League Cup Finals, European Qualification & League 1 Promotion

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League Cup Finals, European Qualification & League 1 Promotion

Three seasons in Leicester City's recent history hurtled into vital junctures over the past week (6-13 April).

2025-04-09T15:30+00:00

by Sam Stevens

Published

09 Apr, 2025

League Cup Finals, European Qualification & League 1 Promotion

Three seasons in Leicester City's recent history hurtled into vital junctures over the past week (6-13 April).

Sam Stevens

2025-04-09T15:30+00:00

League Cup Finals, European Qualification & League 1 Promotion

Three seasons in Leicester City's recent history hurtled into vital junctures over the past week (6-13 April).

Sam Stevens

2025-04-09T15:30+00:00

League Cup Finals, European Qualification & League 1 Promotion

Three seasons in Leicester City's recent history hurtled into vital junctures over the past week (6-13 April).

Sam Stevens

2025-04-09T15:30+00:00

League Cup Finals, European Qualification & League 1 Promotion

Three seasons in Leicester City's recent history hurtled into vital junctures over the past week (6-13 April).

Sam Stevens

2025-04-09T15:30+00:00

Midway through our maiden season back in the Premier League, Martin O'Neill's men headed into a League Cup Final against Middlesbrough on 6 April, 1997.

We had previously overcome Scarborough, York City, Manchester United, Ipswich Town and Wimbledon to reach the showpiece, but came up against a strong Boro outfit.

As well as future City Manager Nigel Pearson at the back, the North East outfit also boasted the likes of Juninho Paulista, Emerson and Fabrizio Ravanelli among their ranks.

Indeed, it looked likely Boro would be triumphant after Ravanelli's opener four minutes into extra-time, but a last-gasp leveller from Emile Heskey booked a replay for Leicester.

Seven years later, meanwhile, we were bidding to make an instant return to the Premier League under the management of Micky Adams - and Nottingham Forest were the visitors on 8 April, 2003.

A four-game winning run led into the fixture for City, who had battled against administration and a transfer embargo for much of the 2002/03 season after moving to Filbert Way the summer before.

In front of a crowd of 32,065, a fraught affair unfolded, but a 37th-minute effort from youngster Tommy Wright was ultimately enough for us to seal league win no. 25 that campaign.

City needed one more win for promotion, prompting Adams to say: "I don't want to rely on anyone else to do us any favours. No one has given us any help all season and I don't expect them to start now."

Another promotion campaign was on the cards in spring 11 years ago this week, on 11 April, 2009 to be precise, as Nigel Pearson's men travelled to Hereford in League 1.

A record-breaking season was reaching its climax but City had not - yet - got over the line and limited their stay in the third tier of English football to just one year.

They need not have been too concerned, though, as Matt Oakley, Lloyd Dyer and Steve Howard found the net at Edgar Street to register a comfortable 3-1 victory.

Pearson's Foxes were now on the cusp, ahead of the visit of Leeds United and a trip to Southend United, where they could wrap up the job, so long as they took maximum points from both games.

That Leeds game arrived on 13 April, 2009, and proved to be a hugely significant occasion. Up against a side managed by our former midfielder Simon Grayson, a tense afternoon ultimately ensued.

Andy King and Steve Howard both went close for the Foxes, before David Stockdale also inadvertently punched the ball onto his own crossbar.

A towering header from Howard sealed it in stoppage time, mind you, rising highest to cannon a header into the roof of the net and send a capacity home crowd into raptures.

A week later, a win at Southend confirmed promotion for Leicester, who were able to limit their stay in League 1 to just a single season.

UEFA Champions League qualification was on the agenda on 10 April, 2016, meanwhile - a sign of the rapid progress we'd made in this century's second decade.

A brace from Jamie Vardy was enough to secure a 2-0 win over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, leading to emotional scenes at full-time as the Blue Army toasted an unthinkable rise.

Of course, more glory was to come, but for now City's fans were basking in their qualification to Europe's top table. Afterwards, an emotional Claudio Ranieri said: "The fans must continue to dream but we must continue to be concentrated and focused. Now we have two tough matches at home, the Champions League is on the table and we have to keep it. We haven't achieved anything yet.

"You make this job for the emotion you feel inside, but it is difficult for me to tell what kind of emotion."

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