Rovers entered the 3rd round of the 2022-23 FA Cup courtesy of their Championship status, on Monday and were among 43 other teams who were coming into the competition, for this campaign at this stage.
The draw for the 3rd round occurred live on BBC2 as the 44 sides from the Championship and the Premier League entered the draw, alongside all the 2nd round victors from League 1, League 2 and the rest of the English footballing pyramid, amidst the World Cup Fever.
With the draw seeing the introduction of the mouth-watering ties against the ‘big boys’ from the top tier, Rovers – ball #5 in the draw – were given an away draw against fellow Championship side, Norwich City. The clash is set to take place at Carrow Road, across the weekend of the 7th of January, with a confirmed date to be set in the near future.
Despite Rovers being successful in this competition, having been the victors six times, the team failed to get past the first hurdle last season, after losing 3-2 to to then-League One side, Wigan Athletic, in a thrilling game, that kickstarted a downturn in form that everyone at Ewood Park will want to forget. Norwich City’s 2021-22 FA Cup campaign was a bit more prosperous, as after back-to-back 1-0 victories over Charlton Athletic and Wolverhampton Wanderers in Rounds Three and Four, respectively, they were turned over by eventual winners, Liverpool, by a 2-1 scoreline at Anfield in the Fifth Round.
Norwich City and Rovers have become fairly accustomed to each other, given the Canaries’ ‘yo-yoing’ to and from the Premier League, but are yet to face each other this season. They do have history with each other in the FA Cup, however, with the pair’s first ever meeting being in the illustrious competition, back in 1912, where Rovers ran out 4-1 winners at Ewood Park.
The sides have met in the world’s oldest competition, three times before – including the aforementioned result – with Rovers unbeaten against the Canaries in the FA Cup, after the 4-1 win in 1912 and a 3-2 replay victory for Jack Marshall’s side, following a 2-2 draw back in 1965-66.
