City’s Under-18s competed in the Premier League U18 South division for 2020/21, playing at LCFC Training Ground for the first time. After a testing start, the young Foxes got to grips with the campaign and produced some outstanding performances.
The FA Youth Cup, meanwhile, was a competition which brought a run to the fifth round, before bowing out to Liverpool Under-18s. With several players drafted into the Under-23s squad throughout the season, there was also plenty of individual development within the squad.
Fulham U18s 3 Leicester City U18s 3
Saturday 19 December, 2020
London School of Economics
Premier League U18 South
With just one point on the board after the first 10 fixtures of the season, City travelled to Fulham, eventual champions of Premier League U18 South, in need of a result. What followed was a six-goal thriller that swung several ways before both sides had to settle for a point apiece.
Wales youth international forward Will Russ opened the scoring on 19 minutes, assisted by Ethan Fitzhugh, before Oliver O’Neill equalised for the hosts.
Fulham then took the lead with just under 20 minutes of the second half remaining via Oliver Sanderson’s strike, but the away side quickly restored parity when Terell Penannt found Kian Pennant, who made it 2-2.
The Cottagers thought they had snatched victory when Adrion Pajaziti converted an 86th minute penalty, but there was still to be one final twist as substitute Tawanda Maswanhise managed to find another leveller with two minutes to play.
Leicester City 18s 4 Norwich City U18s 3
Saturday 30 January, 2021
LCFC Training Ground
Premier League U18 South
Following the draw against Fulham, the young Foxes returned from the winter break with renewed confidence and secured their maiden league win of the season in the first game back after Christmas.
Norwich City were the opponents, and it would be yet another action-packed 90 minutes, with seven goals, a penalty, a red card and a hat-trick.
Leicester had home advantage for just the second time in the season and made that count within 16 minutes of kick-off. Terell Pennant found the breakthrough, once again created by Fitzhugh.
The forward had his second of the game when Maswanhise picked him out, though Jon Rowe soon halved the deficit for the visitors.
Incredibly, Pennant completed his hat-trick just before the half-hour mark and the whirlwind opening half continued when Russ turned provider for Fitzhugh to add his name to the scoresheet.
At 4-1, there looked to be no way back for the Canaries, but Oscar Thorn did manage to pull another goal back prior to half-time.
An Abu Kamara penalty made it a nervy last 25 minutes for Leicester, but after Norwich goalscorer Rowe was sent off late on, they held out to seal a well-deserved three points in Seagrave.
Leicester City 18s 5 Sheffield Wednesday U18s 0
Friday 5 March, 2021
LCFC Training Ground
FA Youth Cup Third Round
City entered the competition in the third round, knowing a victory would set up a meeting with Exeter City at the next stage.
Unbeaten in four in the league, it was a five-star cup performance from the home side, who went ahead from their first attack. Marcal-Madivadua was simply too quick for the Wednesday backline and his speedy run was matched by a finish into the bottom corner.
Just after the half-hour mark, City found the second goal that their performance deserved. Kian Pennant got in front of his marker to head home Sammy Braybrooke's corner at the near post.
Fitzhugh would grab a goal two minutes before the break, exchanging a one-two with Marcal-Madivadua before firing a first-time hit into the bottom corner, putting Leicester in full control at half-time.
Marcal-Madivadua bagged his brace on 68 minutes, applying a calm finish as he rolled the ball in after using his pace to get in behind the defence.
Kian Pennant would also find the net for a second time, poking home inside the area following persistent work from Jesper Kutshienza on the left wing to provide the assist.
City did enough to secure a safe passage into round four, where they needed extra-time to see off Exeter 2-1 in Devon, before Liverpool proved too strong in the fifth round.
Leicester City 18s 5 Aston Villa U18s 1
Tuesday 4 May, 2021
LCFC Training Ground
Premier League U18 South
After beating Norwich in late January, City’s league form continued to pick up during 2021, when 11 of their 13 fixtures were played on home soil.
A run of eight points from five games after the turn of the year was a solid improvement and the young Foxes would also finish strongly, including a dominant performance and victory over Midlands rivals Aston Villa in Seagrave.
Brandon Cover picked out Russ to make it 1-0 on 22 minutes, followed by Zach Booth’s goal shortly before the interval, assisted by Oliver Ewing. Aaron O’Reilly’s own goal had City three to the good, before Russ turned provider to set up Cover with 20 minutes remaining.
Dewain Sewell’s consolation ended hopes of a clean sheet, but Cover grabbed a brace in the final minute of normal time, also Ewing’s second assist of night, rounding off a superb evening for the young Foxes.
Leicester City 18s 3 Tottenham Hotspur U18s 1
Friday 14 May, 2021
LCFC Training Ground
Premier League U18 South
Following a hard fought 1-1 draw with West Ham United, Leicester triumphed 3-1 at home to Tottenham Hotspur in the final game of the season at LCFC Training Ground.
Cover started the scoring four minutes ahead of the interval, before Ewing found Russ to net for the fourth time in five games on the stroke of half-time to give City some breathing space.
Although the advantage was halved nine minutes from time, courtesy of Kallum Cesay’s finish, Leicester soon re-established the two-goal cushion via Terell Pennant, who was played in by Marcal-Madivadua on 84 minutes.
The victory brought the Premier League U18 South season to a close, with the young Foxes finishing 12th in the league, having taken 18 points from their 24 fixtures in the division, including a run of one defeat from the final five league games.