Match Review: Cheltenham Town

Was there ever any doubt? City end August in top spot after a commendable start to life in League One. 1,782 Leicester fans saw City triumph at Whaddon Road, a ground that as we mentioned saw many casualties last season. It’s unlikely Leicester will remain in 1st place come next Saturday thanks to the postponement of the trip to Colchester, so enjoy it while it lasts.

As always, here are some numbers to digest…

5 – The number years it has been since Leicester City were top of any table. A 1-1 draw at Rotherham United put City top of Division One on 12th April 2003 after Portsmouth (who had led the league all season) slipped to a 2-1 defeat at home to Sheffield Wednesday. In 2000, a goalless draw with Sunderland at the Stadium of Light was enough to leave the Foxes top of the Premier League for a glorious 13 days from 1st-13th October 2000. Manchester United quickly brought City back down to earth with a 3-0 victory at Filbert Street to replace City at the summit.

11 – The number of seasons you have to go back to find a Leicester City away win as big as this one. On 26th April 1998 the Foxes travelled to Pride Park and found themselves 4-0 up inside 15 minutes. There was no such madness at Whaddon Road, but this was City’s biggest away win in over a decade.

9 – The number of points the Foxes have won after leading at halftime. This a 100% record which isn’t too staggering in itself, but shown with last season’s statistics reveals an interesting pattern. In 2007/08 the Foxes led at halftime on 10 occasions - nine of these matches were won, with one drawn. Leicester’s record of converting halftime leads into victories was the second in the Championship only to Stoke. The Potters didn’t drop a single point once ahead at halftime. So, if you want a good bet this season, Leicester-Leicester as a double result looks pretty safe.

Match Preview: Cheltenham Town

Cheltenham has always been more famous for its racecourse than its football team. Few City supporters would have pencilled in Whaddon Road as a highlight of City’s away calendar but the Foxes must take points from places such as this. With a win tomorrow City have a chance to establish themselves as pacesetters in League One.

Previous Meetings
Cheltenham have only been part of the Football League since 1999 and the two sides have never met in a competitive fixture. For what it’s worth, The Robins were defeated 2-0 by City in a 2007 pre-season friendly thanks to goals from Matty Fryatt and Darren Kenton.

Reasons To Be Confident
Cheltenham have leaked goals at a rather alarming rate so far this season. In their first three league games they’ve conceded four on two occasions.

Cheltenham did not win a single game last season in which they trailed at halftime. If Leicester start well, they could seal victory early.

Cheltenham will once again be fighting to avoid the drop this year having finished 17th and 19th in their last two campaigns. There is little to suggest from their opening to the season that The Robins will pose a real threat to Leicester. Cheltenham scored just 42 times in League One last season, the second lowest total in the division.

Reasons To Be Worried
Whaddon Road is by no means an easy place for away sides to take three points. In the absence of away form in 2007/08, Cheltenham survived by being difficult to beat at home. Only five sides won at Whaddon Road last season.

Michael Morrison will face former Cambridge Utd teammate Ben Gill in tomorrow’s match. Gill has opened the season with some lively performances as an attacking midfielder. He scored the winner deep into extra time in Cheltenham’s Carling Cup 1st Round win at Southend before finding the net again and receiving a red card in the home win against Swindon just five days later. The 20 year old promises to be a handful.

Of the 10 games in which Cheltenham were level at halftime in 2007/08, they won six and lost only 3. In terms of points per game, this was the second best record in League One.

Miscellaneous Fact
Cheltenham Town have gone 10 games since their last draw.

On This Day
Leicester’s uninspiring start to the 2004/05 season continued with a televised defeat at home to Brighton & Hove Albion. Adam Virgo’s first half effort was enough to defeat a lacklustre Leicester side.

Overall playing record for 30 August;
Played 23, Won 8, Drawn 2, Lost 13, Scored 32, Conceded 37.

Selected Odds
Cheltenham – 13/5 (Bet365)
Draw – 5/2 (Coral)
Leicester – 11/10 (Sportingbet)

Match Review: Fulham (League Cup Second Round)

As heartbreaking as last night’s game was, there are yet again positives to be taken from the performance of Nigel Pearson’s team. But for a couple of cruel deflections City might well have been heading for the 3rd Round of the Carling Cup, and who really thought that was possible at 19:15 yesterday when we learned City’s midfield pairing would be Andy King and James Wesolowski?

Here are some numbers…

90 – Five of City’s last six cup exits have come as a result of last minute strikes. Southampton started the rot in 2006 with a 1-0 win at the Walkers in the 3rd Round of the 2005/06 FA Cup. Since then Aston Villa, Fulham (twice) and Chelsea have dumped Leicester out of cup competitions thanks to efforts in the dying seconds.

-4 – The net number of points City lost as a result of late goals last season. City scored in the 88th minute or later only twice during the league campaign, yet conceded seven in the same timeframe. We all remember the stats from 2003/04 which showed Leicester halfway up the Premier League table had matches ended at 80 minutes, and it was late goals which cost the Foxes again last season. Nigel Pearson will have to ensure last night was a blip, he can scarcely afford the throwaway culture of 2007/08 to haunt City this season.

8 – The number of points City took from losing positions in 2007/08. It’s a statistic that has been highlighted on Foxblogger before but last night was the first time City had gone behind under Nigel Pearson and they showed great character to take the lead after the break. Ultimately Premier League quality won the day, but Leicester fans can take heart in knowing the Foxes will not collapse if they concede first this season.

Match Preview: Fulham (League Cup Second Round)

Wednesday’s trip to Craven Cottage is the first of three games in six days for the Foxes. Whilst City face entirely different prospects in each match, from Fulham they can expect the first quality opposition this season. Roy Hodgson worked miracles with the Cottagers last season and, having added to his squad with some very wise acquisitions, City will do well to progress to the 3rd Round.

Previous Meetings
Leicester’s last visit to Craven Cottage came in the FA Cup just two seasons ago. Early into the second half of a 3rd Round replay the Foxes found themselves in a 3-1 lead only to succumb to a brace from Vincenzo Montella and a 90th minute winner from Wayne Routledge.

In their last Premier League encounters Fulham did the double over City. A double strike from Luis Boa Morte gave Fulham a 2-0 win in 2003, whilst Collins John effectively relegated Micky Adams’ side at the Walkers Stadium with two goals of his own.

Reasons To Be Confident
City have recorded their best start for 11 years and having conceded just one goal share the best defensive record in League One with Stockport County.

The Foxes are scoring goals. Matty Fryatt in particular deserves a mention for already topping his scoring total from last season. In 2007/08 the Fryarstarter netted just three times in 35 appearances.

Fulham’s recent record in the League Cup is far from pretty. They’ve failed to make it past the 3rd Round in any of the last 3 seasons and were the subject of a particularly embarrassing 2-1 home defeat to Wycombe in 2006/07.

Reasons To Be Worried
Andrew Johnson could be fit enough to make his debut tomorrow for Fulham. If he starts City could face all sorts of defensive problems. The striker, recently signed from Everton, is in the process of shaking of a thigh injury.

In the last four seasons Leicester have won three and lost five cup ties against Premier League opposition.

Fulham 1-0 Arsenal.

Selected Odds
Fulham – 8/13 (Ladbrokes)
Draw – 14/5 (Bet365)
Leicester – 11/2 (Bet365)

Match Review: Tranmere Rovers

Yesterday left many Foxes fans wondering how a striker with no pace, a terrible first touch, an inability to beat his defender and, until Saturday, had shown no inklings of being able to head the ball suddenly finds himself joint top scorer in League One alongside Richard Lambert of Bristol Rovers. Numbers are Matty Fryatt’s friend at present, but surely his tally is due at least in part to the terrible defending Leicester have faced thus far.

Here are some other numbers to digest after yesterday’s win…

2 – This was the first time a match between Leicester and Tranmere had been settled by two clear goals. The 3-1 margin did much to hide the concern some fans held in stoppage time before Fryatt finished Rovers following a session of head tennis.

11 – The number of seasons you have to go back to find a City side taking seven points from their opening three games. This is City’s best start since the 1997/98 campaign, when their opponents were Aston Villa, Liverpool and Manchester United. The last time City went unbeaten in their opening three matches was in 2000/01 under Peter Taylor, but that side could only manage one win and two draws. Leicester City have yet to win their opening three league fixtures in the post-war era.

33/1 – The odds you would have got on Steve Howard opening the scoring and City winning 3-1. I suspect that barring my dad (the jammy so and so) few punters would have been collecting winnings from this result.

Match Preview: Tranmere Rovers

Perhaps the only thing stopping City fans feeling overly buoyant about the Foxes start to the 2008/09 campaign is the strength of opposition. Some consider the Foxes fortunate to have faced promoted sides in their first two league games. The fixture list has certainly enabled Leicester to land on their feet. Enter stage left Tranmere Rovers. The Merseysiders have League One written all over them. This is Rovers’ eighth season at this level after relegation in 2001. City are about to be introduced to the moribund football of the 3rd tier. An unprepared Leicester side could be in for their first scrap of the season.

Previous Meetings
The last time these two sides met was in much happier circumstances for both teams. In 2000 Rovers were led by John Aldridge. Somehow he’d managed to lead a team of freebies and loans to a major cup final. Unfortunately for Aldridge and Tranmere, they faced Leicester in the heyday of the O’Neil years. City won the final Worthington Cup final 2-1. For both clubs its been downhill ever since.

The overall record stands at six wins for the Foxes, three wins for the Super Whites and a further three draws. Rovers last recorded a win over the Foxes in November 1995. A solitary goal from Ian Moore was enough to defeat Mark McGhee’s men at Filbert Street.

Reasons To Be Confident
Leicester have yet to concede a goal and are one of only four teams in the entire Football League with a pristine defensive record.

Tranmere have gone ten games without a win away from Prenton Park. Its been six matches since they took any points at all on the road. Swindon Town comfortably beat Rovers on the opening day at the County Ground and a further Carling Cup defeat at Grimsby seem to indicate this record is set to continue.

Tranmere aren’t exactly comeback specialists. When their opponents scored first in 2007/08 Tranmere managed one win, four draws and 14 defeats.

Reasons To Be Worried
No game between these two sides has ever been settled by more than one goal. In this fixture these is no such thing as a two-goal cushion.

In the last six meetings between the two sides there have been three own goals. Neil Lennon was the last City player to put through his own net against Tranmere.

There are suspiciously few statistics which point towards a Tranmere victory. Pessimists unite!

Selected Odds
Leicester – 8/11 (Blue Sq)
Draw – 13/5 (Bet365)
Tranmere – 9/2 (Bet365)

Away Days

One of the more unconventional statistics about Leicester’s first two League One opponents was that both MK Dons’ and Stockport’s promotions were due in part at least to very impressive away records. In both instances, the teams took more points on the road than in front of their home fans. MK Dons were the most extreme case, taking 17 more points away than at stadium:mk.

So how important has away form in League One been to teams chasing promotion to the Championship?

After City’s goalless draw at Stockport many fans consoled themselves with a cliché, if you win your home games and draw away, promotion is yours. Of course it isn’t really that simple and the Foxes will need more than away draws to secure promotion.

In the last four seasons;

• No team has been promoted automatically taking less than 30 points away from home.
• Only two teams have won less than 10 games on the road and gone straight up.
• All automatically promoted sides have at least a top 5 away record, more than half had the first or second best away form that season.
• The average number of away points taken by automatically promoted clubs from League One has been 38.
• The average number of away points taken by teams who’ve finished second is 33.

In the absence of good finishing, City failed to turn 1 point into 3 at Edgeley Park last weekend. It was certainly two away points dropped. What is clear from these numbers is that Leicester cannot rely on their home form alone, especially as teams will play a far more compressed game at the Walkers Stadium than on their own patch.

However, what these numbers also show is how rare it is for promoted sides to take more points on their travels. Of the eight sides automatically promoted since 2004 only one, Swansea City, has performed better away.

On the basis of these numbers the target for City should be a solid total of 10 away wins. Since the turn of the century only one team (AFC Bournemouth) has won 10 games away from home in this division and failed to make the play-offs.

Some better finishing on Saturday might have meant City only needed a further nine.

Match Review: Stockport County

3 games, 3 goals, 3 clean sheets, 3rd place, how efficient. Post-match Pearson talked up the positives and City can certainly have a right to be pleased with their start.

Here are some numbers to mull over...

1 – The number of times Matty Fryatt has scored in consecutive starts for Leicester, today was his 90th appearance in a Leicester shirt. Steve Howard has yet to score in consecutive matches for the club. Perhaps in hindsight the goalless draw at 17/2 would have been a good bet.

2 – The number of games involving Stockport that finished 0-0 last season. Leicester were involved in seven scoreless encounters in 2008/09. They failed to score in 19 league games, that’s 41.3% of their matches.

4 – The number of teams in the Football League who have yet to concede a goal. Leicester are joined in this list by Reading, Watford and Shrewsbury. The Foxes already have the best defence in League One.

17 – The number of clean sheets Leicester managed in 2007/08. With two already in the bag it looks as if reaching the 20+ mark would not be an unreasonable target for City.

Statistic of the day goes to BBC Radio Leicester’s Ian Stringer: Leicester have never won on the 16th August. Remarkable.

Match Preview: Stockport County

Quirks in the fixture calendar like this aren’t enough to force an urge to find out when the last occurrence like it involving City took place. It’s doubtful anything will top Arsenal and Liverpool facing each other three times in a week anyway. The Foxes are looking for back-to-back league wins and their third win on the spin. Lets look at the numbers...

Past Meetings
City’s last trip to Edgeley Park was back in 1924 when, for what it’s worth, Leicester took the points in a 2-0 win. Stockport’s last victory over Leicester at home came earlier in the same year; it was a 3-1 victory in the old Division Two.

City only looked comfortable after Stockport were reduced to 10 men on Tuesday night, but further changes are expected to the line-up so it would be unwise to read too much into the game.

Reasons To Be Confident
In modern times this is something of a roll for Leicester, two wins coupled with two clean sheets. Pearson will be hoping to build on last weeks win and keep City’s 100% record. As previously noted, City need at least seven points from their opening four fixtures to get over 50% of points available. Click here to find out why that’s so important.

Leicester’s away form was nowhere near as bad as their home record last season. City’s haul of 24 points away from the Walkers last year was the 13th best record in the Championship. By comparison the Foxes had the 23rd best (or perhaps more accurately, 2nd worst) home record last term.

Steve Howard and Matty Fryatt scored in the same week and the world didn’t end. Perhaps anything is possible in League One.

Reasons To Be Worried
Nobody beat Stockport 1-0 last season. In fact, Stockport only failed to score on four occasions. They may have lost their three top scorers from 2007/08, but County under Jim Gannon clearly feel attack is the best form of defence. City’s back line will need to be on guard.

The last time Leicester won three consecutive games was in February 2007. City won 2-0 at Ipswich, 3-0 at home to Coventry and 1-0 at Burnley to give Rob Kelly some breathing space at the beginning of the Mandarić era. It was part of a sequence that saw Leicester go six games unbeaten - dizzy heights indeed.

The bookmakers have Leicester down as favourites for the game. This is uncharted territory. Leicester were not favourites for a single away game last season. Their record as favourites was hardly stellar in 2007/08. City won 6, drew 7 and lost 8 when the bookies had them down for a victory. A wise man would keep that loose fiver in thier back pocket this weekend, but if you must have a flutter...

Selected Odds
Stockport – 21/10 (Bet365)
Draw – 23/10 (Bet365)
Leicester – 13/10 (Bet365)

Match Review: Stockport County (League Cup First Round)

A phrase City fans haven’t been able to utter for 15 months can now banded about without the necessity of touching wood, crossing fingers or any other number of jinx averting techniques, “consecutive wins”. Well done lads, it only took 15 months!

Here’s some numbers from last night’s game.

150 – The number of days since Steve Howard’s last competitive goal in a Leicester shirt. Howard’s barren spell began after his hat-trick at West Brom. Howard got as many yellow cards as goals last season.

66% - City’s record against 10 men last season. The Foxes managed to beat West Brom and Norwich after players were dismissed but failed to make their numerical advatage count against Watford at Vicarage Road. City were reduced to 10 on four occasions last season, taking just 1 point from those games in a goalless draw at Scunthorpe.

7,386 – Last night’s attendance may seem small, but it’s actually more than City got for some other early League Cup fixtures at the Walkers. Just 6,751 saw City dumped out in the 2nd Round 3-2 after extra-time against Preston in 2004/05. Coincidentally, last night’s turnout is exactly the same as the attendance for the 2nd Round tie against Blackpool in 2005/06. A brace for Mark de Vries was enough for Leicester that night as City won 2-1.

Match Preview: Stockport County (League Cup First Round)

The indignity of playing in the League Cup First Round no longer seems quite as tragic now that City will be competing in the Johnston’s Paint Trophy this season. Pearson has promised changes to the side but surely it’s a bit too early to “concentrate on the League”. The crowd at the Walkers tonight, however small, will expect the team to progress.

Past Meetings
We have to go back to 1925 to find the last competitive fixture between these two sides. The meeting came in an Old Division Two fixture at Filbert Street and City finished 4-0 victors. Stockport recorded their last win over City at Filbert Street back in February 1920. A 2-0 win was the reward for the visitors that day.

For what it's worth, the head-to-head totals are 15 wins for the Foxes, 13 wins for County and 8 draws. On two occasions Leicester have beaten Stockport by a 5-4 margin. You’ll probably get a very decent price at the bookies if you believe history might repeat itself.

Like Leicester, some of Stockport’s finest hours have been in the League Cup. In the 1996/97 campaign they knocked out Blackburn Rovers, Southampton and West Ham before finally succumbing to Middlesbrough in the semi-final. We all know the rest.

Reasons To Be Confident
Leicester have reached the Third Round of the League Cup in each of the last three seasons. The haven’t failed to progress to the Second Round since 1979 when Rotherham United were the undoing of the Foxes.

Stockport’s leading scorer from last season, Liam Dickinson, is now safely out of sight at Derby County. The Hatters second top scorer Anthony Elding signed for Leeds in the summer. County’s third top scorer last season, Adam Proudlock, has moved on to bigger and better things at Darlington. There really are big question marks over where Stockport’s goals will come from this season. The above trio were responsible for 46 last term.

Since their epic run in 1996/97, Stockport haven’t made it past the Second Round in this competition.

Reasons To Be Worried
As with MK Dons, Stockport took more points away from home than at Edgely Park last season. They took a very impressive 44 points on the road in League Two, losing just 5 times.

Stockport are very useful at converting draws into wins. 13 victories in 2007/08 came after the scores were level at half-time.

Leicester have failed to win two games in a row since April 2007.

Selected Odds
Leicester – 13/19 (Canbet.com)
Draw – 11/4 (SkyBet)
Stockport – 9/2 (Betdirect)

Match Review: MK Dons

A match with many positives; two goals for Fryatt, good starts from no less than five debutants and a clean sheet (something City didn’t manage in all of pre-season).

Here are some numbers to consider...

2 - Before Saturday Matty Fryatt had never scored a brace for Leicester. The Fryastarter (as he shall henceforth be known) had netted just 7 times in the last two seasons. The last time he scored twice in a match was in 2005 in Walsall’s 3-1 victory over Rotherham.

6 - The number of years since City had last won an opening day fixture. In the last 4 times City have won on the opening day they’ve been promoted on 3 occasions. The exception, an opening day win against Aston Villa in 97/98.

19.5 – The average age of the Foxes defence at the end of the game. There were tense moments before Fryatt sealed the game, but the fact they held firm deserves credit.

1 – The number of shots Steve Howard attempted. It was off-target.

I was on Foxpodder (an excellent Leicester City podcast now in its 3rd season) this weekend talking about the game and this blog. Follow the subscription link on the right to have a listen.

Match Preview: MK Dons

The waiting is almost over. Excited yet? Here are some facts and figures to consider for Saturday.

Past Meetings
Leicester have yet to play MK Dons under their new name. In their last meeting the Dons were still known as Wimbledon and crashed to a 4-0 defeat at the Walkers thanks to goals from Trevor Benjamin and a hat-trick from, you guessed it, Paul Dickov. (Funny how these things work out isn’t it?)

The last time City were beaten at home by the MK Dons/Wimbledon came on a dank November evening in front of the Sky TV cameras. Marcus Gayle’s solitary strike meant the Dons took all three points in what might well have been the worst game of professional football in 1997. Later that season Wimbledon completed the double over the Foxes with a 2-1 win at Selhurst Park – it was their last victory over City.

Saturday’s meeting will be only the 17th between the two sides. City have won seven, the Dons six and there have been three draws (including 2 which took City to Wembley in the Coca-Cola Cup).

Reasons To Be Confident
This may by Nigel Pearson’s first game as manager at Leicester City, but Roberto Di Matteo has never managed a competitive match before. There’s no doubt both clubs have taken gambles on their bosses, but you’d have to say the MK Don’s have taken the bigger risk.

Paul Dickov is back. If Dickov is in the starting line-up Leicester will be imminently more dangerous. Dickov had the best goals/game ratio of his career at Leicester and there’s still life in his legs. Dickov’s short spell at Blackpool last season (six goals in seven starts) is more than enough evidence he still knows where the net is.

Lloyd Dyer was 3rd top scorer at MK Dons last season, just two off top spot with 11 goals. Now he’ll be aiming for his former club.

Reasons To Be Worried
Leicester haven’t won on the opening day of the season since 2002/03 when they beat Watford 2-0. Amazingly, MK Dons haven’t started the season away from home since the 1999/00 season. They began that campaign with a 3-2 win at…Watford.

MK Dons took 17 more points away from home than at stadium:mk last season. They lost just twice on their travels in League Two.

The MK Dons scored first in 76% on their matches last season. Leicester won just 8 points from losing positions in all of 2007/08.

Selected Odds
Leicester – 10/11 (Totesport)
Draw – 12/5 (Boylesports)
MK Dons – 7/2 (VC Bet)

Pre-season Review

It’s difficult to be enthused by pre-season. Practising tactics and testing team sheets for the new season isn’t really for the fans. In general, pre-season can be seen in much the same manner as film trailers, we’re presented with brief glimpses of the stars but all too quickly they’re removed. Pre-season is something of a tease that, just like a film trailer, can prove entirely misleading.

Pre-season results mean little to nothing so comparing with previous seasons is redundant. Instead, this review shows who played, for how long, in what matches and what this could mean for Nigel Pearson’s first starting XI against MK Dons.

NB: The games against Quorn and Ilkeston Town have been excluded from this analysis as neither game was managed by Pearson. These outings were essentially youth/reserve games.

Nine players appeared in at least some part in each of City’s six pre-season fixtures. They were; Morrison, Oakley, Gilbert, Howard, Gradel, Fryatt, Campbell, Wesolowski and Kishishev. Morrison, Oakley and Gilbert were the players hardest at work this summer, each playing over 400 minutes during pre-season. Morrison was on the field of play longer than any other player, clocking up an impressive 450 minutes from a possible 540. The former Cambridge Utd man is very likely to find himself starting next week.

Of the remaining defenders, it appears Gilbert (405 mins) and Tunchev (232 mins) will be battling through training next week to partner Morrison. Tunchev’s work permit issues meant he got less time on the pitch than he might otherwise have done. Jack Hobbs (157 mins), on loan from Liverpool, is also in contention.

Of the full-backs, Mattock (310 mins) can be confident of his role at left-back and James Chambers (225 mins) seems to be the most logical fit to the right-back position. However after Ian Holloway asked the squad what positions aside from their own they were comfortable playing in Ollie quipped he’d rename the team “Right-back United” such were the results. Of City’s back four, right-back is the position with most question marks over it.

Moving into midfield and we find Matt Oakley (434 mins) secured in central midfield. Who will join him is more of a mystery. It isn’t apparent if Pearson has even made this decision himself having wrestled with different pairing throughout pre-season. The two leading contenders are Wesolowski (274 mins) and Kishishev (244 mins) though they could be forced to sit on the sidelines if Pearson favours the more creative option of Nicky Adams (188 mins). One thing we can be sure of is the central midfield will not contain both Wesolowski and Kishishev, the pair replaced each other 3 times during pre-season.

The flanks are more easily deciphered. Dyer (326 mins) and Gradel (307 mins) seem like solid choices for the left and right wing respectively.

Pearson’s most vital decision could well be picking City’s strikers. The front-runners are Howard (308 mins), Fryatt (303 mins) and Campbell (295 mins). Of these three only Fryatt has played a full 90 minutes which shows just how much tinkering has gone on with the Foxes’ attack. Fryatt leads the others with four goals to Campbell’s two and Howard’s solitary strike against Hinkley Utd. With no new signings, Pearson must place his faith in two men from three who failed to deliver last season. A little’n’large partnership is likely and ultimately Howard and Fryatt may well get the nod for the opening day.

At the other end of the scale there are clearly some players who will be disappointed with their preparations this pre-season. Barry Hales played just 64 minutes whilst Bruno N’Gotty managed only 45. Some young players who might have hoped to build on their first-team appearances last season haven’t really got much playing time either, in particular Andy King, who managed only 128 minutes. Meanwhile summer signing Harry Worley appeared for just 151 minutes, perhaps he’s failed to impress the new boss.

So, in theory at least, the starting XI against MK Dons should look something like this;

1. Paul Henderson
2. James Chambers
15. Michael Morrison
5. Alexsandar Tunchev
23. Joe Mattock
22. Max Gradel
8. Matt Oakley
7. Radostin Kishishev
11. Lloyd Dyer
9. Steve Howard
12. Matt Fryatt

Saturday can’t come quickly enough.

Update: 04/08/08

Following James Chamber's move to Doncaster Rovers today, expect Kerrea Gilbert to fill in at right back on Saturday.