Leicester City In The 21st Century: 2009/10

01

2009/10 gets underway

Martyn Waghorn and Danny N'Guessan strike to earn a 2-1 victory over Swansea City on the opening day of the 2009/10 Championship campaign.

02

Turning the tide

A brace of goals from Matty Fryatt helps Leicester City beat Queens Park Rangers 2-1 at Loftus Road on 30 October, 2009. The win proved to be City's third on the bounce, but prior to that, a patchy spell form included just four Championship victories from 12 outings.

03

Belvoir Drive from the sky

The Football Club's training ground, where all of Leicester City's pre-match preparation takes place, is pictured from the sky during 2009/10.

04

Gloves off, boots on

Leicester's Boxing Binman, Rendall Munroe, trains at Belvoir Drive with Leicester City's first team squad. He later announced his retirement from the sport at a press conference at King Power Stadium in 2012, having been a regular at home games throughout his career, while also hosting community initiatives alongside Club Ambassador Alan Birchenall.

05

January signings

Peruvian legend Nolberto Solano signed for the Club in at the start of 2010 ahead of a push for promotion via the play-offs, as did defender Alex Bruce.

06

Martyn Waghorn, Jay Spearing & James Vaughan

Martyn Waghorn, Jay Spearing and James Vaughan were all recruited on loan deals to help bolster the squad's midfield and attacking options.

07

A resounding win

A much-needed 5-1 win over Scunthorpe United on 13 February, 2010 got Leicester back on track in the Championship. Michael Morrison and Martyn Waghorn both scored, while Paul Gallagher bagged a hat-trick. The commanding performance saw City 4-0 up after just 34 minutes.

08

Claiming the match ball

Paul Gallagher netted his first-ever professional hat-trick - and set up another - in the win against Scunthorpe. Here, he is pictured claiming the match ball from the game's officials.

09

A fourth win in five

Bruno Berner's 53rd-minute winner against the 10 men of Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park secured 12 points from a possible 15 across February and March. However, a poor spell of form soon followed.

10

Tough time on the road

Nigel Pearson's side suffer a fourth-consecutive defeat, with three of them coming away from home. The 3-0 loss to West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns on 2 April, 2010, left City just one point clear of Blackpool in seventh place.

11

Back to business

Martyn Waghorn collects the Man of the Match award, presented by Club Ambassador Alan Birchenall, after netting twice in a 4-0 demolition of Queens Park Rangers. It was the first of five wins in a row to secure a Championship play-off berth.

12

The dressing room on matchday

Cameras are afforded a rare glimpse inside the Leicester City home dressing room at King Power Stadium ahead of the clash with Middlesbrough on the final day of the regular season.

13

Fifth spot confirmed

With fifth spot already sealed, only goal difference denies City fourth place on the final day of the season. Here, Richie Wellens scores a penalty as the Foxes win 2-0 against Middlesbrough at King Power Stadium. They will face Cardiff City in the play-off semi-finals over two legs.

14

A loss in the first leg

A goal from the late Peter Whittingham sees Cardiff City emerge from the first leg with a 1-0 advantage. The second leg takes place in Cardiff three days later.

15

A comeback in Cardiff

Despite falling behind early on, the Foxes win 3-2 in Cardiff to force extra-time and then penalties, with the tie level at 3-3 on aggregate, following an own goal from Mark Hudson, and strikes from Matty Fryatt and Andy King.

16

Shootout heartbreak

Yann Kermorgant and Martyn Waghorn see their penalties saved by David Marshall, with Cardiff winning the shootout 5-3.

17

Time to regroup

Leicester City are denied back-to-back promotions, but can hold their heads high after an enthralling season back in the Championship.

18

Pearson's first spell comes to an end

Following their play-off exit, Nigel Pearson departed the Club for Hull City in the summer. He was replaced by former Swansea City manager and ex-Juventus, Benfica, Internazionale and Borussia Dortmund midfielder, Paulo Sousa.