Canaries' season ticket bonanza

Paddy DavittNorwich City's loyal support yesterday gave their resounding financial backing to the club's Championship fight for survival.Nearly 17,000 fans renewed season tickets ahead of the first deadline for the 2009/10 campaign that could see Norwich languishing in English football's third tier for the first time since 1960.Paddy Davitt

Norwich City's loyal support yesterday gave their resounding financial backing to the club's Championship fight for survival.

Nearly 17,000 fans renewed season tickets ahead of the first deadline for the 2009/10 campaign that could see Norwich languishing in English football's third tier for the first time since 1960.

City chief executive Neil Doncaster revealed he was 'staggered' by the take-up with a deepening economic recession the backdrop to the club's battle for their Championship existence.

The long suffering 'yellow and green' army are ready to pack out Carrow Road again next season despite another miserable campaign on the pitch that culminated in Glenn Roeder's exit and the call for City legend Bryan Gunn to launch a rescue mission.

Norwich's first away win since November on Tuesday at QPR revived hopes the club can avoid relegation ahead of an even more crucial battle this weekend against fellow Championship strugglers Blackpool.

Mr Doncaster insisted the latest show of support is a massive boost to Norwich's survival bid - with the 16,939 figure announced by club officials only eclipsed by last year's record-breaking 18,460 at the same stage of the renewal cycle.

'We are the envy of most clubs and we continue to be so because these results are staggering in the context of the situation we are in,' he said. 'I think we expected the numbers to be well down, frankly, considering where we were in the division and the really difficult conditions people are finding in the high street.

'We would have been naive to expect otherwise but to have achieved the second-highest level of renewals at this stage in the season ticket process really is an incredible result.'

City customer services manager Richard Gough revealed the club's ticket office had to work overtime to cope with the demand ahead of last weekend's initial date.

'As the deadline approached we were selling around 1,000 season tickets a day. We have been busy processing both renewals and new season ticket applications,' he said.

Supporters have until Saturday, April 13 to purchase tickets before the next deadline for the 2009/10 campaign.