Iconic Opening Day Championship Matches

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Iconic Opening Day Championship Matches

Trawling through the record books, we chart some of our most memorable opening day results in the second tier from years gone by.

2025-06-21T09:00+01:00

by Sam Jones

Published

21 Jun, 2025

Iconic Opening Day Championship Matches

Trawling through the record books, we chart some of our most memorable opening day results in the second tier from years gone by.

Sam Jones

2025-06-21T09:00+01:00

Iconic Opening Day Championship Matches

Trawling through the record books, we chart some of our most memorable opening day results in the second tier from years gone by.

Sam Jones

2025-06-21T09:00+01:00

Iconic Opening Day Championship Matches

Trawling through the record books, we chart some of our most memorable opening day results in the second tier from years gone by.

Sam Jones

2025-06-21T09:00+01:00

Iconic Opening Day Championship Matches

Trawling through the record books, we chart some of our most memorable opening day results in the second tier from years gone by.

Sam Jones

2025-06-21T09:00+01:00

With less than a week to go until our 2025/26 Sky Bet Championship fixture list is released, at 12pm BST on Thursday 26 June, it’s time to take a look back at those previous opening day fixtures which live long in the memory, including the start of three promotion-winning campaigns…

Kelly scored City's first goal of the 1990/91 season.

We begin in the early 1990s and a thrilling 3-2 success over Bristol Rovers in front of 13,648 at Filbert Street on Saturday, 25 August 1990.

David Kelly grabbed the opener after just two minutes and the goals soon flowed from there. After full-back Gary Mills had one disallowed, Pirates defender Ian Alexander lobbed the ball into his own net from 25 yards out and just half an hour in, Leicester were in control.

A fine goal from Wright turned out to be the winner.

But Rovers got back into the game, levelling it up on 72 minutes. However, a neat volley from Tommy Wright, chesting down Mills' deep cross, settled the encounter and made it a winning start for David Pleat’s men.

The early season optimism didn’t last, though, and the Foxes lost the next seven games, spending the campaign battling the drop, surviving relegation to the third tier via victory on the final day of the season.

Summer signing Speedie went on to score 12 goals in 37 league games that season.

On Saturday, 14 August 1993, City began the First Division season with a home fixture against Peterborough United at Filbert Street, notable for David Speedie assisting the winner on his debut for the Club, having played in the 1991/92 play-off final against Leicester, earning the controversial penalty which settled the match.

Steve Thompson grabbed the opener from the penalty spot, before Posh’s Gary Cooper equalised – also converting from 12 yards - and it looked to be heading for a draw on the opening weekend, until Speedie flicked a free-kick into Tony James’ path, leading to a late goal that snatched all three points for the Foxes.

It became a season to savour under Brian Little as we made it third time lucky by securing promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs, having lost out at Wembley in the previous two campaigns.

Celebrating Deane's second against the Hornets.

A new era began as we faced Watford on Saturday, 10 August 2002, playing a first competitive league match in front of a sell-out crowd at our new home on Filbert Way.

And the Foxes got off to the perfect start under Micky Adams, with a 2-0 success on the way to securing promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

A Deane double, the first two of 13 in the league that term.

Keeping a clean sheet despite the early withdrawal of captain Matt Elliott through injury, Brian Deane was the two-goal hero, heading home Nicky Summerbee's cross shortly after half-time following good play from the influential Muzzy Izzet, before the forward doubled his tally just eight minutes later.

Set up by James Scowcroft, Deane escaped the Hornets backline to fire a first-time finish past Alec Chamberlain for a second time and seal all three points.

Starting off with the equaliser...

The last time we were starting a season in this division, the fixture computer threw up an opening day Midlands derby with Coventry City at King Power Stadium, on Sunday, 6 August 2023.

All four of our summer signings started the game – Mads Hermansen, Harry Winks, Stephy Mavididi and on-loan Callum Doyle were selected by new Manager Enzo Maresca – while young winger Kasey McAteer was handed his first league start.

Before firing in the winner.

And it would be fellow Academy graduate Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall who stepped up to the plate in front of a raucous atmosphere, scoring both goals to claim a 2-1 success over the Sky Blues, who had led through Kyle MacFazdean’s header early in the second half.

Leicester left it late to conjure up a response but with 13 minutes to play, Dewsbury-Hall headed in Dennis Praet’s cross to level. The game could have gone either way and after Haji Wright hit the crossbar for Coventry at one end, Stephy Mavididi laid off Dewsbury-Hall to strike again, this one a sweet hit that arrowed into the top corner. Cue pandemonium on Filbert Way.

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