City End With a Flourish

Leicester City 4:2 Ipswich Town

City ended the 2010-11 season in style with a 4-2 win over Ipswich on Saturday, leaving their fans wondering what might have been…

It was typical end of season fare, an afternoon when applause rang around the ground time and again and not just for the four goals. Alan Birchenall, on completing his 31st charity run was given a lifetime contract by the club, now immune to the whims of just-visiting cost-cutters who didn’t understand the role he playes and his invaluable link with players past.
Richie Wellens also got a warm ovation on receipt of his Player of the Season award, as did Aleksander Tunchev when he came on for Vitor on the half hour for his first decent spell on the field in many months.

City, with one change – Van Aanholt in for Mee – had a superb first half although it could have been different had Ipswich not wasted two early chances.
A slip-up from Vitor presented Norris with a one-on-one chance with Weale, but he missed the target.
Van Aanholt and Yakubu both went close as play raced from end to end in a lively opening, and then Weale produced a fine double save to prevent Connor and then Wickham giving the visitors the lead. 
Instead, it was City who went ahead in the 26th minute, with Gallagher delivering a perfect cross from the left, met by the head of King at the far post for his 15th goal of the season.
 City were then forced into two changes with Vassell and Vitor limping out of the action to be replaced by Kamara and Tunchev.
Tunchev came close to a glorious comeback but sent an acrobatic volley just over the bar.
The re-shuffled City side did extend their lead in the  41st minute, however, when Abe centred from the left, King struck the right hand post, and the rebound went straight to Yakubu who netted the 11th goal of his loan spell.
Just before the break the home fans were celebrating again as King crossed from the right and Abe found the bottom left hand corner with a sidefooter for his first City goal.
3-0 and crusing at the break, but some familiar defensive failings came back to haunt City in the second half
as the visitors came back to 3-2 with two goals in three minutes.
In the 68th minute Bruma handled while attempting to head away a corner and Leadbitter sent his spot kick low to Weale’s right.
In the 71st minute the away corner were conga-ing in delight after a suicidal back pass from Van Aanholt and a slip from Weale allowed Connor to make it 3-2.
Happily, any thoughts of a comeback were extinguished just moments later when brilliant work from Van Aanholt down the left – exchanging one-twos with Gallagher and Yakubu –  saw him cross for King whose effort was saved by Fulop, but fell for Kamara to net from close in.
This was followed by a twenty man brawl after a poor challenge on Yakubu but only yellow cards were shown when peace was eventually restored.
Ipswich’s challenge was seen off this time and the remainder of the game was about fun in the sun for the two sets of fans with Ipswich becoming perhaps the first ever set of away fans to join in with the wave.
 

It was difficult not to get excited about next season at this stage. With a team that has often looked superb at home (not often enough away) there is clearly a solid base to be improved upon and a budget that should allow Sven Goran Eriksson to do the job. Even the new kit – unveiled in this match – has something about it that suggests ‘promotion’…
Sven was well aware of this season’s failings: “We need to build on the good stuff. Our team is good to watch with some brilliant passing and combinations but that is not good enough to get you promoted. If we did not make so many mistakes we would easily be in the play-offs. We have to do it better next season.”

Leicester: Weale, Vitor (Tunchev 30), Naughton, Van Aanholt, Bruma, King, Abe, Wellens (Oakley 77), Yakubu, Gallagher, Vassell (Kamara 27). Subs Not Used: Dyer, Moreno, Howard, Smith. 
Ipswich: Fulop, McAuley, Delaney, Leadbitter, Kennedy, Healy, Martin (Peters 74), Norris, Edwards,Scotland (Carson 64), Wickham. Subs Not Used: Lee-Barrett, Brown, Murray, Drury, Civelli

Referee: C Boyeson (East Yorks). Attendance: 24,859.

Yakubu Hat Trick Not Enough at the Riverside

Middlesbrough 3:3 Leicester City

A Yakubu hat-trick was not enough to earn the points for City at the Riverside on Saturday, with Middlesbrough finding a 95th minute equaliser to square an eventful game at 3-3…

Sven Goran Eriksson shuffled things up with Ricardo dropped in favour of Weale, King demoted to the bench, and Kamara making his debut, while Oakley returned for Abe in midfield.
It was a line up that paid instant dividends with City taking a 4th minute lead. A Gallagher corner from the left was retrieved by Wellens who fired a cross into the goalmouth which Yakubu diverted home to silence the boos that had greeted the former Boro player’s appearance.
However, the home side were level again within nine minutes. Smallwood broke through the middle and fed Emnes on the right, the Dutchman slotting the ball under Weale.
Both side shad decent chances to go ahead, Van Aaanholt forcing a good save from Smith and Smallwood going close with an effort, but it was City who regained the lead just before the break.
Gallagher delivered a corner from the right, Bruma headed into the danger area and Yakubu beat Bamba to the ball to guide it over the line from inches out.  
City almost went ahead through Kamara soon after the break but he was denied by Smith. The travelling fans didn’t have long to wait however, Yakubu completing his hat trick in the 49th minute. Latching on to a clever ball from Vassell he outpaced the Boro defence and slotted the ball under the advancing Smith to give City a two goal lead.
Unfortunately it wasn’t enough. Six minutes later the lead was reduced when Williams lashed in a shot from the edge of the area after combining well with Arca.
Substitute Zammama then fired a 25 yard shot onto the left hand upright with City living dangerously.
In the 76th minute Bruma was harshly judged to have handled after blocking a fierce Arca shot into a crowded area. Weale brilliantly saved Arca’s spot kick low to his left and while his team mates congratulated him, Bruma foolishly had a word with the ref, which resulted in him being shown a second yellow card. 
The left hand upright was hit again when Emnes should have scored, and as the game entered it’s fourth minute of time-added-on it looked as though the ten men had earned the points.
Unfortunately McManus then got a thumping header to an Arca corner to give Boro a share of the spoils. 
In an instant City had gone from 8th to 12th in the live League Tables on a day when the teams surrounding City had not done well.

The fact that City lost two points from a header in Bruma’s position was not lost on Sven: “Players should not talk to the referee and should not discuss with him any decisions. I will talk to the referee when he comes off. If players argue with the referee they will get booked. Some of my players need to be reminded of that.”

Middlesbrough: Smith, Davies (McManus 71), Taylor (Kink 71), McMahon, Hines, Williams, Bennett, Arca, Smallwood (Zemmama 60), McDonald, Emnes. Subs Not Used: Tavares, Halliday, Grounds, Coyne.
Leicester: Weale, Bamba, Naughton , Van Aanholt, Bruma, Oakley, Wellens, Kamara  (Waghorn 88), Yakubu  (Vitor 80), Gallagher (Abe 71), Vassell. Subs Not Used: Howard, King, Ricardo, Dyer.

Referee:A Haines (Tyne & Wear). Attendance: 14,500.

Photo: Paul Kirk.

Late Waghorn Strike Downs Robins

Leicester City 2:1 Bristol City

A late, late goal by substitute Martyn Waghorn earned City all 3 points from their Friday night home game against Bristol City…

Sven Goran Eriksson stuck with the same starting XI that won at Derby and for a while it looked like business as usual with a large crowd (the result of some clever marketing) enjoying a bright start from City.
Yakubu missed out on an early opener when he connected with a Naughton cross, but was off target.
James then made two fine saves from Gallagher and Bamba, but then slipped up to give City a 21st minute lead. Although the England keeper should have cut out a low Bamba cross from the right, he merely deflected the ball into the path of Yakubu who instantly found the net.
James made amends later in the half, denying King in a one-on-one, not something that many keepers have managed this season.
And Bristol refused to lie down, piecing together several good attacking moves and testing Mee and Bamba at the back. Woolford should have helped put the Robins level, but Bamba was on hand to block his cut back to an unmarked Keogh, as ever.
The visitors continued to press after the break and levelled in the 57th minute when Elliott nodded home a McAllister corner.
Far from being content with a point Bristol continued to press and Adomah forced Ricardo to parry away his fierce shot. The Portugese keeper than had a wobble, dropping the ball int he danger area, but it was scrambled clear.
City wasted a great chance to go ahead on the break when a square ball from Vassell found Oakley and Dyer both unmarked, but Oakley’s first touch allowed James to come out and smother the danger.
At the other end a deflected shot from Woolford left Ricardo stranded, but the ball fell the right side of the post as far as City were concerned.
With five minutes remaining Sven brought Waghorn on for Vassell…
City had lost their shape, too many passes were going astray and, for the first time in weeks, they were employing the long ball forward, which wasn’t making a dent on Bristol’s big back-line. Then came a slice of fortune that seems to favour a club that is on a roll.
An attempted clearance hit Oakley on the back of the head and the rebound fell nicely for Waghorn who lashed the ball past James from an acute angle for a delightful late winner.
City had not played particularly well, and had still won the game, a sign that everything is going for us as we close in on those promotion places.
Sven said of his matchwinner: “He was knocking on my door twice or three times a week during the transfer window, but I think he is happy to stay here now. He works very hard in training and lately he has doing a great job when he comes on. He is physically strong and a hard worker, and his finish was extremely good and very important for us.”

Leicester: Ricardo, Bamba, Naughton, Mee, Van Aanholt, King, Oakley, Wellens (Abe 78), Yakubu, Gallagher (Dyer 64), Vassell (Waghorn 84). Subs Not Used:  Weale, Bruma, Berner, Vitor.
Bristol City: James, Fontaine, McAllister (Nyatanga 64), Carey, Caulker, Elliott, Cisse, Woolford, Adomah, Clarkson (Campbell-Ryce 76), Keogh (Maynard 59). Subs Not Used: Stewart, Gerken, Johnson, Pitman.

Referee: R. Booth (Notts). Attendance: 28,768.

Silence of the Rams III

Derby County 0:2 Leicester City

 

Sven Goran Eriksson’s side took another stride towards the play-offs on Saturday evening, with a comfortable 2-0 win over Derby at Pride Park…

There were two changes to the side for this televised local derby, with Ricardo making his debut in goal in place of Weale, and Oakley in for Abe in midfield.
Struggling Derby kept things very tight in the opening spell, allowing City possession but no real chances until Van Aarnholt’s cross was blocked by Addison, who collided with a post.
City’s dominance appeared to have borne fruit in the 22nd minute when Vassell found the top corner, but a linesman’s flag halted the celebrations.
However, six minutes later City took the lead their performance deserved thanks to a bit of magic from Yakubu.  The Rams failed to clear their lines properly and Gallagher teed up the Nigerian 12 yards out. Although Yakubu was well marked he juggled the ball twice before lashing a drive into the roof of the net for a spectacular opener. 
A minute later Gallagher went close with a long range effort after more good work from Van Aanholt down the left.
Seconds before half-time City doubled their lead with a sublime passing move that swept from one end to the other in seconds. Mee to Yakubu to Van Aanholt to Gallagher who fed King perfectly to slide the ball past the advancing Bywater and into the net.
The half time whistle signalled boos from a home crowd who had seen their team outplayed.
The Rams improved after the break, City had a bit of defending to do and Ricardo actuially touched the ball, punching clear. In the 66th minute Bamba and Mee clashed heads, requiring lengthy treatment, but happily both were able to stay on the field.
City were content to defend their two goal lead in a professional manner and Derby did not have the guile to get round them. There were few chances for the Rams, Byford heading over late on. 
The final whistle saw City fans celebrating a fine win over their neighbours, and six points from Derby this season.

A jubilant Sven commented: “I am happy for two reasons. In the first half we played good football, we moved the ball around nicely and scored two very nice goals. Second half they didn’t allow us to play, our full-backs couldn’t come out with the ball so it was more of a battle. They became much more direct and hit a lot of long balls and I think we stood up to that very well so I am very happy about that. The team is getting better and better, more and more confident. so I hope we can go on like this but you never know because every game is a battle.”

Derby: Bywater, Roberts, Addison (Ayala 87), Brayford, Barker, Savage, Davies, Green, Pringle (Bueno 81), Pearson (Cywka 46), Davies. Subs not used: D. Leacock, C. Porter, C. Doyle, S. DeeneyLeicester: Ricardo, Bamba (Bruma 84), Naughton, Mee, Van Aanholt, King, Oakley, Wellens, Yakubu (Dyer 76), Gallagher, Vassell (Waghorn  83). Subs Not Used: Berner, Moussa, Abe, Weale.

Referee: C Webster (Tyne & Wear). Attendance: 26,142.

Lions Vanquished

Leicester City 4:2 Millwall

City emerged from an eventful and hugely entertaining encounter with Milwall with a 4:2 victory at Filbert Way on Saturday…

Sven made three changes to his FA Cup line-up with Yakubu in for Howard, Vassell returning from injury and taking the injured Gallagher’s place, and Mee making his debut with Hobbs demoted to the bench.

Mee’s League career didn’t get off to a great start, a clumsy challenge on Robinson gifting Millwall a penalty in th esecond minute. Mee’s blushes were spared as Morison sent his spot-kick sailing a foot over the bar and into the Family Stand.
That blip aside, City had a good start to the game and it was no surprise when they took an 8th minute lead. A precise ball from King saw a lightning fast run from Dyer who reached the ball a fraction ahead of Lions’ keeper Forde to nudge it past him and into the net.
But City’s lead only lasted a minute… as the ball was only half cleared from City’s area it sat up nicely for Henry 22 yards out and he arrowed an unstoppable shot into the top left hand corner.
City restored their lead in the 23rd minute. Yakubu, in on the left, twisted and turned until he had made enough space for a low shot across keeper Forde who, deceived by the bounce, allowed the ball to creep in at the far post.
Ten minutes before the break City added a third, a quickly taken Wellens free-kick catching the Millwall defence out. Yakubu’s wayward shot was defelcted into the path of Bamba, who guided it over the line.
He leapt over the ad hoardings to celebrate with the front row of the Kop and was booked for his trouble.
There were further chances for Naughton and Dyer, but City were content to go in 3-1 up at the break and were warmly applauded off the field.
Millwall began the second half with a spell of attacking moves, though no one was on hand to make use of Hackett’s good work down the left.
The game then saw a controversial minute which punctured City’s two goal cushion. There were loud appeals for a penalty when Vassell was brought crashing down in the box, but referee Eddie Ilderton ignored them. Less than minute later play switched to the City end where Hackett, surrounded by three blue shirts, tumbled over and Ilderton pointed to the spot. Smith placed his spot kick low to the left just beating Weale’s outstretched palm.
A couple of minutes later Millwall were reduced to ten men was Askou was dismissed for a violent challenge on Yakubu. Wellens floated a free-kick over the Millwall defence and Bamba was on hand to bundle his second goal of the game in off the left hand post.
Mee, who had recovered well from a bad start, produced a fantastic tackle to deny Morison a goal and there was no way back for the Lions.
Wellens, particularly, was enjoying himself in the closing stages playing keepy-uppy while sat on the turf and attempting a 45 yard lob over the keeper.
It had been a tremendous performance from that that had the fans buzzing as they made their way home.
Sven, who is unbeaten in nine home games in charge, even mentioned the P-word: “We played good football and deserved to win, absolutely. We have made a good start to 2011. I still believe we can at least reach the play-offs. I want to take this club up to the Premier League and stay there.”

Leicester: Weale, Berner, Bamba, Naughton, Mee, King, Dyer (Waghorn 84), Abe, Wellens, Yakubu (Howard 87), Vassell (Oakley 75). Subs Not Used: Logan, Hobbs, Moreno, Moussa.
Millwall: Forde, Smith, Barron, Berthel Askou, Dunne, Abdou, Henry, Schofield ( Lisbie 76), Hackett, Robinson (Purse 46), Morison. Subs Not Used: Mildenhall, Trotter, Grabban, Harris, Marquis.

Referee: E Ilderton (Tyne & Wear). Attendance: 23,347. 

Disappointment at Deepdale

Preston North End 1:1 Leicester City

City squandered two points at Deepdale on Saturday, having led through a Yakubu debut goal, allowing Preston in for a late equaliser from former-fox Iain Hume.

Sven Goran Eriksson made one change to his side for the long trip to Lancashire, with debutante Yakubi coming in for the injured Vassell.
The home side carved out the first chance of the game when Hume set up Hayes for a shot which Weale blocked with his face. The offside flag was raised, however.
After that City had the better chanes, Dyer squandering a one-on-one with the keeper and sending another effort narrowly wide; while Abe tested keeper Lonergan with a long range effort.
Preston then enjoyed a decent spell and delivered a series of set pieces but the City defence, with Bamba at it’s heart, coped fairly comfortably.
City’s best chance of the half came in the 33rd minute when Gallagher swung a freekick from outside the area onto the angle of left hand post and crossbar. The rebound came back to Gallagher but he fired his second attempt well over.
Weale then produced a fine save from Carter and Naughton did well to keep Hume at bay as the home side pressed for a half time lead. As it was, the team’s went in goalless at the break.
City looked the stronger side in the second half. Yakubu, set up by Dyer, sent a shot narrowly wide, and then Gallagher hit the woodwork again, sending a header against th eleft hand post with Lonergan beaten.
After Weale foiled Hume with a fine block, City eventually made the breakthrough on the hour. A clever ball from Gallagher set Yakubu up on th eleft. The Nigerian feinted to cut inside, fooling the Lilyshites’ defence before changing tack and beating Lonergan at his near post.
The Yak had been fed, and he had indeed scored.
It should have been the winner, but Preston were desperate for something from this game and fought hard for a point which they eventually got in the 89th minute. With Oakley, Moussa and Howard on for Dyer, Yakubu and Gallagher City conceded a lot of ground late on.
A long ball forward, a couple of nod-ons, and there was Hume popping up to beat Weale low to his left from just inside the penalty area.
City still had a chance to win the game  in injury time but King was foiled by Lonergan in a one-on-one, getting an arm to the shot which saw the ball sailing over the bar.

A disappointed Eriksson commented: “I think that we lost two points. I think the way we played, especially in the second half, became better and better and with the chances we created we should win a game like this. We had two attempts that hit the bar, we were one on one with the goalkeeper twice and scored a goal so it should be enough to win. But unfortunately we made one mistake at the end of the match and they went through and scored.”

Preston: Lonergan, Jones, Morgan, St. Ledger, Cort, McLaughlin (Parry 48), Carter (Ellington 62), Russell, Linganzi (Nicholson 48), Hayes, Hume. Subs Not Used: Treacy, Mayor, Barton, Arestidou.
Leicester: Weale, Berner, Bamba, Hobbs, Naughton, King, Dyer (Oakley 77) , Abe, Wellens, Yakubu (Howard 86), Gallagher (Moussa 86). Subs Not Used: Logan, Moreno, Waghorn, Mee.

Referee: David Coote (Nottingham). Attendance: 14,205.