Crnac's Return Delayed by Norwich City
Norwich City opted to delay Ante Crnac's much-anticipated return from injury as their U21s were beaten 2-1 by non-league side Boreham Wood on Friday night.
The Croatian has not suffered a fresh injury concern or extra time on his recovery, but the decision was made after a full week of training to protect his workload as Norwich cautiously plot a route back from an ACL injury sustained last October.
The hope was that this fixture would represent the first opportunity to return to the pitch, but Norwich have elected to ensure his workload came from the training pitch rather than matches to ensure he is best-placed to continue his recovery.
Crnac is now expected to feature in Tuesday's friendly against Cambridge United, the final pre-season clash, with Norwich unwilling to take any unnecessary risks.
Match Summary: Norwich U21s vs Boreham Wood
First-team duo Jakov Medic and Amankwah Forson both featured for Olly Lee's side at Meadow Park in another indication that their respective futures lie away from Carrow Road. Both are expected to depart the club before the end of this summer's transfer window, with interest increasing.
The likes of Zach Baumann, Dylan Jones and Luke Towler, who have spent the majority of pre-season as part of Philippe Clement's first-team squad, returned to their youth ranks for this encounter.
Boreham Wood took the lead inside the opening 20 minutes when Tylor Golden was picked out by Regan Booty and sent through on goal before dispatching confidently past City keeper Caleb Ansen.
Elliot Myles converted the equaliser for the Canaries before half-time, latching onto Forson's pass to rifle an effort past the keeper. It continues the Welsh youth international's build-up to the new campaign, following his appearance against King's Lynn Town last weekend.
Forson had two opportunities before the break, first seeing a free kick fly narrowly over the bar before forcing a save from Boreham Wood goalkeeper Luca Gunter.
Boreham Wood Restores Lead Late On
Irish youth international Luke Chukwu went close in the 48th minute, creating space in the box, only for Gunter to deny him from close range.
Despite City's opportunities after their leveller, it was the National League side who restored their advantage 20 minutes from time. After a scramble in the penalty area, Matt Rush remained alive at the far post with his effort deflecting past Ansen and into the net to restore their advantage.
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