McSweeney ‘Really Pleased’ With Leeds Triumph

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McSweeney ‘Really Pleased’ With Leeds Triumph

Leon McSweeney believes our Under-21s were rewarded for a high level of performance produced during the 3-2 success over Leeds United on Monday.

2026-04-15T14:50+01:00

by Sam Jones

Published

15 Apr, 2026

McSweeney ‘Really Pleased’ With Leeds Triumph

Leon McSweeney believes our Under-21s were rewarded for a high level of performance produced during the 3-2 success over Leeds United on Monday.

Sam Jones

2026-04-15T14:50+01:00

McSweeney ‘Really Pleased’ With Leeds Triumph

Leon McSweeney believes our Under-21s were rewarded for a high level of performance produced during the 3-2 success over Leeds United on Monday.

Sam Jones

2026-04-15T14:50+01:00

McSweeney ‘Really Pleased’ With Leeds Triumph

Leon McSweeney believes our Under-21s were rewarded for a high level of performance produced during the 3-2 success over Leeds United on Monday.

Sam Jones

2026-04-15T14:50+01:00

McSweeney ‘Really Pleased’ With Leeds Triumph

Leon McSweeney believes our Under-21s were rewarded for a high level of performance produced during the 3-2 success over Leeds United on Monday.

Sam Jones

2026-04-15T14:50+01:00

Leicester City’s Development Squad defeated Leeds United 3-2 in Premier League 2
Louis Page and Kirsten Otchere (2) were on the scoresheet at LNER Community Stadium
Coach Leon McSweeney assessed Monday night’s success which ended the regular season
He is now looking forward to seeing the lads challenge themselves in the play-offs once more

Recovering from a goal down, an outstanding Louis Page strike saw the young Foxes back on level terms, before Kirsten Otchere’s well-taken double, the second of which came in stoppage-time to clinch victory. That success saw Leicester conclude the regular Premier League 2 season on a winning note.

“It was a lovely way to finish the normal league campaign,” the coach commented following victory at LNER Community Stadium. “The season is still going, thankfully. To win it at the last, in the manner we did as well, was a real pleasing moment for the guys.

“It was a really tough game. I thought it was full of energy, full of intensity from both sides, a bit frantic at times. We showed really good control at times, with and without the ball, and then we were just guilty of conceding moments out of nothing.

Image: LUFC.

“It’s something that we continue to work on, both in terms of our attacking output and creating chances and then the ruthlessness to take the chances. Louis Page's was something just completely manufactured by himself, it was an excellent solo goal.

“He showed all his ability really in that moment of the game to equalise when he's gone through the middle of the pitch and then let one fly from 25 yards and Kirsten is red hot in front of goal.

“That's the continuing challenge for Kirsten. He has bags of ability and when he's in the box, he can be a real killer and it's just about keeping developing that killer instinct because he’s certainly moving in the right direction.”

Coming out on the right side of the scoreline this time around, McSweeney called for enhanced concentration and defensive stability to prevent teams from coming back into games once City have established some form of control in the contest.

The 43-year-old explained: “Similarly, it happened to us against Aston Villa where it's 2-2 and then they score out of nothing to win the game in injury time in the game previous. We're always there or thereabouts but what we need to do better is not make it as easy for teams to score against us because we do so much right.

“Usually, the goals that the opposition score are very preventable. You do give up chances when you're as free flowing in attack as we are at times and we hold our hands up to that and we embrace it to a certain extent, but we can still do better to limit opposition chances.

“They didn't get into our box very often on Monday night and for them to score two goals against us, that's probably the area that we just need to continue the development work in, because a lot of stuff that we're doing in terms of controlling the game, attacking in the opposition half and creating chances, they're very positive.

“We just want to keep that and developed the conceding side of it, but it's been that season where we always say, consistency of performance will get you the results in the long term and to fall on the right side of it this time against Leeds is just reward.

“In another games, we've drawn, or like the Aston Villa game, we've lost it, but if you're there or thereabouts in terms of consistency of performance, then the results usually look after themselves and you get rewarded for that. Monday night was one of those instances.”

Image: LUFC.

Already assured of a play-off spot, we narrowly missed out on a top-eight finish which would have secured a home draw in the last-16, but nevertheless it has been another season of real progress for the Foxes youngsters, who placed ninth, on 31 points from 20 matches, and await confirmation of the next opponents.

McSweeney added: “I think doing it (reaching the play-offs) two seasons in a row and matching the points tally from last year, is a real positive step for all the staff involved and for the players as well to keep pushing.

“It just gives us that opportunity going into next season, can we go again and try and get that home draw? Because that would obviously be an advantage.

“Then hopefully we can push towards getting a stadium game for these kind of moments, like Leeds had playing at York City on Monday night, as it just gave it an extra feel, a first team feel, a move closer to that first team readiness for the players and it just steps it up a notch.

“I think the players really stood up to that and revelled in that. The more games we can get like that to challenge them and stretch them is only going enhance their development further. We'll go into that next game really positive.”

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