Promotion Quests & FA Cup Replays – Classic Derby Clashes
Set to face off in a friendly at Pride Park on Saturday 23 July, the first of two First Team fixtures to take place that day, it will be the Foxes’ first encounter against their Midlands rivals since an FA Cup tie in early 2017.
Although next month’s hosts have a better overall head-to-head record in competitive matches, winning 46 times to Leicester’s 34, the Foxes are unbeaten across the last five meetings, claiming victory in nine of the last 11 games.
2010/11
City completed a league double over Derby in this Championship campaign. First up, an Andy King strike, followed up by Steve Howard’s penalty, set Leicester on the way to a 2-0 victory on Filbert Way in November 2010.
Three months later, City repeated the same scoreline at Pride Park, with King again among the goals, doubling the advantage after Yakubu’s opener. King would end 2010/11 as top goalscorer, netting 15 times in the league and 16 in all competitions.
The Foxes eventually finished 10th under Sven-Göran Eriksson, who had taken over in October 2010, recovering from a difficult start to the season during Paulo Sousa’s tenure as manager.
2011/12
Leicester maintained a perfect record in both Championship fixtures against the Rams across 2011/12. Again keeping a clean sheet in each match, the first saw four different players on the scoresheet at King Power Stadium.
David Nugent, Darius Vassell, Jeffrey Schlupp and Lloyd Dyer contributed to a resounding 4-0 success in what was one of Eriksson’s final games in charge on 1 October, 2011.
By the time the reverse fixture came along in February, Nigel Pearson had returned to the Club as manager and presided over a 1-0 success courtesy of Neil Danns’ early strike. A ninth-place finish concluded the season for City.
2012/13
Pearson’s men scored four at home to Derby once more at the start of December, with Nugent’s double following up first-half goals from Zak Whitbread and Martyn Waghorn. Theo Robinson’s strike for the visitors proved to be a consolation.
The Rams did get their revenge at Pride Park, though, running out 2-1 winners in March 2013 thanks to a goal apiece from Richard Keogh and Chris Martin. Schlupp did pull a goal back for the away side, though it wasn’t enough to claim a share of the points.
Two months later, Leicester sneaked into the play-offs after a win at fellow Midlands side Nottingham Forest on the final day of the season but were knocked out in the semi-finals. The foundations were laid for a promotion push.
2013/14
The teams met three times across this season, the opening fixture in August decided by a single goal eight minutes before the break, credited as a Lee Grant own goal. Enough for another success at Pride Park, it came at the start of a memorable campaign.
Drawn against each other for a League Cup Third Round tie a month later, it was Leicester’s turn to host, and despite Martin breaking the deadlock, the home side turned the game around with two late goals from Anthony Knockaert and Danny Drinkwater to progress.
Eliminated in the fifth round, all focus was on the league by the time Derby returned to King Power Stadium in January 2014. Producing a scintillating performance, City notched four goals, including another brace for eventual top scorer Nugent, before Jamie Vardy added to his tally.
A 4-1 success and three points kept Leicester in the hunt for promotion, which was confirmed in May as the Foxes went up to the Premier League as champions.
2016/17
With Leicester remaining in the top-flight, it was over three years until the pair faced off again. Drawn together in the fourth round of the FA Cup, Derby striker Darren Bent scored at both ends before Craig Bryson edged the Rams in front before the interval.
County looked destined for the fifth round until a late Wes Morgan equaliser forced a replay at King Power Stadium. Twelve days later, the Foxes made sure it was their name in the hat, though it took extra-time to separate the sides.
King’s opener was cancelled out by Abdoul Camara in normal time, ahead of Wilfred Ndidi and Demarai Gray rounding off the scoring and a 3-1 win.