Vardy: Confidence Flying High

- Jamie Vardy says the confidence in the side is helping them to get results on the pitch 

- The striker scores a late equaliser from the penalty spot in a 1-1 draw at AFC Bournemouth on Saturday 

- Roy Hodgson names Vardy in his England squad to face San Marino and Switzerland 

- Vardy happy to take on Leicester City’s penalty taking duties in absence of Riyad Mahrez 

After scoring the penalty that preserved Leicester City’s unbeaten Barclays Premier League start on Saturday, Jamie Vardy says confidence levels in the squad are flying high. 

The Foxes lie third in the table after a 1-1 draw away at newly promoted AFC Bournemouth – a result sealed courtesy of a penalty won and scored by a tireless Vardy in the 86th minute. 

It crowned a brilliant weekend for the City striker, who was called up to Roy Hodgson’s England squad for two Euro 2016 qualifiers against San Marino and Switzerland next month. 

That recognition has come on the back of some brilliant displays for Claudio Ranieri’s Foxes, but Vardy revealed that it’s not just him that’s benefitting from a new found confidence on the pitch. 

<div ><br /><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">“The confidence is flying high,” he told Foxes Player HD. “This has just kept the momentum going into the international break now. We’re obviously undefeated now this season, and if you look at last season as well, I think we’ve lost one in 14 and drawn three while winning the rest. </div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">“That just shows you what the boys are like and the spirit of the squad to come back against Bournemouth, just like we did against Tottenham.” </div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Vardy and co. needed every bit of that confidence as once again they had to dig deep in a tough match against Bournemouth. Callum Wilson’s first half goal put the hosts ahead and in a game of few chances, it was Vardy who made the difference. </div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">“We were 1-0 down for a long time and to be fair we were putting the pressure on so it’s a point well earned in the end,” he said. </div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">“We knew there weren’t going to be many chances. We’ve been watching clips of Bournemouth and how they play. They keep the ball and their positions, which is set up nice for them. But we were hoping with the way that we set up we could catch them on the counter a few times, which in the first half didn’t really work. </div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">“But in the second half we started to get more of a grip on the game and in the end it worked to our advantage.” </div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Regular penalty taker Riyad Mahrez left the pitch with a knock at half time, leaving Vardy to step up to the mark from the spot kick. It was a role unfamiliar to the striker, but one he was happy to take on. </div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">He joked: “I was asking everyone else who was taking it and they were all pointing at me so I don’t’ think I had a choice! I thought Kingy (Andy King) may have taken it so I asked him but he said ‘no it’s you, Vards.’ So I’ve just made sure I’ve put my laces through the ball and luckily it’s gone in and got us the point. </div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">“To be fair at the clubs I’ve been at there were always too many people fighting over who is going to take it, which I think looks a bit silly to be honest. Obviously up to now Riyad has been named as the penalty taker, but with him not being on the pitch I was happy to take on the role. </div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">“I put it to the ‘keeper’s left and he did get his fingertips to it, but I think the power just took it past him. It doesn’t matter how it goes in. It could have hit his hand, hit the post – as long as we got the point.”</span></span></div><div><a href="http://www.foxandcropclothing.co.uk" target="_blank"><img xlink:href="tcm:0-2367360" title="F&amp;C_SS15_StoryBanner" alt="F&amp;C_SS15_StoryBanner" style="width: 480px; height: 100px;" /></a><br /></div></div>