City Beat Northampton In Pre-Season Opener

Next Match | Tuesday 14 July Tue 14 Jul

BRV

(A)

02 D

20 H

46 M

48 S

Interviews & Features

Heritage

Photos

City Beat Northampton In Pre-Season Opener

We made a strong start to our pre-season fixture list by recording a 3-0 victory over Northampton Town this Saturday.

2026-07-11T14:00+01:00

City Beat Northampton In Pre-Season Opener

We made a strong start to our pre-season fixture list by recording a 3-0 victory over Northampton Town this Saturday.

2026-07-11T14:00+01:00

City Beat Northampton In Pre-Season Opener

We made a strong start to our pre-season fixture list by recording a 3-0 victory over Northampton Town this Saturday.

2026-07-11T14:00+01:00

City Beat Northampton In Pre-Season Opener

We made a strong start to our pre-season fixture list by recording a 3-0 victory over Northampton Town this Saturday.

2026-07-11T14:00+01:00

City Beat Northampton In Pre-Season Opener

We made a strong start to our pre-season fixture list by recording a 3-0 victory over Northampton Town this Saturday.

2026-07-11T14:00+01:00

Stephy Mavididi’s goal and a Will Alves brace put us in a commanding position midway through the first half and that’s how it stayed against the Sky Bet League 2 side, as just under 500 members of the Blue Army enjoyed a first glimpse of the lads in action under Russell Martin.

A trip to another fourth-tier outfit, Bristol Rovers, is coming up next on Tuesday (7pm BST kick-off), a game which will be once again live on Foxes Hub and played in four 30-minute periods to enable further increases to the players’ fitness base.

First test passed

Kicking off the schedule at a baking hot LCFC Training Ground, hydration breaks were required during the game, as Martin’s men got minutes in the tank after two weeks of intense work at our north Leicestershire base.

City’s starting XI contained several Academy prospects such as Kirsten Otchere and Riley Carr, alongside more established names, including Luke Thomas and Caleb Okoli.

Martin opted to switch his full XI at half-time, meanwhile, allowing as many of his squad as possible to get a 45-minute runout in Seagrave.

Once again, there was a nice blend of experience, in the form of Bobby De Cordova-Reid and Oliver Skipp, and youth, including the likes of Lorenz Hutchinson and Tom Wilson-Brown.

Finding the net

It was City who made the breakthrough after just six minutes. A strong run from Alves led to his shot deflecting into the path of Otchere, who laid the ball back for Mavididi to send a first-time strike into the far corner, a first sign of our football identity under Martin starting to take shape.

A golden opportunity to level the match came the visitors’ way soon after. Harvey Saunders blazed over the bar after he rounded Fran Vieites following a short back pass, with both Ben Nelson and Luke Thomas waiting to clear on the goal-line.

Clinical finishes

Instead, the Foxes doubled the advantage through captain Hamza Choudhury winning possession back high up, allowing Louis Page to play the ball across the box for Alves to drill low past Zach Jeacock, via a deflection, with Carr getting a touch. It was officially marked down as Alves' goal, but surely one for dressing room discussion.

Just five minutes later, on 22 minutes, it was three. Alves emphatically doubled his tally after Caleb Okoli found Otchere, whose clever flick set the England youth international away.

A less eventful second period ensued, following wholesale changes from both sides, with the Cobblers’ best effort coming the way of substitute James Maxwell, who failed to find the target from close range and the clean sheet remained intact.

Hutchinson might have increased the margin of victory at the other end late on, though his left-footed strike was beaten away and it remained 3-0.

LATEST HEADLINES

Team News: Leicester City vs. Northampton Town A look at how we will line up for Russell Martin's first game in charge of the Foxes, against Northampton Town (12pm BST kick-off).

11 Hours 28 Mins Ago

Jeremy Monga Joins Manchester City We can confirm that Leicester City Academy graduate Jeremy Monga has completed a permanent transfer to Manchester City for an undisclosed fee.

12 Hours 13 Mins Ago

Tom Sweenie – 1945-2026 It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of former Leicester City player Tom Sweenie on 7 July, 2026, aged 80.

10 Jul, 2026

26/27 adidas Away Kit To Be Revealed At Special Event This Sunday We will be revealing our new 26/27 adidas Away Kit at an exciting event at Summer On The Square, Leicester on Sunday 12 July at 6pm.

09 Jul, 2026

LATEST PHOTOS

City's Pre-Season Return In Pictures A look at the first week of pre-season at LCFC Training Ground as work starts towards being match-ready for the new campaign.

02 Jul, 2026

Russell Martin Joins Leicester City As Manager

15 Jun, 2026

LCFC Legends 0 All Star XI 0 (4-2 Pens) Images from our 5000/1 Anniversary Match on Filbert Way as our Legends faced an All Star XI.

30 May, 2026

Walking Football At King Power Stadium

12 May, 2026