AN opener from Adam Nowland ... a penalty for Graham Alexander ... North End could have been forgiven for thinking it was a case of Groundhog Day.

But it was David Nugent - and not Chris Sedgwick, as on Saturday at Deepdale - who completed the scoring in the second half at Carrow Road ... just in time for the January transfer window.

After their demolition of Coventry at home on New Year's Eve, North End seemed set for a carbon copy repeat at Norwich.

As against Coventry, Nowland opened the scoring, drilling a right-footed shot from six yards past keeper Richard Green on the stroke of half-time.

Alexander set the goal up with his cross from the right, and in the second half he scored from the spot to make it 2-0.

A 69th minutes handball by Craig Fleming led to the spot-kick, which Alexander, once again captain with Chris Lucketti remaining on the bench for much of the game, powerfully hit into the back of the net.

By then, though, want-away midfielder Dickson Etuhu had put in the challenge for which this game will possibly be remembered.

Etuhu, on loan with Norwich and probably moving there permanently within the next week, stuck in what Billy Davies later described as a 'horrendous' challenge on Nowland.

It was later confirmed that Nowland had suffered a broken fibia and tibia.