both had a crack from well outside the area as the game settled into a rather narrow pattern. Deliberate instructions from the manager, or a combination of circumstance? Encouraging to see the players show the confidence to chance their arm, if nothing else.

City came close to scoring when another tidily worked free-kick routine presented France with space on the right just outside the area. His curled cross took a deflected and spun towards Green's near post, but he was alert enough to safely pouch the ball.

On 18 minutes and with Safri finally beginning to exert some influence in the Norwich midfield, Collins was cautioned for (yet another) mistimed challenge, this time on Johansson. The free-kick came to nothing.

Then, just as the visitors were enjoying their best spell of the game, City took the lead. The Tigers forced a corner in the North-East corner, and Andrews' floated cross was thundered home by a towering Leon Cort header. A fabulous header, poor defending, and a priceless lead.

Now City were well on top. Norwich's brittle confidence, combined with a less than impressive workrate and a visible "hmph, we should be in the Premier League" attitude were all combining to present the Tigers with the midfield ascendency as Welsh and Andrews scampered ably in the centre of the pitch. A promising, useful, youthful duo, those two.

Andrews flung himself into the path of a powerful shot by Safri, Ellison had a header comfortably saved and Norwich were creating nothing up front. Huckerby was sulking after a blatant dive had failed to fool the referee but incensed the East Stand - his unwillingness to get involved was a welcome sight for City. As half-time neared, Andrews had a brace of efforts that were both off-target. A two goal lead would probably have killed the visitors off, but a 1-0 lead at half-time was perfectly satisfactory.

Just six minutes into the second half the lead should have been doubled. Parkin gave Rehman an almighty Beasting and skipped free towards goal. However, his shot lacked power and accuracy and Green comfortably beat it away, but Duffy wastefully blasted it over. Two poor misses by the City front two.

Norwich went straight up to City's end, and Huckerby - now safely away from his East Stand detractors - fired a good low cross that Johansson diverted into Myhill's grateful hands. Doherty was booked for an inept aerial challenge on Ellott, before Drury's pathetic tumble in the area failed to con the worldly referee, who prompted attracted the ire of an incandescent Peter Taylor for cautioning France. His offence? To throw the ball away at a Norwich free-kick to the place from which it was taken. Baffling.

With 24 minutes remaining, the quiet Duffy made way for Craig Fagan, disappointingly sporting a pair of gloves. He came close to scoring with a 20 yard chip, but Green retreated in good time to catch the ball. Safri entered the referee's little black book for an intemperate challenge on Ellison - the game was becoming increasingly stretched, but ominously we were beginning to retreat into our own half.

Norwich manager Nigel Worthington, evidently not the most popular individual in Norfolk, made a pair of changes with 17 minutes left, McKenzie and McVeigh replacing Thorne and Johansson. And now we were panicking, as Norwich corners saw all eleven men dropped back into the area and no-one advancing to repel a second cross once it was clear. The crowd agitated; the players fretted.

It should be mentioned that Norwich failed to create anything. Not for nothing are they close to City in the table. However, with three minutes to go, disaster struck. McVeigh controlled the ball in the area - given too space - and diverted it goalwards, where it struck the legs of the luckless Stuart Elliott and trundled unhappily into the corner of the goal. A rotten piece of collective defender but a major stroke of misfortune. Norwich, for all their possession, had completely failed to test Myhill, and they could scarcely believe their luck at being gifted a late equaliser.

The final minutes were played out with the ball in the City half, although nothing came of it and three minutes of injury time were played out without further incident.

Bah.

This was a winnable fixture. We nearly won it. We should have won it. And had we done so, safety would virtually assured. There is no doubt that although Norwich pressed well late in the game, we were guilty of sitting too deep. Having all eleven players back at a corner is hardly a new disagreement between the manager and the supporters, but rarely has it looked as negative as against Norwich.

Oh well. Your humble match reporter has resolved to be a shining beacon of positivity this year, and there are positives to be drawn. We held, and ought to have beaten, a side that beat Manchester United in the Premier League less than a year ago. We are scoring goals. We are accumulating points, and for the third time in a row we look likely to achieve our target for a season. We can't be too unhappy with that.  (AD)