U18s Report: Norwich 2 Leicester City 1

Layton Ndukwu was on the scoresheet for Leicester, converting a penalty either side of the hosts’ two strikes, in what proved to be a frustrating fixture for City.
The young Foxes put on a clinical display against Norwich in their last league meeting, , and went into the clash having lost just twice on the road all campaign.
The Canaries took the lead in the first half and carried their 1-0 advantage into the break, giving City plenty to think about in the second period.
Battling for an equaliser, it was England Under-17s international Ndukwu who hauled his side level. Cedric Kipre latched onto a free kick and was brought down in the area before Ndukwu stepped up and slotted the spot-kick to the ‘keeper’s right to make it 1-1.
Kyle Bailey then had a good chance to put his side into a 2-1 lead after racing through on goal, but the young Fox couldn’t convert his one-on-one effort.
Norwich piled on the pressure in the late stages, and sealed the three points with a strike just 10 minutes from time, despite City mustering up enough opportunities to claim a victory themselves.
Reflecting on the narrow defeat, Under-18s manager Trevor Peake told LCFC.com: “We employed a new formation, using a 4-2-3-1 strategy. We’d done limited work on preparing the lads for that, so credit to them for adhering to the shape.
“It took us the first 15 to 20 minutes to get used to it. After that, we started creating chances, which was very pleasing. In the last few games we’ve struggled to score – some of our shots from close range weren’t quite working the goalkeeper well enough, so it’s still a working progress.
“We changed some of the personnel round because of the , which involved three of our players, so it was pleasing to see some of the other lads stepping in.
“Brandon Fox and Danny Rowe, who usually play further up the pitch, played as holding midfielders today. It was a good experiment for them on a personal level – they came through it very well, which shows they can play in different positions.”
City will now focus on their FA Youth Cup Fifth Round trip to St. Mary’s to face Southampton on Thursday 5 February – a game which Peake and his players are certainly looking forward to.
He added: “It’s going to be terrific. Obviously they’ve played twice at King Power Stadium this season. Now they can cross another Premier League ground off their list when they play at St. Mary’s.
“It’s always good for them to travel away and see what other club’s facilities are like.”