Game Sixty Seven - Leeds Home

13 April 2009

Easter Monday and what could be the defining day of the season. Leicester v Leeds, MK Dons v Bristol Rovers and Millwall v Peterborough. These three games could settle the season for us - wins for us, Bristol and Millwall and we would be promoted and have one hand on the title too. Leeds though are no mugs and games between us and the dirty ones from up north.

Leeds had been on great form in the time approaching this game so nerves were there... and we were also a bit concerned as to what the state of the pitch would be like after the egg chasers had run riot on it a couple of days earlier.

The first chance of the game though fell to Lloyd Dyer after good work from Big Steve but his angled drive was deflected wide by Sodje. Next it was the turn of Maxi Gradel to try his luck as he hit an optimistic shot from 25 yards which skidded off the turf and nearly crept inside the post but for a smart save from the visitoring keeper, Ankergren.

On 16 minutes, Leeds created their first chance when a smart turn and shot from Becchio crashed into the side netting although Stockdale looked to have it covered. This was turning into a quality match as the pressure continued and Ankergren had to be alert to keep out a King header... all this with less than 20 minutes gone.

A corner from Leeds came closest to breaking the deadline as the inswinging effort was punched onto his own crossbar by Stockdale with the ball being hacked away by Gradel on the line.

Leeds came close from a corner again as the second half started in the same fashion. A deep effort was swung in and Stockdale had to get down quickly to keep out Snodgrass's powerful header.

Ankergren once again kept his side in it as some neat build up play ended with King being fed the ball on the edge of the box but his curling effort was tipped wide of the post with the fans expecting the net to bulge.

On 69 minutes, Leeds had a great chance to take the lead as Delph found himself in acres of space but fired in a weak effort that hardly troubled Stockdale. City responded in the best possible way though and a neat one two unleashed King on the left whose precision ball into the box found Fryatt in space but he couldn't get his shot in quick enough with any power and Ankergren once again managed to keep the scores down.

With ten minutes to go, the game picked up another gear and Robinson twisted and turned on the edge of the area before forcing Stockdale into a great save with a shot that seemed destined for the top corner.

As the game edged towards stoppage time, Andy King headed just wide for a corner but as we entered into the 91st minute, the moment that could have solved the season in one swift movement. Gradel swung another corner in and almost as in slow motion, Howard appeared from nowhere and unleashed a bullet header that rocketed into the top corner. The celebrations were something that I haven't experienced at a home game for many years as I jumped up, hugging everyone around me and celebrating like we had just won the league... and in many respects, we had just taken one major step to doing that.

It meant so much to everyone, fans and players alike.

With no time to respond, the referee blew for full time and a famous three points were ensuring that we edged 7 points clear of second place with only three games to play. With MK Dons kicking off later, we could be promoted that day if they dropped points in their game with Bristol so some of the Foxestalk lot headed over to the Dry Dock to watch Jeff Stelling on sky sports to make sure that if we were to go up that day, we would do it together.

As we met outside, Alex was understandably excited and did a promotion dance to rival any other.

In the pub, we found a space and the bunch of us enjoyed some good laughs as the scores came in looking at photos from previous away days.

It wasn't to be though and MK Dons took the game 2-1 meaning it would go on to the Southend game at the weekend, which in many ways was what we wanted. If you're going to win promotion, you want to do it off your own back rather than waiting on others to lose games and so we would head off to Southend on saturday knowing that three points would give us promotion and the league title. Magic.
As we left the pub at the final whistle, it seemed hard to believe that we were so close to promotion and as we looked out over the Walkers Stadium, scene to a classic encounter with Leeds only hours earlier, we knew we had witnessed a magical season full of so many highs.

And so only three games were remaining of the season and we need only three points to get that magical "C" next to our name.... only 12 months on from that dreaded game against Stoke at the Britannia Stadium. How far we had come in such a small space of time. From heartbreak to the brink of elation. There's only one Nigel Pearson!

Game Sixty Six - Hereford away

11 April 2009

Firstly lets start by saying thankyou to Cheltenham. Thanks to their heroics in the Cheltenham game, we remained 1 point clear going into the game against Hereford when in reality we should have found ourselves in second place for the first time since mid November. An excellent draw though and we had the chance to create a gap once more and almost guarentee promotion at Hereford on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Having seen the 12 point lead evaporate before our eyes in recent weeks, we were always looking over our shoulder now.

We departed from Saffron Lane at a little past 10am for what turned out to be quite a quick trip down to Hereford. Arriving in decent time, me and Jodie headed into the town centre looking for a decent pub to meet up with people... instead we ended up wandering round counting the Newcastle fans and bumping into Ken at every turn. Was a quality laugh though in a really nice town - perfect retirement area.

As we headed back over to the stadium, we bumped into Chloe and Bert who had got the train down and we headed through the turnstiles to get a prime spot on the terraces.
With a quality pitch just level with the penalty area, we settled down and made the most of the good weather while waiting for others to arrive. Edgar street is quite a nice traditional ground in all respects and I have a bit of a soft spot for Hereford thanks to looking out for their scores last season when Trevor Benjamin was banging in the goals for them.

The away end is pretty immense with the City following getting the area along the side of the pitch and also a large area behind the goal which housed Tash and Foz who hadn't been seen propally since Rotherham in the JPT... and annoyingly that would remain that way thanks to us being unable to move between the two terraces.

Bert the ladies man was out in force again...

... and I took some tips from him which paid off....

Helen and Colleen arrived shortly after which meant more pictures as kick off drew ever closer.

Katy, Fez, Lil Dave and co joined us with about 30 minutes left to wait so it really was Foxestalk terrace, sadly for the last time. No season will every be like this one again where we have all been able to gather together for most games. I think deep down we will all miss it.

Onto the game then and the first real chance came as late as the 12th minute as Dyer burst through and the home keeper had to be at his best to turn the fierce shot around the post.

There were no other real chances until the 30th minute as neither side looked like taking the lead until a strong run down the right wing by Myrie-Williams was halted inside the area by Joe Mattock inside the area with the referee pointing to the spot.

Up stepped Guinan who expertley dispatched the ball into the top corner past the dive of the recalled Stockdale.

With the doom and gloom starting to settle in once more, only one man remained calm in the face of defeat..... Step forward Daggers.

Five minutes later, although it seemed like a lifetime, City were back on level terms. A free kick from a wide position was smashed home by Matt Oakley from what seemed an impossible angle. It rivals Gradel's at MK Dons for skill, even if it the importance wasn't there.

The linesman near us received plenty of abuse throughout the game as he ran the line in front of us and I think the tension started to get to him as the second half got underway. Kris Taylor, the hereford left back was another who received stick as he wouldn't pass us back a beach ball that had drifted onto the pitch and he promptly received the boo's from the crowd with every touch of the ball.

As the second half started, City started to apply the pressure. Oakley had the ball in the net but was adjudged offside whereas Hobbs put a header over the bar and King fired an effort into the side netting.

On 71 minutes, King was brought down in the area and as we screamed for a penalty, the referee blew his whistle....raced over... and BOOKED King. It looked a nailed on foul so how he could be booked for diving seemed crazy to us.

Three minutes later, and that was soon forgotten. As the right back delayed on the ball, Dyer managed to close him down and get a block on the clearance. The ball ballooned up into the air and as Dyer chased again to the loose ball, the keeper flapped at it and could only spoon the ball out to Howard on the edge of the area. With us all screaming for him to smash it goalwards, he was the calmest man in the stadium as he lifted the ball over the keeper only to see it headed off the line and onto the bar by Jackson, the defender who had cocked up the clearance. The ball flew up again and Dyer stormed in as it fell to smash the ball home on the half volley to cue absolute pandemonium. The celebrations were completley mental as we all surged around hugging and jumping at each other - the rush was incredible. So much so that I didn't have any chance of a picture so I stole the one from the official site to convey the emotion that that goal brought....

That goal brought one of the biggest rushes in my time in following Leicester - words can't describe the feelings as the ball fell to Dyer to finish. The whole moment seemed to be in slow motion and was one of those times that you will remember to the day you die - even looking back now, I can still see the goal so clearly in my mind.

With about five minutes left, the game was sealed as some brilliant skill in front of by Max Gradel saw him flick the ball over Kris Taylor, pulling his pants down on route. He stormed into the area, waited for the keeper to make his move and then pulled it back for Steve Howard to tap it into the empty net. Great skill from the Ivorian and wrapped up a perfect away day.

As the final whistle went, we didn't want the day to end as the sun was shining on the players as they applauded our efforts as we did likewise to them. Four points clear with four to go in what could have been a defining day in our season.

As we finally left the ground, we said goodbye to people and me and Jodie headed over to the car park where Jim joined in the celebrations as we worked out that it would now need a miracle to stop us claiming at least second spot and promotion back to the championship.

Hereford..... another name to add to the long list of memorable away days this season. Every single one as left something in our minds, whether it be a small detail or the whole experience. Hereford United and Edgar street will definately come under the second category. 11th April - the day we had a smile back on our faces.

Game Sixty Five - Chesterfield v Lincoln City

7 April 2009

Months after our first adventure together, it was time for me and Katy to take on our next random adventure together. This time it was to break the Chesterfield curse that has haunted me since the start of the season. As the random adventures have come on gone, Chesterfield was the ground that I've wanted to get to as it feels that every northern trip seems to take us through the town in some way or another. Despite playing the majority of their home games on Wednesday or Friday (not quite sure why), I'd never found the time to make the way to Saltergate.


The ground is a real culture shock to what we have been used to not only in the past but also this season. The shop is simply a hut that sells just basic shirts and keyrings and the corporate entrance.... well..... I think I'll let the photo speak for itself:

Inside the ground, we took the opportunity to make the most of the "facilities" as the open air toilet left a lot to be desired.

The fact that we were Leicester fans remained hidden for a good 30 seconds as I was stumped when a steward tried to start a conversation about who would be playing for Lincoln on the day... I'm still not certain now having seen the game! All I do know is that Chester the fieldmouse was present for the home side.

The terrace was pretty immense though - plenty of room (mainly due to the lack of a crowd), and also a decent view as it wasn't as shallow as many of the other terraces that we have found ourselves on this season. Me and Katy even found ourselves featured on the Lincoln website which continues the seasons run of being media whores.

It wouldn't be a random away game without a picture of the people who had made the trip so me and Katy, or N'Lankeh and N'Titch (as we would be known for the day in honour of Lincoln's left winger), posed for the camera in the bitter wind.

With the wind really picking up by kick off until it was bitterly cold, the game kicked off at quite a decent pace with Lincoln attacking towards us, the away fans, in the first half. With both teams pushing for the play offs, neither side was afraid of going for things and only some brave keeping from the Chesterfield number one prevented the visiting captain from opening the scoring.

At the other end, a couple of deep crosses nearly caught out Burch in the Lincoln goal and one header in particular forced the keeper into a brilliant save.

With 10 minutes of the first half remaining, the home side opened the scoring when Jack Lester exchanged neat passes with Peter Till before firing in past the despairing dive of Burch.

It really was a beautiful evening apart from the wind chill and so I made the most of being at Saltergate, taking photos during half time of the full moon over the main stand and of the pitch under the floodlights.

During the interval, we also continued to have a good laugh like we had during the entire game. In fact, due to the minimal away following, we were able to have a quality natter throughout the match and was a great 90 minutes.

Seven minutes after the restart, a Lincoln corner was blocked and Adrian Patulea smashed home the rebound to spark celebrations amonst our namesakes. LCFC were back on level terms and buzzing for the three points.

From then on the game turned into an end to end affair as both teams knew that a draw wasn't good enough for their playoff ambitions. "Oh when the Imps go marching in" was sang very slowly giving it quite an eerie sound like we were having a camp fire singsong rather than a football chant but it was rather enjoyable to hear them sing their songs in the unique manner.

It seemed to inspire the team on though as the Chesterfield keeper had to be at his very best to keep out Elding.

In the last 10 minutes though, Chesterfield really went for it and a 25 yard free kick smashed into the framework of the Lincoln goal, Burch kept out Jack Lester when through on goal and a string of corners went wasted.

No more goals were to come our way though but it was a thoroughly entertaining game and one of my favourite random games this season. We made the walk slowly back down the hill to the car and spent time warming up before heading back to leicester to the sounds of Danny Baker, hearing Fez's e-mail read out along the way.

It had been a quality night though, one that was well worth doing and I had a great time with Katy as we adopted Danny N'Guessan as a cult hero for the night, starting random words with "N' " for the rest of the night. Friendships like these are what will sum the season up more than anything when the matches are all wrapped up. Yes we've had some great matches and the wins have all been a joy to watch but the companionship is the real joy to take from 2008/09 campaign. I've become very close to some of the people I've seen games with this season, and maintained friendships that developed in previous seasons. I'd like to think the people I've met over the course of the last 9 months or so will remain in my life for a very long time to come. Katy in particular has been a revelation in my life and become a very close friend who I can turn to for advice about anything and I hope she feels the same way about me. Good old football.... It really is N'credible.

Game Sixty Four - Carlisle Home

4th April 2009

Ok... I know I've fallen behind in recent weeks and so I will cut this one short in an effort to try and get back on track, especially with the rush of games coming up.

With my dad away in the lake district over easter, the spare ticket was snapped up by my girlfriend Sam... well... snapped might not be the correct term but I have to at least pretend that she was very eager to be there for the sake of the blog.

We hopped on the train from syston in plenty of time and headed over to the 1884 bar for a quick drink and meet up with Katy and Stez while we waited for kick off. Katy and Sam seemed to hit it off which was pleasing... although not so in some respects as by hitting it off, I mean they seemed to enjoy insulting me.

With not long to go before kick off, we headed into the stadium to find our seats and hopefully get that elusive win which has been avoiding us in recent weeks.

With Steve Howard back in the starting line up, we were quietly optimistic about the game ahead as we had clearly missed him in recent games. There were few chances in the first half, a Howard effort going just the wrong side of the post and a volley from a Carlisle midfielder being lashed over the bar.

On 22 minutes, City produced the first real chance of the game. Turner in the away goal had to be at his very best to keep out first King and then Gradel in a brilliant double save to keep us out. He was at his best again minutes later to turn a Fryatt header around the post when we thought we had the lead.

10 minutes later though and we found ourselves behind. A long ball over the top was latched onto by Michael Bridges and he lifted the ball over the advancing Tony Warner and into the net. Bugger - was the Sam jinx going to strike again?

Matt Oakley went close right from the kick off when his brilliant effort from 25 yards looked destined for the top corner but Turner somehow clawed it away at the last second. Brilliant save.

At half time, and a goal down, we headed down to meet Katy and Stez who decided to join us for the second half in the East Stand.

7 minutes into the second half and we were finally level and Sam finally got to celebrate her first Leicester goal. Good work by Dyer down the left saw him pull the ball back for Oakley to smash past the keeper for the equalising goal.

The second half was a quiet affair until the final ten minutes when the game sprung into life. King had an effort well saved again before finally the breakthrough came again. King threaded the ball through to Dyer whose cross was inch perfect for Matty Fryatt to head us into the lead with only three minutes remaining. Just the win that we badly needed....

... but it wasn't to be and as we moved into injury time, Carlisle grabbed the unlikely leveler. A great cross from the left was headed into the net by sub Scott Dobie to send the away fans mental and leave us feeling shattered and really worried about the prospect of promotion. By the time we would play again, we may find ourseleves second in the league for the first time since November... not a happy thought.

To finish this entry, I'd like to spare a thought for the season ticket holder in the block next to ours who sadly passed away during the game against Carlisle. We noticed that something was wrong just before Fryatt's goal when members of the crowd behind us started called for the stewards and medics to come up. Despite their best efforts though, Derek, a Leicester fan since 1949, passed away at the stadium and the thoughts of all Leicester fans go out to his family at this horrible time. Things like this always puts football into perspective and hopefully the club will mark his memory at the game against Leeds on Easter Monday.

RIP Derek - true blue since '49.

Game Sixty Three - England v Ukraine

1 April 2009

So this was it, my first trip ever to Wembley (old or new) and boy had it been a long time coming. After all the trips that Leicester had made to wembley in the 90s, it seems madness that I had never made the trip to London but on April Fools day, all that was to change.

After finishing work at 1pm, I made my way over to my mate Tom's house to meet up with his brother, Ben, and another mate, Mark. A bit of FIFA09 and a kick around on the street in the sun and we were ready to head to the train station for the trains to London.

The magic of the ticket barrier onto Leicester station was too much for Mark though and he had to sort through his vast collection of tickets to find out which one would let him onto the platform and "enter england" as it was described.

A quick bite to eat and we threw Tom and Ben on a train, singing "We'll never see you again" to the amusement of the other passengers and then grabbed a quick drink while waiting for our train to the capital.

30 minutes later, we hopped on our train, and had a fairly uneventful journey down chatting to random people about the game ahead and then to another bloke about the difference in fortunes between Leicester and Swindon Town.

We met up again in London and head off to find the closest pub to St Pancras for a quick pint before going off to Wembley. The mighty 'Lucas Arms' was the watering hole of choice and we had the alcohol, pool table and a vast collection of free newspapers collected on the journey to keep us entertained. A few games of pool climaxed with a team effort as team red:

took on team white:

A close affair on the table resulted in both teams getting down to black ball where we all choked at the final hurdle...

... until a poor shot from Tom left the black over the pocket and an easy shot to wrap it up in our favour.

With spirits high, we wandered back to the underground station, collecting more free newspapers on route (you had to be there I think!), and jumped onto the tube in the rough direction of Wembley. To be honest, we wernt fully sure where the train was going but there were England fans on it who we had been chatting to so it was good enough for us. Our childish antics and random chatter provided good banter for the rest of the carriage and all the lack of eye-contact that is normally on the train was gone as the commuters loved us.

We jumped on the connecting underground a few stops later and we were soon at the right tube station running around like idiots in search of the toilets only to be pointed in every direction but the right one.

Walking down Wembley Way.... one of the many experiences that every football fan wants to do at some stage of their football watching career. Sadly I was doing this not as a Leicester fan, but following England. We traded cameras for the obligatory group photo under the arch and headed up the ramps to find our turnstile.

The esculators up to our seats provided much novelty and amusement and that wasn't the end of it as we had to climb up a mountain of seats to finally get to our row, one from the back. Closer to God than to Beckham!

The good thing about Wembley is that no matter where you sit though, you get a good view of the pitch and can enjoy the game from wherever you sit.... however the ground left me feeling a bit empty. After waiting so long to get to Wembley, it wasn't as special as I was hoping for. To be honest it was just like being at a slightly larger version of the Emirates at Arsenal. Still.... you cant knock an England international for under thirty quid.

As with all first time visitors, you had to have the compulsary photos in front of the pitch including one of the worst defensive wall in the world:

.... and one to show off my club roots:

We'd had a big debate on the way up to the ground of club v country and it's always gotta be the club for me. That's your bread and butter in football and the national team is just the jam on the top. You can't have the national team without your club team each week.

The Leicester flag also drew the attention of the drunken lad in front of us who turned and asked if I knew a girl named Jodie who goes to Leicester games. What are the odds that I was sat behind a Watford fan from London who used to go out with the girl who I travel to most away matches with. You couldn't have written it!

As the teams came out, we all stood for the national anthems as the crowd at each end held up their cards to show the england flag in the crowd - always an impressive sight!

We then had a minutes silence in memory of the people who lost their lives in the crowd at the Ivory Coast game the weekend before. This however didnt last the full minute as some idiots decided to ruin it by shouting and trying to start songs. Now I don't know if they were Ukraine or England fans but it's inexcusable to ruin a minutes silence when its a chance to reflect on things.

I won't write a full report on the game as it was a long time ago now but the first real chance was a Steve Gerrard free kick which swung just wide of the post.

After the half hour, a Lampard corner was swung in, headed back across goal and Crouch was on hand to volley it into the net...

... before headed over to the corner to "pull the rope" like as said by Smithy told him to do in the comic relief sketch.

Not much else happened but England dominated throughout and never looked like conceeding as Rooney threatened whenever he was on the ball.

With 16 minutes to go though, disaster struck as England failed to clear a freekick. The ball rebounded off Glen Johnson and fell kindly to Andriy Shevchenko to smash past David James to kill any remaining atmosphere.

England had lost all momentum now and Ukraine started to look dangerous and like they could snatch a famous victory. Thankfully though, with 5 minutes of the game remaining, a Beckham free kick was headed back by Gerrard and turned in by John Terry - a carbon copy of Crouch's goal in the first half.

And that was that. 3 points in the group and 5 wins from 5 as the march to the world cup continues. With the game done, the fun was really starting now as nearly 90,000 people had to make their way away from the ground in the glow of the wembley arch.

It really is an incredible sight in the glow of the evening.

As we edged back down Wembley way, stopping every 5 minutes as the police allowed people to clear, we took the chance to reflect on the whole experience.

After a massive rush to jump on a tube of any description heading back to central london, we had some time to kill around St Pancras so did the usual thing of grabbing some food at Burger King before messing about taking childish pictures of each other for something to do.

My England/Leicester flag/skirt montage had been given a tour of London and drawn a few strange looks but in the end was a massive success!

At little past midnight, we jumped on board our train back to Leicester and spent the journey drinking tea or coffee (not quite the messy night in London we expected) and told really crap old cracker jokes that had us giggling like anything in our dozey state.

Back in Leicester and a quick taxi ride home and straight to bed, exhaused from the epic day out. England international? Success!! More than can be said for Leicester these days....