U18s Report: Leicester City 1 Chesterfield 0

A solitary first-half strike from Keenan King sealed the victory for the hosts in a game which City could have had more in, having hit the post three times in the opening 45 minutes.
After beating Wigan Athletic in the previous round, City took on tricky opposition in the form of Chesterfield, who had come back from two goals down to beat Aston Villa 3-2 in the third round.
Impressive so far throughout the 2014/15 season, City enjoyed plenty of possession early on and mustered up their first chance after just four minutes. A neat pass from Matty Miles set up Hamza Choudhury on the edge of the box, only for opposition forward Tope Fowodu to block and clear the midfielder’s low drive.
Controlling the game well, the young Foxes didn’t have to wait long for the opening goal. Striker King’s initial effort was blocked well by captain Lawrence Maguire, but the No.9 latched onto the loose ball, took a touch and fired in past Myles Wright with 12 minutes on the clock.
The visitors threatened on 23 minutes as Jake Beesley looked to nod in a dangerous front-post cross from Rhyle Ovenden – Cedric Kipre heading away the danger mid-way through the first half.
A chance to double City’s lead fell to Miles four minutes later. The midfielder curled a fine 20-yard free-kick towards goal, but Wright did well to tip the effort onto the crossbar as the hosts pushed for a second.
And it was Layton Ndukwu’s turn to strike the woodwork on the half-hour mark. The England Under-17s forward picked up the ball 35 yards from goal before hammering a left-footed shot onto the Chesterfield post.
Danny Rowe came close to finding the back of the net just moments later, skipping past two defenders before his shot was cleared off the line by Brad Holmes.
Max Smith-Varnham then had to be on his toes to prevent Mason Coy’s free-kick from a difficult angle finding the back of the net – a smart save by the City No.1.
Ndukwu again hit the post with a minute of the first half to go as the No.7 drifted in from the right wing before curling one towards goal – 1-0 to City at the break.
Two good chances fell to the young Spireites in the early stages of the second period as Lewis Sugden clipped the roof of Smith-Varnham’s net before substitute Martell Daswell fired wide from deep in the City box.
Wright pulled off a smart stop on the hour mark, saving well with his feet from Rowe, while King’s header from a Miles corner sneaked just inches wide.
Ndukwu carved out another chance on 66 minutes, carrying the ball past two defenders before his low drive was saved by the legs of Wright.
Elliott Moore then did well to clear his lines as Beesley’s knock-down nearly found Kabine Dumbuya lurking in the six-yard box – City defending well with 10 minutes to play.
Rowe could have put the tie beyond the Chesterfield’s reach in the closing stages, lifting Miles’ corner over the bar from three yards, but King’s early goal proved enough for City to secure the victory.
The result means the young Foxes will face either Everton at Goodison Park or Southampton at St. Mary’s in the fifth round, with the outcome of that tie to be decided on Wednesday evening.
For now, though, City turn their attentions to the Barclays U18 Premier League as they next entertain second-from-bottom Reading on Saturday at Belvoir Drive.
CITY: Smith-Varnham, Johnson, Chilwell (c), Choudhury, Moore, Kipre, Ndukwu (Bailey 90), Miles, King, Rowe, Fox
SUBS NOT USED: Knight, Yates, Barnes, Muskwe
GOAL: King 12
CHESTERFIELD: Wright, Massey, Randle, Sugden, Holmes, Maguire (c), Ovenden (Daswell 28), Coy, Beesley, Fowodu (Morrison 65), Walshaw (Dumbuya 72)
SUBS NOT USED: Parker, Hudson
REFEREE: Robert Massey-Ellis