Hwang Ui-jo makes Norwich debut in blink-and-you'll-miss-it Korean derby

Football

Published: 17 Sep. 2023, 10:05 Updated: 17 Sep. 2023, 16:20

Hwang Ui-jo makes Norwich debut in blink-and-you'll-miss-it Korean derby

Norwich City mark Hwang Ui-jo's debut in a post on the club's official X, formerly Twitter, account. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Hwang Ui-jo made his debut for Norwich City on Saturday, coming on as a substitute against Stoke City just early enough to create a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Championship Korean derby.

Hwang, who was loaned to Norwich from Nottingham Forest just before the international break, came on in the 60th minute to play the final half hour of the 1-0 win.

The brief appearance comes after a stunted start to the 2023-24 season for Hwang, who has barely stepped on a football pitch since the summer. The move to Norwich will likely see him get far more opportunities, although he may need to build up his stamina again after so long on the sidelines.

Hwang’s arrival in Norwich marks the latest twist in what has been a tumultuous few years for the 31-year-old who went from top scorer at a Ligue 1 club to persona non grata in the Greek Super League in the space of a year, then pivoted to the K League before getting called back to warm Forest’s bench for the last month.

As luck would have it, Norwich’s very first game after recruiting Hwang was against Stoke, the only other Championship side with a Korean player.

Stoke signed Korean midfielder Bae Jun-ho at the end of August, at the time becoming the only Championship club with a Korean on the roster.

Bae Jun-ho arrives at Carrow Road in Norwich, England with the Stoke City squad in a photo shared by Stoke City on social media. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Bae, 20, is a rising star with just two goals in the K League this season. An ambipedal attacking midfielder who leans more toward the Hwang In-beom school of playmaking than the more familiar Son Heung-min attacking approach, Bae was a key part of the Korean squad at the U-20 Asian Cup and U-20 World Cup, both earlier this year.

He scored a goal and picked up an assist in a round of 16 game against Ecuador at the World Cup.

After coming on as a substitute in his first game on Sept. 2, Bae got his first start for Stoke against Norwich on Saturday. He played 61 minutes, meaning that for just a single minute there were two Korean players on the pitch at Carrow Road in Norwich, England.

Neither team get much rest after Saturday’s game with midweek action scheduled in the Championship this week. Norwich will be back in action on Wednesday as they take on Leicester City, with Stoke taking on Huddersfield on the same day.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]