TRANMERE 2 CITY 0
It is always good to visit a ground that still has 4 floodlight pylons, Subbuteo-style. If they are still powered by a dodgy transformer, as immortalised by Tranmere supporters Half Man Half Biscuit, they made it through the night without problem. However, a floodlight failure would have been the only way to save our record unbeaten run, which despite a much-improved second half performance, came to an end not with a bang but a whimper.
I was surprised by the low turnout by the home fans, given their excellent form on the Wirral and that they are pushing for a play-off spot. Our support must have been at least 25% of the gate, despite the ticket office posting my ticket (and that of other supporters too) by 2nd class post so that it did not arrive until the day after the match. Luckily a fax to Tranmere allowed them to print duplicates, but this sort of shoddy cost-cutting really worries me.
To our amusement, a group of about 30 kids (literally a baby squad, not old enough to remember our triumph over Tranmere at Wembley 9 years ago) formed their singing element. During the first half, one of them blew up a condom, prompting a chant of "you ain't gonna use it" – it was that sort of 45 minutes, you had to get your enjoyment where you could.
The first half ended scoreless, despite us playing as poorly as I have seen all season. It was therefore something of an irony that we lost the game in the second half when we played okay. It is hard to pinpoint why we started so sluggishly. The pitch was heavy but, cliche fans, it was the same for both sides….
Tranmere were strong, but so are we. Are young players becoming tired? Certainly Andy King was very quiet, perhaps he will be due a rest as Lloyd Dyer has been given. Is the foot being taken off the gas with promotion so close? Perhaps subconsciously, but on the pitch there was no lack of effort, particularly from Cleverley and the front two.
Leicester failed to force the home keeper into a save in the first half, and only the alertness of Hobbs kept Rovers at bay for much of the time. They threatened on a number of occasions, posting past sleep-walking defenders, but only created one gilt-edged chance, when Morrison inexplicably missed a high through ball, surprising the blue-haired Savage who scuffed his shot and allowed Stockdale to save.
On the goalkeeping front, my own view is that it is a real kick in the teeth for Pentney not to trust him with the number one shirt at this stage of the season, he is hardly going to lose us every game single-handed, but instead another no-mark loan keeper is brought in for 3 or 4 games to enjoy the glory. Conrad Logan showed a couple of years ago during a relegation run-in that young keepers should be given the chance to step up to the plate.
The second half started with our first shot on target, a long-range strike by Howard, and we were hopeful that we were in with a shout of moving past the 80 point barrier. However, a minute later Tranmere took the lead, the impressive Kay shooting low into the corner from just outside the area.
As a fan you are very rarely in such a position of luxury to say this, but going a goal down wasn't the end of the world and made a much better game of it. Indeed this theme was picked up by our fans with a splendid prolonged chant of "we're one-nil down, who gives a f***, the Leicester boys are going up" which helped to lift the team.
A number of corners were forced, one of which led to a header being cleared from the line. Gradel came on to play left wing but could not quite get the better of the defenders he ran at, likewise the popular Hayles, whilst the long-distance shooting of Oakley, King and Cleverley was lacking in firepower. Fryatt was our most dangerous player, but we could not tee up a clear-cut chance for him.
Sadly within the last ten minutes, Powell was caught out by a forward running at pace at him and conceded a penalty that was despatched for a deflating clinching goal. The taste of defeat was unusual, and no less unpleasant for me for its rarity this season and probable insignificance in the bigger picture. I was glad I only had 40 miles home instead of the majority heading back to Leicester. As managers always say when a run comes to an end – let's start another one.
City: Stockdale 5, Powell 4, Gilbert 4, Morrisson 4, Hobbs 7, Mattock 4 (Gradel 7), Oakley 6, King 4 (Hayles 6), Cleverley 7, Howard 6, Fryatt 7.
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