A bit about you:
Name: Bob Asprey
Current home town: Now living in Aylesbury Birthplace: Sidcup
How long have you supported your team? Since 12th April 1966 when we beat Bournemouth 1-0. This was during the run of 59 home matches unbeaten, which took us from the old 4th Division to the 2nd.
Overview of your club:
Favourite thing about your home ground: Not surprisingly many fans miss our old ground, I’m sure it’s the same at Leicester. Best thing about our ‘new’ place (it’s 15 years old now) is that it’s not a sexy warm surroundsound arena like yours and many others. It’s stark utilitarian and cold, just how we like it.
Favourite match played by your team & why: This has to be the FA Cup Semi Final v Sunderland at Old Trafford in 2004. The greatest moment in our history, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house, not at our end anyway. We’d been in three FA Cup semi finals before, all before the war, and lost them all. The 2004 final itself was a great day out, but was like a trip to the FA circus compared with the raw emotion of the semi. Look how far we’ve fallen in four years…..
Favourite player of all time who played for your club: Harry Cripps. Not the best or most talented of players but his big heart and uncompromising style epitomized the club and he became a Millwall legend in the sixties and seventies. Other heroes are ‘Arry Boy’s teammate Keith Weller, who many Leicester fans will be familiar with, Terry Hurlock, Teddy Sheringham (possibly the best player we’ve ever had, although he has blotted his copy book in many fans’ eyes by going and playing on the other side of the river) and more recently Tim Cahill. An honourable mention too for Steve Claridge, the type of 100 per center loved by fans everywhere. Which is where he played.
About our forthcoming match against you:
Your favourite current player in your squad and why? I’m not really one for favourite players but most popular player so far this season has been Chris Hackett. Chris, a tricky winger, missed most of the last two seasons with injury, many doubted whether we’d see him again. He’s now fit but with all our right backs injured he has been pressed into service as an emergency right back. He has successfully combined his defensive duties with getting forward and getting crosses in and has a number of assists to his name.
Player in your squad we should most fear and why? That’s a tricky one, our start has been very inconsistent although improving. I’m not sure you’re going to actually fear anyone, we are a very young squad and as you’re new to this god-forsaken division we’ve hardly anyone you will have heard of! Our desparate search for a striker ended when we signed Tresor Kandol on loan from Leeds. Probably the most skilful player we have, and quick, but his laid back attitude hasn’t endeared him greatly to the fans, and a couple of niggley injuries have restricted his appearances. He’s our joint leading scorer on 2, but who knows what we’ll get from him?
Player in our squad you most fear and why? Barry Hayles, obviously. The fastest ox in the league. But seeing as how he’s unlikely to be playing, if we overlook the obvious suspects of Paul Dickov and Steve Howard, I’ve chosen Max Gradel, who destroyed us at Bournemouth last season. As well as entertaining us with his hair and his luminous boots.
Up and coming prospect in your squad? There are several prospects, we have five of this season’s regulars who are under 21. Indeed, at times it has looked like men v boys. Possibly the best prospect is Preston Edwards, the England U19 goalkeeper who will likely be on the bench at the Walkers. Ali Fuseini is a youngster you probably will see, a midfielder who is till only 19 but has made 44 starts for us already.
Where do you think you’ll finish this season? We are one of the better supported and better funded teams in this division, and so if we don’t finish in the top eight we will be punching below our weight, as we have for the last three seasons. Being a football fan and naturally pessimistic, after what we’ve been through we hope to be in the top half of the league. We’ll finish 9th.
How do you think you’ll do against us? I don’t recall us winning at your place since you moved to your new ground, although we got a point on a miserable Boxing Day there three years ago. The way Leicester have come out of the traps this season, our young team might be happy to only come second. Hopefully we’ll be up for the battle, and if we can spring a surprise or two we might nick a goal and get a 1-1 draw. Form would suggest 2-0 Leicester though.
Any other comments? Not one of the away trips I particularly look forward to – a bland stadium, no pubs near the ground, a terrible view from near the corner flag, and probably no points.