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U21s Report: Port Vale 0 City 5
A five-star display from Leicester City’s Under-21s saw them maintain their perfect start to the Central League Cup with a comprehensive victory at Port Vale.
Building on their 3-0 success at home to Doncaster in their opening Group A fixture, the Foxes found themselves 3-0 up after just 22 minutes – Jacob Blyth scoring before Harry Panayiotou added another two in the space of three minutes.
After the break Jak McCourt added a fourth in his first appearance since a loan spell with Torquay, while the outstanding Michael Cain put the icing on the cake with a fine fifth late in the second half.
Development Squad boss Steve Beaglehole said afterwards: “To come anywhere on your travels and to keep a clean sheet and score five goals is great.
Sometimes we get a bit greedy as we could easily say we should have scored more. “I was pleased with the way we kept going to the end, kept looking to score and kept moving the ball forwards.
There were some really good performances and it gets us back to winning ways. “We would love to win this cup and it puts us in a great frame of mind going into our next league fixture against Bolton Wanderers.”
On what could have been a tricky afternoon for City, it was big striker Blyth who got them off to an ideal start inside the first three minutes as he emphatically fired home from Panayiotou’s right wing cross.
Cain and Zoumana Bakayogo both then saw shots blocked before Panayiotou breached the Vale defence once again. A left wing corner came back to Cain midway into the home side’s half, and as he fired in a cross with pace towards the front post, there was Panayiotou to nod the ball beyond the goalkeeper.
There was barely a chance for the shell-shocked Vale to catch their breath when Panayiotou got his second. It was again Cain who was the architect – staying on his feet as he drove into the area, allowing his team-mate to drill a low effort into the corner from 18 yards.
After the break the home side improved, but weren’t able to put City goalkeeper Adam Smith under pressure due to the solid defending of Alie Sesay and Kieran Kennedy in the heart of the defence.
The dangerous Blyth did strike the crossbar from Callum Elder’s cross, but just after the hour mark City’s fourth did finally come, and it was down to some brilliant play from Bakayogo.
The left back drove into the area after a dummy and saw a brilliant shot parried up towards the far post, where McCourt was on hand to convert amid a crowd of bodies.
It was a score line that flattered the home side on the basis of the chances City had, although Cain did add a fifth to rubber stamp the victory in the closing stages.
James Pearson took a quick throw on the right and found the driving run of Cain, who took a touch and forced a great save down low from the ‘keeper, who was helpless to keep out his effort from the rebound.
Next up for the Foxes is a Monday 13 January clash with Bolton Wanderers at the Club’s Belvoir Drive Training Facility.
City (4-4-2): Smith, Pearson, Elder (Paratore 60), McCourt, Sesay (c) (Taft 60), Kennedy, Dawson, Cain, Blyth, Panayiotou (Barrington 65), Bakayogo
Subs not used: Sharpe, Dodoo
Goals: Blyth 3, Panayiotou 19, 22, McCourt 64, Cain 77
After the break Jak McCourt added a fourth in his first appearance since a loan spell with Torquay, while the outstanding Michael Cain put the icing on the cake with a fine fifth late in the second half.
Development Squad boss Steve Beaglehole said afterwards: “To come anywhere on your travels and to keep a clean sheet and score five goals is great.
Sometimes we get a bit greedy as we could easily say we should have scored more. “I was pleased with the way we kept going to the end, kept looking to score and kept moving the ball forwards.
There were some really good performances and it gets us back to winning ways. “We would love to win this cup and it puts us in a great frame of mind going into our next league fixture against Bolton Wanderers.”
On what could have been a tricky afternoon for City, it was big striker Blyth who got them off to an ideal start inside the first three minutes as he emphatically fired home from Panayiotou’s right wing cross.
Cain and Zoumana Bakayogo both then saw shots blocked before Panayiotou breached the Vale defence once again. A left wing corner came back to Cain midway into the home side’s half, and as he fired in a cross with pace towards the front post, there was Panayiotou to nod the ball beyond the goalkeeper.
There was barely a chance for the shell-shocked Vale to catch their breath when Panayiotou got his second. It was again Cain who was the architect – staying on his feet as he drove into the area, allowing his team-mate to drill a low effort into the corner from 18 yards.
After the break the home side improved, but weren’t able to put City goalkeeper Adam Smith under pressure due to the solid defending of Alie Sesay and Kieran Kennedy in the heart of the defence.
The dangerous Blyth did strike the crossbar from Callum Elder’s cross, but just after the hour mark City’s fourth did finally come, and it was down to some brilliant play from Bakayogo.
The left back drove into the area after a dummy and saw a brilliant shot parried up towards the far post, where McCourt was on hand to convert amid a crowd of bodies.
It was a score line that flattered the home side on the basis of the chances City had, although Cain did add a fifth to rubber stamp the victory in the closing stages.
James Pearson took a quick throw on the right and found the driving run of Cain, who took a touch and forced a great save down low from the ‘keeper, who was helpless to keep out his effort from the rebound.
Next up for the Foxes is a Monday 13 January clash with Bolton Wanderers at the Club’s Belvoir Drive Training Facility.
City (4-4-2): Smith, Pearson, Elder (Paratore 60), McCourt, Sesay (c) (Taft 60), Kennedy, Dawson, Cain, Blyth, Panayiotou (Barrington 65), Bakayogo
Subs not used: Sharpe, Dodoo
Goals: Blyth 3, Panayiotou 19, 22, McCourt 64, Cain 77
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