Late late show

LEICESTER CITY V PLYMOUTH ARGYLE

Saturday 21st November 2009

Football League Championship

Walkers Stadium

An offer of tickets for £10 through the Leicester Mercury newspaper sees me take in my second visit of the season to the Walkers Stadium. The first was for a pre-season friendly against Spanish La Liga side Real Valladolid which Leicester won 1-0 with a goal from Matt Fryatt five minutes from time. This season Leicester have made a solid start having won the League 1 title (3rd division in old money) last season and currently lie in sixth place. They have won seven out of their sixteen games played so far, and have obtained twnety-seven points in the process. Their three defeats coming by just a solitary goal. Opponents Plymouth meanwhile sit one place above the relegation zone having obtained fifteen points from their opening sixteen games.

This year sees Leicester City celebrate their 125th anniversary having been formed in 1884 as Leicester Fosse. Their first game was a friendly against Syston Fosse which resulted in a 5-0 victory, with the site of the game now being covered by Westleigh Road. The club played at various venues within the city (including Mill Lane, Victoria Park and Grace Road cricket ground) before moving to Filbert Street in 1891, though during the early years there it was known as Walnut Street. The move to the new ground coincided with Fosse joining the Midland League having spent the previous seven playing friendly matches. The club spent three years in the Midland League finishing 11th, 4th and 2nd respectively before being accepted into the 2nd division of the Football League. Upto the First World War the club spent all but one season in the lower division with the soliatary top flight campaign coming in the 1908/09 season. Financial problems led to Fosse being wound up in May 1919 with the club being reborn as Leicester City. The years between the two world wars saw the 'new' club spent more time in the top flight with two division 2 titles coming in 1925 and 1936. The club also achieved its highest ever placing when finishing runners-up in the 1928/29 season. When peace resumed the club found itself in the second division again and while as a second division club reached the FA Cup final for the first time in 1949 when they lost to Wolverhampton Wanderers. City contined to be and still are a yo-yo club, though a further three FA Cup finals were reached in the 1960's, but all were lost against Spurs and the two Manchester clubs. In 2008 the club were relegated to the third tier of English football for the first time in their history. You could argue that they have already played in the fourth level with the old Midland League being behind the Football League and Southern League in status at the time Fosse competed in. Let's not ruin a good story hey!

The earliest records for Plymouth Argyle I have are from 1903 when the competed in both the Southern and Western Leagues. This lasted for six seasons when in 1909 they soley concentrated on Southern League football before joining the Football League in 1920 in the newly formed division 3. This was when pretty much all of the top division of the Southern League did the same, and thus the following season a northern division was created by the Football League to balance out the southern bias. I do not plan to delve into the history of Argyle any further here, this will be done if and when I ever watch a home game of theirs and to be honest I can't imagine it anytime soon.

Leicester took the three points with a goal seconds from the end in the fourth minute of stoppage time to deservedly win this encounter. Right from the start the home side were the more attack minded side with top scorer Matty Fryatt coming close after only four minutes. Plymouth had their best spell of the game up until midway through the first half forcing a number of corners and dominating the possession. The second half of the half was all Leicester who bossed the midfield through Paul Gallagher and Richie Wellens, though the chances created were primarily off target. The second half was more frustrating for Leicester as Plymouth put ten men behind the ball at times and seemed happy to play out for a draw. Following a Nicky Adams corner Dany N'Guessan's attempt was blocked on the line by Karl Arnason only for Andy King to score with the rebound. Justice done and Leicester upto third in the table behind favourites Newcastle and West Brom, two of only three teams take the points off the Foxes this season.

Attendance: 27,124
Admission: £10 (special offer)
Programme: £3

About time...

MANSFIELD TOWN 0-0 LEICESTER CITY
Tuesday 21st July 2009
Field Mill
Pre-season friendly

My first game of the new season saw me head up to Mansfield Town F.C. for their pre-season friendly with Leicester City. With the weather being bloody awful it does make you question why sometimes, but after having a three month break from watching football I was suffering from withdrawal symptoms and itching to take in a game again. I have visited a lot of non-league clubs in the area but not actually Mansfield Town itself, so tonight was an ideal opportunity to visit a new club that is not that far from home and also see my home town club Leicester City in action. I met my dad at the Trowell services on the M1, from then we headed north to junction 28 and headed across the A38 towards Mansfield itself with the intention of finding somewhere to eat and hopefully the premises allowing us to leave one car there while we headed to the game. This was achieved when we pulled into the Watermill @ Sutton-in-Ashfield and after having some lunch we found the ground very easily and managed to park for free in the adjacent health club. Mansfield charged a £10 pay on the turnstile admission policy for the game and £2 for a programme which covers all four of their home pre-season games. The away fans situated behind the far goal which backs onto the retail park.

Leicester settled the better of the two teams and created a fair few chances with the home keeper dealing with the ones on target. Midfielder Max Gradel wasted at least two good opportunities when he blasted the ball high and wide after cutting inside on his left foot. The home side got into the game around the half hour mark but could not find the breakthrough. Six minutes into the second half Mansfield had the ball in the net but it was ruled out for offside and this was the closest either side came to breaking the deadlock. Overall a typical pre-season game I suppose and it was good the see Leicester in action at a ground that I have not been to before.

I can’t imagine I will go to man more pre-season games, though one is confirmed as I have tickets for Leicester’s home game with Spanish side Real Valladolid on Sunday 2nd August. As I have previously stated on numerous occasions my work plays a large impact on when and where I can watch football, and as most leagues have finalised their constitutions and started to release fixtures my list of clubs has changed a few times in the last couple of months.

At present it now looks something like this:

Melton Mowbray BS [Leicestershire Senior League] – hope to go to their first game on Saturday 15th August v Dunton & Broughton Rangers. This will complete the LSL in terms of 1st team clubs again. With Kingsway Rangers being promoted to the Premier Division of the Leicester & District League (L&D) I would like to take in at least half a dozen of their away games, examples being County Hall, Blaby United and Welby Lane United. As well as games in the L&D I intend to break my duck in the two other feeder leagues for the LSL, the North Leicestershire League (NLL) and Leicester City League (LCL). With the early fixtures released by NLL a possible is the Asfordby Village – Markfield fixture on Saturday 5th September. Before league fixtures commence in the LCL the clubs play in the Mick Booth Memorial Cup and I am thinking of taking in a game involving defending league champions South Wigston Wanderers. Away from football in my home county I would like to tick off a few more clubs in the following leagues: Central Midlands, Midland Combination and the United Counties.

Game 531

Leicester City 0-2 Hull City

Football League Championship
Saturday 22nd March 2008

Walkers Stadium

My first visit to the Walkers Stadium for a few seasons was due to a promotional offer in the Leicester Mercury newspaper where they were offering tickets for £8 and a further £3 for a programme. I went along to the game with my wife, mother and her partner. The weather was like the rest of the country - cold, windy, sunshine and the occasional snow shower - it was warmer last month in February which is normally one of, if not the coldest month of the year. To save on the hassle of parking around the stadium we caught the bus (Arriva no. 302) which dropped us off right outside for £3 return and took about 10 - 15 minutes to get there.

This season has seen contrasting fortunes for the teams - Leicester struggling at the bottom end of the table, though boosted by an excellent 4-1 win at promotion chasing West Bromwich Albion last weekend, while Hull currently occupy one of the four play-off spots. Now to the game itself...

Very little was offered by Leicester during the whole ninety minutes and didn't record a shot on target during the whole game. Possession was probably an even split but the visitors had the better chances with home keeper Paul Henderson making two or three good saves and a goalline clearance keeping the Foxes on an even keel. Just as it looked as the first half would end goalless Hull took the lead on 45 minutes through Dean Marney. The second half saw a similar pattern to the first with both teams having their fair share of possession but Hull looking the most likely to increase their lead. Midway through the half Fraizer Campbell was brought down inside the penalty area by keeper Henderson, but the keeper made amends by saving Marney's spot kick. Hull did though add a second on 74 minutes when substitute Caleb Folan beat the offside trap and slotted the ball past Henderson.

To sum up...Let's not beat about the bush - Leicester were awful today and are in serious danger of relegation and if they play like this then they deserve to go down. Not something I want to see being Leicester born and bred but the table never lies. Hull meanwhile are looking good for a play-off place at least and if they continue with their form then automatic promotion is not out of the question in this ever-so tight division.

Club websites:

Leicester City - http://www.lcfc.co.uk/

Hull City - http://www.hullcityafc.premiumtv.co.uk/