Leicester City Under-18s fell to a 4-2 defeat to Southampton on the final day of the regulation Premier League U18 South season on Saturday, confirming their place in Group C of the next stage.
With City having finished 12th in their regional league, the competition now breaks up into three pools of eight with all 12 clubs from each lining up against their positional peers from both divisions over the coming months.
Kairo Edwards-John struck twice for the young Foxes at Belvoir Drive but efforts from Will Smallbone, Tyreke Johnson and a brace by Callum Slattery put the clash beyond Trevor Peake’s men at the City training ground.
Leicester found themselves 3-0 down inside 15 minutes with Smallbone converting a free-kick from distance inside 6 minutes. Five minutes later, Slattery grabbed a second before Johnson headed beyond Max Bramley.
Slattery then found the net again after the interval before a double from Edwards-John halved the arrears to give City confidence going into the next stage of the competition later this month.
CITY: Bramley, Heaven, Ughelumba, Tee, Hudson, Templeton, Fielding, Dewsbury-Hall (c), Myring (Williams 70), Leshabela, Edwards-John.
SUBS NOT USED: Bosworth, Gill, Thomas, Pennant.
SOUTHAMPTON: Parkes, Davis, Sui, Rowthorn (c), Gardner, Bradley-Green, Mdlalose (Hale 42), Slattery, Afolabi (Hamblin 85), Smallbone, Johnson.
SUBS NOT USED: Latham, Klarer