Southend 0 City 2 …. and Champions of League One
Needing an away win in their forty-forth league game of the 2008-9 season to be both promoted back to The Championship at the first attempt and crowned champions, Leicester City won 2 – 0 on a sunny and breezy day beside the seaside.
The Foxes won for the twelfth time this season after drawing at half time. Fryatt scoring his twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth league goals and going over thirty for the campaign
Leicester were forced to one change from the Easter Monday side that won so well against Leeds. The injury time goalscorer on that occasion, Howard, was absent ill and replaced by an industrious Dickov. Howard is important to Leicester’s style of play, only Oakley’s fetch and carry game is as significant to the side, but without the big target man an upfront ariel game is not effective.
Southend are another team that have been trying to move grounds for at least two decades, without success. Roots Hall is a small and compact venue (10,080 attendance), a mix of old traditional stadia features with one new stand behind a goal. Once again the away support appeared sold out at the opposite end. The Shrimpers were relegated with Leicester last season from The Championship having been in that league a single season, they have been mid-table moving to the play-off fringes. City won the Walkers home clash 3 – 0 in early December with Fryatt scoring a hat-trick. He clearly likes this opposition!….
The first half was largely forgettable. Cornerless for forty minutes Southend finished strongly with Stockdale turning an awkward first shot of the half from Robinson for a corner as it bounced in front of him. Then for the home team Clarke prodded over the bar from a right wing free kick and near post flick on header. Gradel was booked for dissent and the Leicester midfield were giving the ball away too often latterly. The back four with Hobbs and Morrison especially playing well, looked solid.
The homeside carried on energetically after the break and arguably the key moment of the game arrived quickly. A creative lob on the right side of the penalty box put Robinson in the clear with time to pick a spot. He blasted against the underside of the bar, the ball bouncing clear. Then followed an odd substitution: big midfield anchor Christophe being substituted for Southend by Grant who soon came off worse in a centre line clash with Oakley. He was carried off to be replaced by Freedman within five minutes. Oakley was booked in a later incident.
The visitors responded. Fryatt showed excellent close control, weaving through the Southend defence and past the ‘keeper before hitting the outside of the right post from a difficult angle. In short order Leicester attacked again down the left. Dickov drove into the penalty area, he was tackled and the ball spun loose to bounce into a defender’s arm. Referee Penton gave City a cheap penalty, much against the run of play – Fryatt placed the spot kick low to the right post, 1 – 0. The goal scorer was booked in the celebration with City fans that followed.
Fryatt converts the penalty to seal promotion
In the 70th minute Leicester were awarded a free kick down the inside right channel twenty-five yards out. Dyer blasted a wonderful shot against the bar and Fryatt reacted quickest to head centrally into an empty net, 2 – 0. Cue, many visiting fans celebrations.
Mattock was booked for a holding foul and quickly substitued at left back by Burner who made one strong blocking tackle and then cleared a late corner off the line.
The game ended calmly for visitors’ fans, a much more exciting second half than first with more goal incidents and valued contributions from Stockdale, Hobbs, Dyer, Morrison and a lot of effort from King and Oakley.
The excellent soccer website www.football365.com with its huge database of the whole season’s statistics sums up the story of Leicester’s success this season: ranked first in away performances and second at home despite the number of draws (only one defeat); occupying top spot continuously since match fifteen of the season from November; the second highest tally of goals for and the meanest defence in Division One (average .82 conceded per game); with the best ranking performance against teams in the top half of the table when City played them (losing only three times).
They are the fourth ranked team in the league on first half performances and top rated on the second period of games. Their twenty-three match win/draw sequence mid-season was not only a Foxes’ all time record, but also the best of 2008/9 – for any football league team.
Chairman Milan Mandaric estimates it cost c£10 million to get back to The Championship. What follows is not to decry the stability, wisdom and winning mentality brought by manager Nigel Pearson, or to fail to recognise that this was a very significant achievement, doing what had to be done, but to this writer, a wrong is righted. We are not a Division One club. I know the table never lies and sometimes you have to go backwards to consolidate then drive forwards again.
Many congratulations to all associated with this Championship win.
The management team behind the promotion
Southend: Mildenhall, Francis, Dervite, Clarke, Barrett, Betsy (Laurent 78), Christophe (Grant 52), McCormack, Moussa, Barnard, Robinson, Grant (Freedman 56). Subs Not Used: Joyce, Sankofa.
Leicester: Stockdale, Morrison, Hobbs, Brown, Mattock (Berner 83), Gradel (Ajdarevic 90), Oakley, Andy King, Dyer, Fryatt, Dickov (Hayles 77).
Subs Not Used: Warner, Kisnorbo.
Booked: Gradel, Fryatt, Oakley, Mattock. Goals: Fryatt 60 pen, 70.
Att: 10,089 Ref: Clive Penton (Sussex).
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