The Lads Can Be Proud, Says Petty

- Leicester City’s Development Squad drew 2-2 with Fulham on Friday
- Kian Pennant scored a late equaliser at Motspur Park
- Wanya Marcal-Madivadua forced a first goal for the Foxes in the second half
- City’s youngsters are bottom with 12 points in Premier League 2 Division 1

On a wet night in the capital, City’s Under-21s came from behind twice to salvage a point against fifth-placed Fulham in a 2-2 draw. Following the game, Petty spoke to LCFC TV and was keen to share the praise around what was a particularly young matchday squad.

“I’m delighted with the performance tonight,” the coach stated. “It was a very young side, with two first year scholars, but I thought Bobby [Amartey] and Mirsad [Ali] were terrific. They've been fasting all day and haven't eaten. To put in a performance like that tonight was impressive.

“All I said at half-time is that I wanted the players to be braver to take the ball under pressure. Braver to win those one vs. one duels, and I thought in the second half, you saw a real performance there.”

Fulham were awarded two first-half penalties, the second, coming just before the break, was brilliantly saved by Brad Young, and the coach was relieved to see the English ‘keeper make the stop, considering the circumstances in which they were given.

“I thought the second penalty was harsh,” Petty admitted. “But it's a great save from Brad. It keeps us in the game. Going 2-0 down would have been a real uphill task, and it would have been undeserved.

“I think the ball hitting the post for the first goal for us and then them going down and getting the first penalty was also harsh. But you ride your luck at times, and fortunately, we came back in the second off.”

With the game still in reach, the Foxes came out in the second half with an extraordinary amount of fight, and Petty was full of praise for the players’ commitment to not give up, as they added what could be a vital point to the PL2 standings.

He added: “We talked a lot prior to the game about getting the ball into wide areas. I thought JT (Tawanda Maswanhise) was fantastic tonight. Wanya [Marcal-Madivadua] as well.

“And Zach Booth, when he came on, I thought we had a real threat in the wide areas and some good crosses. On another night, I think we might add a couple more.

“Chris [Popov] did great. He gave us 65-70 minutes. He's still coming back from injury, and Kian [Pennant] also had a little knock in the last couple of weeks. It was good to bring him on and I thought he was brilliant for the last 20-30 minutes.

“All the lads in that changing room are here next year and beyond. It really feels like a bit of a new dawn in terms of building something for the future. We've had our struggles this season, and it's been very tough.

“But I think tonight, everyone that was here couldn't deny that Leicester City were a good side, and that we've got some good young players. I thought they did themselves proud.”