Keep The Momentum Going, Says McSweeney

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Keep The Momentum Going, Says McSweeney

Leon McSweeney commended the Development Squad’s character after coming from behind twice to beat West Ham United 3-2.

2025-03-22T17:00+00:00

by Sam Jones

Published

22 Mar, 2025

Keep The Momentum Going, Says McSweeney

Leon McSweeney commended the Development Squad’s character after coming from behind twice to beat West Ham United 3-2.

Sam Jones

2025-03-22T17:00+00:00

Keep The Momentum Going, Says McSweeney

Leon McSweeney commended the Development Squad’s character after coming from behind twice to beat West Ham United 3-2.

Sam Jones

2025-03-22T17:00+00:00

Keep The Momentum Going, Says McSweeney

Leon McSweeney commended the Development Squad’s character after coming from behind twice to beat West Ham United 3-2.

Sam Jones

2025-03-22T17:00+00:00

Keep The Momentum Going, Says McSweeney

Leon McSweeney commended the Development Squad’s character after coming from behind twice to beat West Ham United 3-2.

Sam Jones

2025-03-22T17:00+00:00

Our Under-21s defeated high-flying West Ham United 3-2 in Premier League 2 last weekend
Jake Evans, Jeremy Monga and Josh King were all the scoresheet for the visiting Foxes
Coach Leon McSweeney provided his assessment of another impressive performance

Jake Evans and Jeremy Monga, both involved in the First Team squad earlier this year, netted equalisers against the third-place Hammers before Josh King struck a late winner at Rush Green to move the young Foxes up to sixth in Premier League 2.

“It was really pleasing,” the coach assessed. “West Ham were going really well in terms of results in the league so we knew it was going to be a good challenge and it was a real benchmark and a test for our guys to pit where they are at in their development in comparison.

Securing a late victory in east London.

“It was a fantastic night’s work in all aspects of the game – in possession and out of possession and in both transition phases I thought we were excellent. As a team, and the individuals working within that framework, when the quality needed to be shown, we scored three fantastic goals. There was a penalty save too, the game had everything.

“It was nice to get an 88th-minute winner, rather than concede one late on, which would have been a sickener. It was well deserved over the course of the game.”

Five league wins on the bounce have propelled City up the table in recent weeks and returning to action with a home fixture against West Bromwich Albion at LCFC Training Ground on Monday 7 April (7pm GMT kick-off), McSweeney hopes to continue that streak.

The 42-year-old explained: “You just want to keep the momentum going but the break is welcomed to allow players to rest and refresh. Hopefully they’ll come back ready to go with a newfound energy for the remainder of the season.

Josh King netted the winner at Rush Green.

“As I’ve said to the players, they are capable of finishing on a high and we’re conscious that Development Squad football is about development more than anything. Results are a byproduct of consistency of performance and we’ve had that for the majority of the season.

“Performances have been really consistent and we’ve probably fell on the wrong side of some results, certainly before Christmas. We’ve tidied up in both boxes with ruthlessness to defend our box and attack the opposition box. It’s turned into a good run of form at a good time in the season.

“We just want to keep them on it. The emphasis from us is that the ultimate goal is to produce players for our First Team. They are certainly getting opportunities on the training ground.

“Obviously it’s a big step up from Under-21s football to First Team football. They can only do what they are doing and produce performances in the competitions they are playing in.”

The latest international window has seen the likes of Logan Briggs (Wales Under-21s) and Louis Page (England Under-17s) head away with their respective nations and McSweeney praised the work back in Seagrave as a major contributing factor.

He added: “With Logan and Louis, we’ve got internationals. It’s testament to their progression and the great work that’s going on in the Academy; coaching and developing them through the age groups.

“When they come to us, we’re putting the finishing touches to them and giving them a pathway to perform and creating an environment where they can thrive. Particularly now this season, we are reaping the rewards of that process which has been in place for so many years.”

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