Okay we lost and it was the third defeat in a row but actually I was uplifted by our performance against the best side in the league. It was a great improvement over the display against Stoke and if we continue to play like this, the victories will come again.
BEFORE
Leicester have made an excellent start to the season and are already looking nailed on for promotion. After our sloppy performance against Stoke and good hiding by Boro this doesn't feel like the best time to be playing the likely champions but we have to get on with it. Most people are resigning themselves to another defeat but I've got a sneaky feeling that we're going to get something from tonight's game. Will we try to park the bus? Will we play one or more of our so far unsuccessful strikers from the start? Some kind of change is certainly in the offing. Ekwah didn't look up to speed against Stoke but a solid performance from him today could make a big difference. I don't want to look at the likely Leicester squad as I know they have plenty of Premiership quality players. I'll be watching the match in the company of other members of the London Branch and while I fear a 5-0 thrashing my match prediction is 1-1.
I got to the rendezvous around 7.15 and a number of the faithful were already present. When I checked the team-news, I saw that Neil and Burstow were in for Ba and Pritchard, who were both on the bench. Many fans reckoned we really missed Neil against Stoke and we certainly lacked something. It’s about time Burstow got a goal, though. I noticed Vardy was among the subs and I didn’t look forward to seeing him come on. Another sub was Albrighton and I really rate him too.
THE MATCH
There was a minute’s applause for the five people killed in the helicopter crash five years back and then we were off. We were playing in red and white and that’s always good. We won a free-kick in a dangerous spot within thirty seconds but the screen decided to freeze for a while so we didn’t see what happened next, though it clearly came to nothing. Our passing was looking a lot better than it was on Saturday and in the eighth minute we created a great move down the right that culminated in a Clarke shot on target that was blocked by Hermansen in goal. We were clearly planning to go for it. We conceded the first corner in the eleventh minute and once again we showed how vulnerable we are from set-pieces as Justin headed it powerfully into the left side of the net to put them ahead. Nobody was on the post. We soon won a corner of our own but it came to nothing. We then won another corner that ended with a long-distance effort going wide. Next thing Leicester hit our left post but we were still battling away in their half too and creating some flowing moves.
In the twenty-sixth we were awarded a free-kick just outside their box when Neil was fouled but Roberts’ kick bounced off their wall to safety. Our passing had improved a great deal since Saturday and Leicester knew they were in a tussle. A jinky Clarke run produced a low shot that Hermansen blocked and a Jobe header went over when he really should have done better. I felt an equaliser was on its way before too long. However, it looked like Leicester had scored again in the thirty-ninth but Iheanacho’s low shot hit the right post via a Patto hand and we breathed again. With two minutes to the break we had a good penalty shout when it looked like Faes had felled Neil in the box. The replays certainly seemed to confirm that but nothing was given. We were still pressing when the half-time whistle went. So far, so not too bad at all.
Two minutes into the second period a poor Patterson clearance set up a good shot on target but Patto redeemed himself with a great save. He was there again a minute later with another excellent stop. O’Nien and Vestergaard both got a yellow after a bit of wrestling following a Leicester corner. Hume soon joined them in the book after an iffy tackle. We won a corner in the fifty-fifth and Leicester cleared the danger. The game was being played at a rapid pace and both sides looked like they had a goal in them. Iheanacho went close with a low shot just after the hour-mark and then I began to wonder if we’d see Rusyn, Hemir and Pritchard come on soon. In the sixty-fourth we did make a triple-switch but we brought on Cirkin, Ba and Rigg for Huggins, Ekwah and Burstow. Next thing there was tremendous applause all around the ground for Sir Bobby Charlton and deservedly so. Leicester replaced Iheanacho with Vardy and nobody likes to see him coming on against them.
In the seventieth Cirkin was booked as he conceded a free-kick just outside our box and I was relieved as I thought it was a penna. Roberts was skinning them down the right and with a bit more than a quarter of an hour to go I still thought we could nick a draw. Pritch came on for Jobe and that did nothing to alter my feeling. Neil skied a good chance after Roberts had set him up, though he went much closer shortly afterwards with a low shot from the left. Ten minutes to go and anything could happen. Cirkin hit one not too far over and we were doing most of the pressing. Ba also went close and the home fans must have been getting mighty nervous. There was a lengthy stoppage for an injury to Justin and he was eventually replaced by Choudhury. Not surprisingly there were five minutes of added-time but it ended 1-0.
