Petty: A Terrific Performance

- Leicester City’s Development Squad triumphed over Leeds United on Friday night
- The 3-1 win at LNER Community Stadium lifts the Foxes up to eighth in Premier League 2
- Ben Petty described the performance as ‘terrific’, praising two-goal forward Ethan Fitzhugh
- Defender Bayli Spencer-Adams also notched his first strike for the Club late in the second half

A trio of second half goals ensured that the Foxes youngsters left LNER Community Stadium with all three points and their first away triumph of the 2021/22 season to move back up to eighth position in Premier League 2 Division 1.

The visitors had to come from behind following Joe Gelhardt’s neat finish on the half-hour mark, though they would soon hold a numerical advantage, with Charlie Cresswell sent off just five minutes after Leeds’ opener.

City were then able to take control of possession and ultimately find and exploit the spaces to make the breakthrough.

Petty told LCFC TV after full-time: “It was a terrific performance from the lads. Obviously, we were helped a little bit by the red card, but I thought even up until that, we were in control of the game, we’d only really had one effort on goal from Leeds and [Joe] Gelhardt was clinical with that one.

“The way we managed the game and controlled the game after the red card was really good tonight. [Charlie] Cresswell stopped Lewis [Brunt] going through on goal for the first yellow and then it’s a late tackle on JT (Tawanda Maswanhise) for the second yellow.

“It did shift the momentum of the game and we capitalised on it. It’s not easy playing against 10 men, they put a block on, but I thought we moved the ball really well. I said to the lads that they have shown some learning tonight.”

Maiden strikes of the campaign from Ethan Fitzhugh - who went on to score a brace - and Bayli Spencer-Adams were enough to turn the game on its head in the second half and the manner of the goals pleased Petty as the team put the game plan into action.

“We had a good chat at half-time,” City’s coach revealed. “The players had a few ideas as well. We shared them, but I also said to them, if we weren’t back in the game after 15 minutes, that we would go for it and we would make some changes.

“We were all in it together, the lads knew what we were going to do and fortunately the goals came at the right time.

“Ethan has been terrific these last two or three weeks. He’s really got his head down, he's working hard out of possession, which is an area of the game that we’ve asked him to do more. I think he’s got his rewards tonight.

“He worked so hard for the team and he’s such a good technical player and took his two goals really well. I’m delighted for him.

“I did ask for that before and at half-time. I said that we needed to be more aggressive in those situations. Some of the deliveries were fantastic from Oli [Ewing] and Fitzy (Ethan Fitzhugh). It’s nice to get a set play goal tonight.”

The Foxes youngsters were without a win in three league games, a run stretching to the beginning of November and having halted their slide down the table, Petty is now keen to back up that result when they return to LCFC Training Ground, facing Blackburn Rovers Under-23s on Friday 17 December (7pm GMT kick-off).

“Tonight was a big result for us,” he explained. “The calibre of side that Leeds put out, they obviously identified this as a big game for them.

“For us to come here and get the three points and move up the table as we have done, you see those lads in there, they are delighted with that tonight. It’s going to give us a lot of confidence going into the Blackburn game.”