Thousands of tons of earth had to be shifted before a pitch could be laid and stands erected and there then followed the process of dismantling the old Newmarket Road structures and moving them painstakingly by horse and cart to their new home on the other side of the city.

An FA Cup tie against Reading later in the year had to be switched to a neutral venue when City's opponents complained that The Nest's pitch was not big enough, but the club soon settled into their new home and it was not long before five figure crowds were packing into the compact little ground.

The Nest was gradually improved over the years, with the playing surface re-laid and extra terracing added, and by the time the Canaries were elected to the Football League in 1920 crowds of between 12,000 and 14,000 were commonplace.

Further developments in the 1930s, including an extension to the "chicken run" opposite the Main Stand, saw the capacity rise still further and, on 16 February 1935, 25,037 supporters crammed into the ground to watch City lose 1–0 to Sheffield Wednesday in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Concern over the facilities had already been expressed by Norwich City directors and the matter came to a head just a month after the big cup tie when the Football Association wrote to the club saying they were not satisfied the ground was suitable to house large crowds.