City 1 Sunderland 0
Match Report by Colin Hall
A close-range strike by young substitute Tom Parkes 18 minutes from time proved enough to secure victory in Leicester City's final pre-season game, against Premier League Sunderland at the King Power Stadium.
The win was no more than City deserved. They outplayed the visitors for long spells and with better finishing, especially in the first half, could have won by a more emphatic margin.
Instead they had to endure some anxious moments in the closing stages as the Black Cats twice struck the City woodwork. On the second occasion, Kasper Schmeichel appeared to claw a James McClean header from behind the goal-line, but referee Craig Pawson waved away visiting claims.
City manager Nigel Pearson fielded four of his summer signings, all of whom acquitted themselves well. Ritchie De Laet gave an assured performance at right-back and was unlucky to see a first-half header cleared off the line with Sunderland keeper Keiren Westwood well beaten.
In midfield, Matt James linked up well with former Manchester United colleague Danny Drinkwater, giving forward players plenty of opportunities to exploit the lack of pace in the Sunderland defence. Striker Jamie Vardy also showed distinct signs of promise before being forced off with an injury just before half-time.
However it was the display of French winger Anthony Knockaert, introduced as a half-time substitute for Lloyd Dyer, which particularly caught the eyes of the Foxes faithful. His pace and power caused numerous problems for visiting defenders, and his showboating in the closing stages provoked a petulant reaction from Sunderland skipper Lee Cattermole, who had to be substituted for his own safety.
There were plenty of other encouraging signs elsewhere in the City side. Schmeichel was as dependable as ever in goal, new skipper Wes Morgan was a tower of strength in central defence and youngster Liam Moore coped well both alongside Morgan and as a right-back. Drinkwater also looked a more mature, confident player than last season, as did Ben Marshall, who fully justified his manager's decision to give him the number 7 shirt in preference to the more experienced Paul Gallagher.
Indeed, Marshall was probably City's top player, giving regular reminders of his shooting prowess and a useful delivery from set pieces, including the corner that produced Parkes' winner.
There are still areas of concern, though, before the season-openers against Torquay and Peterborough. The deployment of Paul Konchesky as a second-half centre-back (before Parkes' introduction) and striker Jeff Schlupp at left-back highlighted Pearson's need for extra defensive cover. Meanwhile in attack, both David Nugent and Martyn Waghorn struggled to make an impact on the game during their time on the field, while Jermaine Beckford was wasteful with the chances presented to him.
Nevertheless, Pearson will have been heartened by both the performance and the result. With the Championship looking as competitive as ever, a good start to the season is imperative and this game provided plenty of evidence to indicate it will be forthcoming.
City: Schmeichel; De Laet (Schlupp 46), Morgan (c), Moore, Konchesky (Parkes 68); Marshall, James (Danns 46), Drinkwater (King 46), Dyer (Knockaert 46); Beckford (Waghorn 46), Vardy (Nugent 43). Unused subs: Logan, Gallagher.
Goals: Parkes 72
Sunderland: Westwood; Gardner, Bramble (Cuellar 46), Kilgallon (Meyler 46), O’Shea (Egan 76); Elmohamady (Larsson 46), Cattermole ©, Colback, McClean; Campbell (Noble 76), Richardson (Adams 76). Unused subs: Mignolet, Knott.
Attendance: 9,293 (1,117 away)
The views expressed in this report are the opinions of the Trust member nominated to file the report only and do not represent the views of the Foxes Trust organisation