Game One - Hinckley United away

13th July 2008

I don't think I've looked forward to a game as much as this one in a long long time. Starved of live football after two and a half months just didn't seem right. Yeah, Euro 2008 had helped to pass the time but it's hard to get fully involved in a tournament where you don't have a team competing. But that's in the past now, as is the misery of that horrible day in Stoke that confirmed our place in league one. We're back and up for whatever this new division can throw at us. So we started the pre-season campaign with the short trip to Hinckley with a new manager, five new signings and a new sense of optimism that had been missing for so long.



The Marston's Stadium. Capacity of just over 3000 and a small insight into what could be in store for us in the first round of the FA Cup and games in the St Johnstone's paint trophy. One small area of seating and two stands with terracing - this is real football where what happens on the pitch is more important than what happens in the boardroom. Love it!

And so to the game itself - we were stood behind the goal with the usual crowd of people and if we wanted entertainment then we wern't to be disappointed. Early strikes from Steve Howard and new boy Nicky Adams put us 2-0 before 3 quick strikes turned the game on its head giving Hinckley a 3-2 lead going into the break..... new season, new players, same old Leicester.

Second half brought the inevitable 11 substitutions as we got to see the rest of the first team squad in action. A stunning effort from young Max Gradel brought us level at 3-3 before an equally as good strike from the Hinckley number 9 instantly put them back in the driving seat. Good work on the left from Levi Porter and James Chambers won us a penalty that Matty Fryatt put away nicely before another youngster, Ashley Chambers, staked his claim for a starting role against MK Dons with a clinical finish to turn this topsy turvey game back in our favour at 5-4.

Wasn't a brilliant performance by any means but 9 goals, and a leicester side scoring five? Well Ive not seen that in all my time following the club. And the last team to put four past us..... Chelsea! Oh dear!