Match Preview: Hereford United

Leicester’s final fixture of 2008 pits Nigel Pearson’s side against one of League One’s whipping boys. Just two and a half years ago Hereford were at the Walkers Stadium winning the Conference Play-off Final. A second successive promotion for the Bulls last season looks to have been a step too far. Hereford lie five points adrift of safety having remained in the bottom four since September. Leicester will need a win to guarantee top spot going into the New Year.

Key Stats
How do you define a home banker? Well if you fancy Hereford to win you’ll find prices raging from 8/1 to 10/1 - and here’s why…

Hereford have taken just four points away from home all season, they’ve scored just four goals on their travels and lost four out of their last five away matches. The Bulls concede over two goals a game on the road and have kept just one away clean sheet.

Still not convinced? Hereford’s only away win came at Colchester, the side with the second worst home record in League One. Leyton Orient, holders of that dubious title, defeated the Bulls 2-1 on the opening day of the season.

To round things off, Hereford have yet to beat a side in the top half of League One and in four previous meetings they've yet to better the Foxes. Only Guinan (6) and Hudson-Odoi (3) have scored more than one goal this season.

There will be no excuses for defeat.

On This Day
Mike Whitlow’s equaliser at Old Trafford gave new manager Mark McGhee his second point in charge of Leicester City. Having already secured a goalless draw against league leaders Blackburn Rovers, McGhee’s new charges fought back after Andrei Kanchelskis had given the Champions a second half lead. It was the Foxes second away point of a miserable campaign which would see City relegated with just 29 points.

Selected Odds
Leicester – 1/3 (Boylesports)
Draw – 4/1 (Bet365)
Hereford – 10/1 (Sky Bet)

Match Preview: Leeds United

Whilst the sentimental factor in Simon Grayson’s move to Leeds cannot be understated, Larry spent the best years of playing career at Filbert Street. Grayson made 214 starts for the Foxes in all competitions and scored six goals. The Ripon born right-back averaged a goal every fifty games during his playing days. Easily his most important strike for the Foxes was the equaliser in the Coca-Cola Cup semi-final at Wimbledon, which helped City progress to their first league cup triumph under Martin O’Neil.

This fixture was highlighted at the start of the season as a potential fight for top spot. Back in August it was Leeds, not Leicester who were favourites for the title. Now three high street bookmakers have City as odds on to finish the season in first, William Hill list Leeds at 16/1. Grayson will have his work cut out.

Key Stats
Leeds’ current form has been well advertised, six matches ago the Whites were 2nd, now they lie 9th. Thanks to their defeat of Peterborough last week, Leicester now have the longest current unbeaten run in League One of eight games.

Since both sides dropped out of the Premier League City have won two of their three trips to Elland Road. Oldham, Huddersfield and Colchester have emerged with maximum points so far this term.

Whilst many people have pointed to defensive problems, psychological issues could also be affecting Leeds. The club have let more points slip than any other in League One. Leeds have lost four games in which they at one stage had the lead, they’ve dropped 16 points in total, enough to put them top of the division.

On This Day
Leicester turned a half-time deficit into a Boxing Day win at Hull on this day in 2006. Goals from Patrick Kisnorbo and Gareth Williams secured all three points for City in a 2-1 win. The result put the Foxes 16th after 25 games, Hull were left five points adrift of safety on 21 points. How depressing.

Selected Odds
Leeds – 13/8 (Bet365)
Draw – 12/5 (Sky Bet)
Leicester – 17/10 (William Hill)

Match Review: Leicester City 4-0 Peterborough United

Posh’s 16 match unbeaten run came crashing to an end as Leicester marched on to their fifth successive victory. It’s the first time Leicester have achieved such a feat since April 2003 when Preston, Burnley, Coventry, Grimsby and Nottingham Forrest all fell in succession. The Foxes’ four point cushion will guarantee that Leicester are top on Boxing Day. Since League One took on its new name two of the four occupants of top spot on Boxing Day have gone on to win the title, three have been promoted automatically.

Merry Christmas!

Here are some other numbers

23,390 – Leicester’s largest crowd of the season was comfortably the biggest in League One yesterday, but it was also greater than nine attendances in the Championship. The Foxes’ home support was larger than the crowds Blackburn (23,004) and Bolton (19,884) could muster too. Impressive stuff, though undoubtedly helped by a sizable Posh following.

12 – Steve Howard had gone a dozen games without a goal before his last minute strike from outside the box. Since his opener at Oldham, Howard has been playing second fiddle to the Fryarstarter, though his contribution is not going unnoticed. If anyone deserved to be on the score sheet, it was Howard.

2 – Craig Morgan’s blunder was the second own goal to benefit the Foxes in 2008. In a interesting quirk, before yesterday the last three own goals scored for Leicester had settled the game. Darren Purse (Cardiff), Neil Austin (Barnsley) and John McGreal (Burnley) had all been unwitting match winners in 1-0 defeats for their respective clubs. At least Craig Morgan can rest knowing things probably wouldn’t have turned out much differently without his sixth minute intervention.

Match Preview: Peterborough United

One of the most crushing aspects of life in League One is the lack of national media attention. By Christmas last season Leicester had been screened live by Sky Sports four times, this year City fans are lucky to hear the score on national radio. Thank goodness for Ian Stringer.

But before you grumble too much take heed of this refreshing news, anyone with a digital radio or an internet connection will be able to hear Leicester host the Posh live of Five Live Sports Extra. Hurrah!

The Foxes record on Sky Sports in 2007/08;
P7 W1 D5 L1 F3 A3 Pts8

Key Stats
The juiciest aspect of this fixture has been well covered. Leicester have the longest current winning streak in League One (four games), Peterborough are undefeated in 16 league matches. Posh haven’t lost since August, a month that saw them win once and slump to defeat of three occasions. To put it bluntly, neither side is used to defeat.

Like MK Dons, Darren Fergusson’s side have adapted to life in League One extremely well, none more so than top scorer Craig Mackail-Smith who’s already bagged 14 goals this term.

Peterborough like to put the pressure on early. They’ve led half of their matches going into half-time and have yet to let a first half advantage slip to defeat. Like Leicester they have gone in behind twice, but unlike the Foxes they have yet to come back and win.

This is only the fifth league meeting between the two sides. The last time Leicester hosted Peterborough was on the opening day of the 1993/94 season when Gavin Ward was among the debutants in a 2-1 Leicester win. To date this has been Leicester’s only league victory over United.

On This Day
The Match of the Day cameras turned up to film Leicester’s clash with Everton on this day in 1997. Unfortunately Martin O’Neil’s men put in an a-typical weary performance in a game settled by an 89th minute Gary Speed penalty. Graham Fenton was in the side that day, you may have spotted him this week at Blyth Spartans in his current role as assistant player-manager.

Selected Odds
Leicester – 10/11 (Bet365)
Draw – 5/2 (BlueSq)
Peterborough – 3/1 (Bet365)

Match Preview: Carlisle Utd

It’s been a frustrating season so far for Carlisle Utd. After missing out on promotion on the last day of the 2007/08 season many felt the ‘blue army’ had enough to again challenge for an automatic promotion spot. For the first few games of 08/09 this seemed to be the case, United took 13 points from the season’s opening five matches. But a calamitous run of one point from a possible 30 followed immediately afterwards, John Ward was shown the door, or at least found it by process of mutual consent, and Greg Abbott assumed the manager’s position. And so Leicester arrive at Brunton Park to face a team clearly out of sorts and out of form. Let’s hope they can take advantage.

Key Stats
Leicester are looking for their fourth win in a row, which Carlisle are seeking a third successive home win. Symmetry fans will note that Leicester have scored as many goals away from home as Carlisle have managed in front of their own supporters. Both sides average two goals a game in this respect. Carlisle have kept just two clean sheets all season, the joint second worst record in League One. This is all indicative of a high scoring, exciting game on Saturday.

More stats pointing in Leicester’s favour include Carlisle’s record against teams in the top half. United have taken just four points from a possible 27 against teams currently residing on the happy side of midtable. Meanwhile, Leicester have seven wins and just one defeat in ten matches against teams in League One’s bottom half.

Punters in the first goalscorer market should note Carlisle have conceded first in 13 league games this season, but have come back to win three of those matches. Only Oldham have better record coming from behind. This being said, Leicester have only lost once in the 14 matches in which they have taken the lead.

On This Day
Matt Elliot and Ian Walker both managed to get themselves sent off in a ill tempered home fixture with Birmingham City on this day in 2003. The Foxes lost 2-0 in front of 30,639 at the Walkers Stadium. The Blues scored within five minutes of each dismissal, with Ian Walkers comical handling of the ball nearly 35 yards out leaving City to play with nine men for half an hour. It was another disastrous lunchtime kick-off.

Selected Odds
Carlisle – 5/2 (Boylesports)
Draw – 12/5 (Bet365)
Leicester – 23/20 (BlueSq)

Match Review: Leicester City 3-0 Southend Utd

So it’s official, Matty Fryatt is Leicester City’s fastest scoring centre forward since Derek Dougan. Consecutive hat-tricks have taken the Fryarstarter to 22 goals in 23 league and cup starts. Like most Leicester fans who saw Fryatt play in the two seasons previous to the current campaign, I remain staggered at this return. Fryatt has been responsible for exactly half of Leicester’s League One goals this season. City’s new concern should perhaps be whether they rely on the Nuneaton man too much.

Here are some other numbers...

4 – Yesterday saw the lowest total corner count of the season in a match involving Leicester City. The Foxes’ managed only two corners, their fewest at home all season and their lowest count since the trip to Oldham.

4 – A fourth consecutive maximum at home has seen the Walkers Stadium become something of a fortress. Only Millwall have a better home record in League One this season. There’s no doubt a solid home record is crucial to promotion. When the Foxes were promoted in 02/03 their home record was P23 W16 D5 L2 F40 A12 Pts53.

0 – This was Leicester’s first clean sheet in five matches. City have shutout their opponents on eight occasions this season, they share top spot in this regard with Millwall, Stockport and (perhaps surprisingly) Leyton Orient.

Match Preview: Southend United

As we roll towards Christmas the issue of fixture congestion will make its annual deposit into the ether of lazy football journalists and managers looking for excuses. Before anyone else brings it up, note carefully that City will play just five games in December, three fewer than November. Better yet, three fixtures are at home. First up, the Shrimpers.

Key Stats
Nigel Pearson’s men are unbeaten in five, Southend are without a win in four.

Before the Millwall fixture this blog pointed out the rather ominous statistic that in the last six seasons Leicester have won just one game which kicked off before 15:00. As Millwall proceeded to inflict City’s only home defeat of the season so far, it’s probably worth revisiting this record.

Leicester’s record since 2003/03 before 3PM;
P18 W1 D4 L13 F9 A29

Most bookmakers will give you 5/1 on a Southend win - it worth serious consideration.

Southend have a goal difference of zero but this belies a rather shocking number of goals conceded away from home, 19 in total or more than two per game. On the other hand Steve Tilson’s side have scored more goals away from home (15) than the Foxes have managed at the Walkers Stadium (13).

Tomorrow will be another interesting battle of wills. Both Leicester and Southend have opened the scoring on 13 occasions this season, yet whilst Leicester have picked up 32 points after taking the lead, Southend have taken seven fewer.

On This Day
The 6th of December in recent times has been a day for late Leicester equalisers. Muzzy Izzet saved a point for the Foxes at home to Crystal Palace on this day in 1997 with a right-footed curler from just outside the box. Meanwhile in 2003 a 94th minute Craig Hignet goal meant Arsenal left the Walkers disappointed, the scoreline again was 1-1.

Selected Odds
Leicester – 4/6 (Bet365)
Draw – 11/4 (Coral)
Southend – 5/1 (Sky Bet)