‘In A Good Place’ - Martin Pleased With Pre-Season Work

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‘In A Good Place’ - Martin Pleased With Pre-Season Work

Russell Martin came away from our final pre-season fixture against Genoa with plenty of optimism about the season ahead.

2026-08-03T10:35+01:00

by Sam Jones

Published

03 Aug, 2026

‘In A Good Place’ - Martin Pleased With Pre-Season Work

Russell Martin came away from our final pre-season fixture against Genoa with plenty of optimism about the season ahead.

Sam Jones

2026-08-03T10:35+01:00

‘In A Good Place’ - Martin Pleased With Pre-Season Work

Russell Martin came away from our final pre-season fixture against Genoa with plenty of optimism about the season ahead.

Sam Jones

2026-08-03T10:35+01:00

‘In A Good Place’ - Martin Pleased With Pre-Season Work

Russell Martin came away from our final pre-season fixture against Genoa with plenty of optimism about the season ahead.

Sam Jones

2026-08-03T10:35+01:00

‘In A Good Place’ - Martin Pleased With Pre-Season Work

Russell Martin came away from our final pre-season fixture against Genoa with plenty of optimism about the season ahead.

Sam Jones

2026-08-03T10:35+01:00

We completed our summer fixture schedule with a 1-0 reverse at home to Genoa
Saturday’s friendly was played out in front of the Blue Army at King Power Stadium
Russell Martin provided his take on the game and our match against Coventry City earlier that day
The Manager saw lots to be positive about on Filbert Way and in Seagrave

A last chance for the Foxes Manager to fine tune in a game scenario ahead of the new campaign getting up and running, he was happy with what he saw from his team against the Serie A outfit, who emerged as 1-0 winners at King Power Stadium courtesy of Lorenzo Colombo’s second-half strike.

Speaking after full-time on Saturday evening, Martin outlined why he was so enthused by the display on Filbert Way, as well as what he saw during the runout against Coventry City at LCFC Training Ground earlier that day, which also finished 1-0 to the visitors.

“I thought we played brilliantly tonight,” he reflected. “I really enjoyed it. We were really dominant, had so many chances and up to about 70 minutes, they only had one shot on goal. We limited them to not much at all. I’m disappointed with the goal we conceded, but it’s pre-season.

“They brought on 11 fresh faces [in the second half] and we had the same team on, so it changes the game a little bit. Because we had a game today as well, we’re making subs with really young guys who did brilliantly and they’ve done great in pre-season.

“They did us proud. The team showed the identity we want. They’re so hungry to run, are brave on the ball and show real aggression out of possession and with the ball. We should have scored a fair few goals tonight, so I’m disappointed about that, because we had some brilliant chances.

“We’re playing against really top opposition, the same against Coventry today at the training ground. We’re playing against two top-flight sides and both teams, all the players involved, were fantastic.

“It has been great. On the whole, I’ve been really happy. The players are in a good place. Hopefully the fans enjoyed the performance. Obviously, a disappointing result [to end] pre-season, but hopefully they saw enough to be really excited, because I’m excited about this team and what it can produce.”

With minutes in the legs for several new signings, including Liam Cullen, and returning absentees such as Bobby De Cordova-Reid, it was a largely positive evening across the squad, though centre-back Ben Nelson was forced off following a challenge just before half-time.

The 40-year-old told us: “Some guys couldn’t do 90 because they’ve only just come back, like Bobby, but he went really deep into the game. I thought Liam Cullen was great on his debut, considering he’s not been in very long.

“For him to get 90 was fantastic. It’s getting as many people ready for next weekend and beyond that as we possibly can. It’s been a really rewarding day in terms of minutes and we’ll be in a really good place for it next week.

“The only negative to come out of it, other than the scoreline, is Ben [Nelson's injury]. It’s really hard to tell this early on, but it looks not a nice one. He was in quite a bit of pain when he came off, so we’ll just have to see how it reacts.

“I’m sure it will involve the sports science and medical team over the next couple of days. We’ve got a brilliant one here so he’s in the best hands.

“We’ll have to wait and see and keep our fingers crossed, because Ben is really fantastic football player and I’ve really enjoyed working with him, so hopefully he won’t be out for too long.”

Tommy Watson became our latest new recruit ahead of Saturday’s match, joining on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion, and Martin explained his thought process behind securing the young winger’s signature for the 26/27 season.

“The guys we’ve brought in, Liam Cullen, Conor Chaplin, Alex McCarthy, Tommy, Christian [McFarlane], they are all players who had an opportunity to play at a higher level but wanted to be at this Football Club, which I think is really important.

“I met Tommy and we had a really good chat about how he’d fit in and how it would work for him. Ever since then, he’s been desperate to come. I’m glad we’ve been able to get it done and I’m really excited to work with him.

“He’s another top young talent and he gives us something different to what we’ve already got. He’s brilliant culturally on the pitch, off the pitch. A brilliant young player and I’m looking forward to working with him.”

Northampton Town are our first opponents of the new season, with tickets available to purchase online for Saturday's Carabao Cup clash at King Power Stadium, a 3pm BST kick-off.

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