‘Very Pleasing’ – McSweeney’s Take On Everton Win

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‘Very Pleasing’ – McSweeney’s Take On Everton Win

Under-21s Coach Leon McSweeney came away very satisfied with his side’s performance in the 2-0 victory at Everton on Friday night.

2026-01-14T13:00+00:00

by Sam Jones

Published

14 Jan, 2026

‘Very Pleasing’ – McSweeney’s Take On Everton Win

Under-21s Coach Leon McSweeney came away very satisfied with his side’s performance in the 2-0 victory at Everton on Friday night.

Sam Jones

2026-01-14T13:00+00:00

‘Very Pleasing’ – McSweeney’s Take On Everton Win

Under-21s Coach Leon McSweeney came away very satisfied with his side’s performance in the 2-0 victory at Everton on Friday night.

Sam Jones

2026-01-14T13:00+00:00

‘Very Pleasing’ – McSweeney’s Take On Everton Win

Under-21s Coach Leon McSweeney came away very satisfied with his side’s performance in the 2-0 victory at Everton on Friday night.

Sam Jones

2026-01-14T13:00+00:00

‘Very Pleasing’ – McSweeney’s Take On Everton Win

Under-21s Coach Leon McSweeney came away very satisfied with his side’s performance in the 2-0 victory at Everton on Friday night.

Sam Jones

2026-01-14T13:00+00:00

Our Under-21s beat Everton 2-0 in the first Premier League 2 fixture of 2026
Darren Motsi and Kirsten Otchere both scored at Walton Hall Park on Friday
Coach Leon McSweeney gave his thoughts as City moved up to sixth in the table

Darren Motsi and Kirsten Otchere etched their names onto the scoresheet at Walton Hall Park, with City’s Development Squad moving up to sixth in Premier League 2 as a result of keeping the Toffees out at the other end, the perfect way to restart in the New Year.

“It was very pleasing in every aspect,” McSweeney commented. “You're never quite sure what you're going to get when you have such a layoff between games, because I think the last time we played was mid-December.

“But testament to the lads, I thought they approached it fantastically well and really won the game in the first half just by their intensity, energy and the quality of their play. We should have probably been further ahead going in at the break, but it gave us a real solid platform to build on in the second half.

McSweeney's aiming to keep the positive momentum going.

“To finish with another clean sheet as well, it was just the cherry on top of the cake and was what the group deserved. To win 2-0 away from home is a fantastic way to start 2026.

“The scoreline was a dangerous one at half-time and we've been in that situation so many times this season and thrown away leads. Our job is to show the error of their ways to the players and the team and then to look to develop that and improve it.

“So, it was great to see the learning taking place, defenders being defenders when they needed to be and controlling the game when the opportunity arose. The guys actioning that on the match pitch is pleasing, it gives them confidence and also for the coaching staff as well to see the player progression.

“I thought the decision making from the lads on the night from one to 11 and the players that came off the bench as well to see out the game was just a top performance and really pleasing as coaching staff to see the development that’s taken place.”

Continuing pre-Christmas form, having won twice in the Premier League Cup at the end of 2025, Leicester’s youngsters will head across the Midlands for Monday night’s trip to West Bromwich Albion with confidence.

McSweeney is now looking to find the consistency which has been lacking at times this season, in order for more young players to fight their way into First Team contention.

“There's no secret formula, it’s just achieving that consistency which has always been our key focus,” the 42-year-old explained. “We've been excellent from the start to the year and a little bit of naivety creeps in at times and that's what you expect at this level.

“The challenge is, going forward, to build towards consistency, because our Achilles heel earlier in the season is that we've definitely put performances like that in, but can we keep it going on a three, four or five-match streak? And really get people talking about the performances on the pitch and getting that bridge to First Team football closer for our guys.

It's another away trip in PL2 on Monday.

“We always say we just concentrate on ourselves and control the controllables. When you're doing well and when you think you're doing well, football has a habit of kicking you in the stomach.

“We have to guard against complacency and I'm sure the guys will want to go out there and take the lessons that we've learned from the first half of the season and put them into practice on Monday and maintain the good form that we're in.

“It’s an exciting time in the Academy; there’s great competition for places, there's progression through to the First Team. Players can see what the Football Club is all about in terms of pathway and opportunity.

“What we always challenge the players to do is step closer to First Team readiness. We’ll just keep pushing them to maximise their potential to get more players on the pitch at King Power Stadium.”

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