Season Review: March

Gameday 33: 

City 3-0 Charlton Athletic 

Saturday 1 March, 2014 

Goals: Vardy 9, Drinkwater 48, Nugent 64 

Attendance: 24,742 

Match Report: 

Yet another dominant display at King Power Stadium helped Leicester City extend their lead over third place to 13 points with an emphatic victory over Charlton Athletic in the Sky Bet Championship. 

The Foxes raced out of the blocks and were ahead after just nine minutes when David Nugent set up Jamie Vardy for a brilliantly worked opener in a first half that was all City. 

Danny Drinkwater doubled that advantage soon after the break with another fine finish, before Nugent added a third with a powerful 20-yard drive into Ben Hamer’s bottom right corner.

Manager Reaction: 

“I’m very pleased with the result and the performance in particular. 

“I keep saying that if we get the performance right then more often than not the result will come. Today was a very good example of that where we played well and the result came because of that. 

“We’ve got 13 games left and we’ve produced a lead, which is very satisfying. But we’ve got to make sure that our levels of performance and our consistency with results remain as they are so far. 

“We don’t have to set a target and say ‘that will do’, we’ve just got to make sure that our targets remain high.” 

League Position: 1 

Gameday 34: 

Barnsley 0-3 City 

Tuesday 11 March, 2014 

Goals: Vardy 21, 62, Drinkwater 58 

Attendance: 12,539 

Match Report: 

A devastating display of attacking football from Leicester City at Oakwell saw them surge 15 points clear of the play-offs with a comprehensive victory over Barnsley in the Sky Bet Championship. 

Jamie Vardy got things started with a beautifully taken first half strike to hand the Foxes a thoroughly deserved lead at the break, before turning provider for Danny Drinkwater to score his seventh of the campaign. 

Vardy then put the icing on the cake when he latched onto a Riyad Mahrez through-ball to round the ‘keeper and score his 15th of the season, extending City’s unbeaten run to the same number in the process. 

It was the Foxes’ third consecutive 3-0 victory and further strengthened their grip on the automatic spots. 

Manager Reaction: 

“You go through our whole side and it is difficult to say that we had any weakness tonight. We were very good on an individual level. 

“You can clearly see we have the quality of player at the Club to make the progression to promotion. 

“There’s still a long way to go yet but we’re showing that we have the caliber to do that. 

“When you consider the fixture there (Oakwell) last season, which was probably our low point, along with Derby away, it shows how more or less the same side have moved forward.” 

League Position: 1 

Gameday 35:

City 3-1 Blackpool 

Saturday 15 March, 2014 

Goals: Mahrez 60, Morgan 82, Phillips 87; Goodwillie 41 

Attendance: 27,669 

Match Report: 

A stunning second half comeback saw Leicester City stretch the gap to the play-off places to 17 points thanks to a commanding King Power Stadium victory over Blackpool in the Sky Bet Championship. 

David Goodwillie had given the Seasiders a surprise lead going into half time, when he latched onto a long throw to poke a close range finish past Kasper Schmeichel. 

The Foxes rallied though, and a moment of class from Riyad Mahrez saw them deservedly draw level on the hour mark – his left footed drive from 20 yards giving Matt Gilks no chance. 

Mahrez then turned provider to tee up Wes Morgan for a headed goal at the far post with eight minutes left, before substitute Kevin Phillips made certain of all three points with an emphatic finish into the top corner. 

Manager Reaction: 

“It was a tough game in the sense that having been dominant through the entirety of the game we had to win from a losing position. 

“We’ve done it a few times this season and today is an illustration of how tough this division can be, in that you play against a side who set up to be difficult to break down and we gave them something to hang on to. 

“But we have a strong belief in the fact that if we play our own brand of football and continue to do that throughout the game then we will on most occasions be able to get back into it.

“We could have finished the game winning more handsomely than we did but the win is an achievement in itself.” 

League Position: 1 

Gameday 36: 

Blackburn Rovers 1-1 City 

Saturday 22 March, 2014 

Goals: Kilgallon 43; Vardy 43 

Attendance: 16,528 

Match Report: 

Leicester City’s unbeaten run in the Sky Bet Championship was extended to 17 games on at Ewood Park as they claimed a useful point in a close and keenly contested encounter. 

Jamie Vardy stroked home a Ritchie De Laet cross to chalk up his 16th of the campaign and give City the lead after just 20 minutes, but Matt Kilgallon’s header levelled things shortly before half time. 

In the second half Vardy stuck the upright and a host of chances fell the way of Riyad Mahrez, David Nugent and Matty James, but it was to no avail, as they were made to settle for a point. 

Assistant Manager Reaction: 

“We’ve got to look at it as a point gained. As you get to what people call the business end of the season with 10 games to go, you have to see it that way. 

“Yes we probably had the best clear cut chances in the game but if we’d have taken all three points, bearing in mind Blackburn’s performance, they’d be disappointed not to have got something out of it. 

“It was tightly fought and they gave us as good a game as we’ve had all season. 

“At the start of the second half they were on top, but we probably shaded it in terms of the better chances. We’re slightly disappointed, but on a positive note, we tick another game off.” 

League Position: 1 

Gameday 37: 

City 1-1 Yeovil Town 

Tuesday 25 March, 2014 

Goals: Wood 90; Ralls 22 

Attendance: 26,240 

Match Report: 

Leicester City extended their unbeaten run in the Sky Bet Championship to 18 games thanks to a dramatic stoppage time goal in a hard-fought draw with Yeovil Town at King Power Stadium on Tuesday night. 

Yeovil were leading until the dying stages of the match after Joe Rall’s fine free-kick had given the Glovers the lead, but City dug deep and left it late to earn a vital point in the race for automatic promotion. 

Kasper Schmeichel went up for the final attack and crashed a sensational header off the crossbar and down just over the line, but Chris Wood was credited with the goal by the referee after following up to make sure. 

The late goal saw Leicester’s unbeaten run stretched to 18 games – a Club record in the second tier and the Foxes left sitting pretty at the top of the Championship. 

Assistant Manager Reaction: 

“I’m frustrated in terms of I thought that it was a frustrating game for us, but on reflection you have to be delighted with a late goal in the manner that we got it. 

“It was a frustrating night for us with the chances that we had. If we’d had taken them, obviously it would have been a different score line, but we didn’t and I give Yeovil some credit in terms of getting the first goal but also causing us problems. They came and played 4-4-2 and were athletic. 

“I also pay tremendous respect for our lads in terms of keeping going and in terms of character and you saw what was really great in the end in terms of the celebration. 

“It keeps the unbeaten run going, that’s 18 and they can be hugely proud of that.” 

League Position: 1 

Gameday 38:

Burnley 0-2 City 

Saturday 29 March, 2014 

Goals: Nugent 35, Wood 78 

Attendance: 16,794 

Match Report: 

Leicester City moved a step closer to promotion with a sensational victory over second placed Burnley in the Sky Bet Championship at Turf Moor. 

Goals in either half from David Nugent and substitute Chris Wood ensured City became the first team to claim an away victory over the Clarets in the league for more than a year, and moved them 16 points clear of the play-off places. 

Nugent got the goal scoring under way 10 minutes before half-time when he caressed the ball into the far corner with his left foot from 20 yards to claim his 20th goal of the season. 

The Foxes had several good opportunities to extend that lead in the second half, but it was a blockbuster finish from Wood near the end that finally gave over 3,000 travelling City fans licence to celebrate an important victory against their closest promotion rivals. 

Manager Reaction: 

“I think it was as complete a performance as you could have hoped for in the sense that we dominated proceedings for long, long periods, and in the first half in particular.

“In the second half we expected a response from them, but we were still able to dictate the tempo. The players worked incredibly hard in a disciplined fashion, which allows the flair players to then come to the party. 

“You’ve got to have that foundation to work from and to a man, I thought we were very good today. 

“As always, the ball is our friend if we look after it and we’ve been able to dominate possession in lots of games because we’ve got capable players.” 

League Position: 1 

Top Scorer: Jamie Vardy (4 goals) 

High Point: City’s trip to Burnley at the end of the month was billed by many as a title decider, with the two best teams in the division going head-to-head, with the Clarets having not lost at home in a calendar year. That proved to be no of little significance though as two excellent strikes from David Nugent and Chris Wood sealed a memorable win for Leicester. 

Low Point: An injury to the in-form Jamie Vardy saw his match cut short away at Burnley.