Following a 12th-placed finish in their first season back in the Premier League, Norwich City's hopes of progressing were dented in the summer when Paul Lambert left the club to become manager of Aston Villa.
Lambert's departure prompted bookmakers to place the Canaries among the favourites for relegation at the start of the season, but the appointment of Chris Hughton as manager proved a successful one.
The former Newcastle United boss steered Norwich to mid-table safety, ensuring that the club would be playing a third successive season of top-flight football.
Here, Sports Mole looks back at Hughton's first season in charge of the Norfolk outfit.
August
Chris Hughton's reign got off to the worst possible start as Norwich were thrashed 5-0 at Fulham on the opening day of the season.
A week later they picked up their first points of the campaign as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Queens Park Rangers.
City signed off the month by beating League One Scunthorpe United 2-1 in the first round of the Capital One Cup.
September
Norwich's league form did not improve in September as they drew twice and lost to Newcastle United and Liverpool, meaning that Hughton's men had not won yet in the Premier League.
However, they continued to progress in the League Cup, beating Doncaster Rovers 1-0 to move into the third round.
© PA Photos
October
October began badly for the Canaries as they lost 4-1 at Chelsea, a result which saw them drop to 19th in the Premier League table.
A week later, Norwich finally claimed their first victory of the campaign as they beat Arsenal 1-0 at Carrow Road thanks to a goal from Grant Holt.
This was followed by a 1-1 draw at Aston Villa and a 2-1 victory over Spurs in the fourth round of the Capital One Cup.
November
Norwich went unbeaten through November, lifting themselves out of the bottom three in the process. They began the month by beating Stoke City 1-0, before playing out a goalless draw at Reading.
Hughton's side then pulled off a shock by Manchester United 1-0 at Carrow Road, which was followed up by successive draws away to Everton and Southampton.
The club were hit with a blow as England goalkeeper John Ruddy was ruled out of action for three months with a thigh injury.
© PA Photos
December
Norwich won three and lost three of their league games during December, the highlight coming with a 4-3 win at Swansea City, which was one of the most memorable games of the season.
The club exited the League Cup at the quarter-final stage with a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa.
Norwich's 10-match unbeaten run in the league was ended by a 2-1 defeat to West Bromwich Albion, before further losses to Chelsea and Manchester City provided a disappointing end to 2012.
January
A 2-1 defeat at West Ham United began a difficult month for the Canaries, as they failed to win any of their four league games in January.
Draws against Newcastle and Tottenham came either side of a 5-0 thrashing by Liverpool at Anfield.
In the FA Cup, Hughton's men saw off Peterborough United, but in the fourth round Norwich became the first top-flight club in 24 years to lose to a non-league side in the competition as Luton Town pulled off a shock 1-0 win at Carrow Road.
February
Two goalless draws with QPR and Fulham set Norwich up for their first win in nine attempts as late goals from Kei Kamara and Grant Holt secured a 2-1 victory.
March
A 4-0 defeat to Manchester United was followed by a 0-0 draw with Southampton, where Holt had an injury-time penalty saved by Saints goalkeeper Artur Boruc.
Norwich drew 1-1 at Sunderland the following week, before a 1-0 defeat to Wigan Athletic at the end of the month left the club just four points clear of the relegation zone.
© Anthony Devlin / PA Photos
April
Norwich missed the opportunity to move clear of the bottom three after a 2-2 home draw against Swansea, before losing 3-1 to Arsenal the following week.
Two goals in the space of 90 seconds from Ryan Bennett and Elliott Bennett secured a crucial 2-1 victory over relegation rivals Reading and moved City seven points clear of the drop zone with four games remaining.
However, a 1-0 defeat at Stoke City meant that the Canaries were not guaranteed safety yet.
May
May began in disappointing fashion for Norwich, as former manager Paul Lambert took all three points on his return to Carrow Road with Aston Villa's 2-1 victory.
However, a week later Norwich made sure of their survival with a 4-0 win over West Brom, which was only the third time that Norwich managed to score more than two goals in a Premier League game this season.
With their status as a top flight side secured, the Yellows played with great freedom on the final day of the campaign and were rewarded with a 3-2 victory away at Manchester City. Hughton's men were only the second side to win at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League during the season.
Steven Toplis
