10:35am Friday 20th November 2009
By Gordon Simpson
DEAN Hammond welcomes Norwich to St Mary’s tomorrow having already been part of a side that has thrashed the Canaries 7-1 this season.
But the midfielder, who helped Colchester win 7-1 at Carrow Road on the opening day of 2009/10, is fully aware that Norwich are a different prospect now under his former U’s boss Paul Lambert.
Hammond is expecting a far harder prospect tomorrow against a Norwich side who have won nine of their last 10 league and cup games.
But the opening day goalfest is a memory Hammond, who joined Saints less than two weeks later, still enjoys recalling.
“It was great, it was fantastic,” he said.
“I’ve never had an opening day game like it.
“If you speak to any of the Colchester players, we shouldn’t say it, but we were laughing really.
“Every time we attacked we scored and it was just a joy to play in.
“I don’t think I’ll ever play in a game like that again.
“If we’d won 10-0 it wouldn’t have been an understatement really.
“I don’t think they had many chances on the day.
“We just had a great pre-season, we were really up for it, we were ready for it, and it was a derby game for us as well, so it was just brilliant to play in.”
But the Norwich that head south tomorrow will be far removed from the one Colchester ripped apart.
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