Thirteen new signings and a full-time programme meant optimism was high as the Club entered into their third consecutive FA Women’s Championship campaign under manager Jonathan Morgan and their first as an official part of the Leicester City family.
The season started with a home fixture against Blackburn Rovers Ladies. LCFC Women’s maiden competitive match as a professional outfit would be played behind closed doors at Farley Way Stadium, but it did not dampen the excitement of the new season, with supporters following remotely hoping for a positive start on home soil.
And that’s exactly what Leicester produced. Charlie Devlin’s neat finish got the hosts up and running after 18 minutes, latching onto a through ball from debutant Sam Tierney to slide a low, left-footed effort past Fran Bentley in the Blackburn goal.
A red card for visiting skipper Saffron Jordan gave City a player advantage and they made that count in the second half courtesy of a brace on debut from former Rovers forward Natasha Flint.
Controlling a throw-in, the former England Under-23s international turned on the edge of the box to face goal before hammering an unstoppable strike in at the near post with 20 minutes remaining.
Annabel Blanchard and Millie Farrow then combined to set up Flint for her second and City’s third, which was another rocket of a shot from the edge of the box, this time from her left boot, to complete the opening day victory.
A week later, Leicester travelled to Technique Stadium in Chesterfield, home of Sheffield United Women, for the first away fixture of the season.
Having finished second in 2019/20, the Blades were expected to be a side competing at the top end of the table once more under new manager Neil Redfearn.
However, the Foxes got off to the perfect start in the Sheffield sunshine, as Farrow, formerly of Bristol City, scored her first goal for the Club within two minutes of kick-off.
Combative midfielder Remi Allen was able to win possession back and find Flint whose shot was parried by United stopper Fran Kitching straight into the path of Farrow, who was on hand to prod home the early opener.
Leicester would not have things all their own way, however, and the Blades roared back when former Foxes forward Mel Johnson was able to sprint towards goal before lobbing the ball over Kirstie Levell and into the net on the half-hour mark.
Things were to get even better for Johnson and Sheffield United when she converted her second of the afternoon from close range. Katie Wilkinson squared the ball across for Jade Pennock, whose shot was well saved by Levell, but Johnson was there to tap home the rebound.
Just as City looked to be heading towards defeat, they were handed a lifeline when Devlin raced onto Ashleigh Plumptre’s cross-field ball and was brought down just inside the penalty box.
Flint stepped up and fired home the equaliser from the spot, finding the bottom corner to take a hard-fought share of the spoils back to Leicester.
There would be one final outing in September as Leicester competed in the rearranged 2019/20 Women’s FA Cup Quarter-Final tie against Manchester City Women in Quorn, their reward for knocking out top-tier Reading in the previous round.
With FA rules allowing only six of the Foxes’ new signings to be named in the squad, it was always going to be an uphill battle against the competition holders.
It was a valiant effort from the much-changed Foxes side, who went behind to Chloe Kelly’s converted spot-kick on 30 minutes, following a foul on Caroline Weir.
Another England international doubled the visitors’ advantage before half-time as Georgia Stanway found the net, able to lob the ball over Demi Lambourne and into the far corner.
Leicester would get one back via Devlin’s penalty as Farrow was brought down, with the Foxes No.7 making no mistake from the spot, but it wasn’t quite enough to take a spot in the final four.
Attention swiftly turned back to league matters in October, a month which would bring three more Championship fixtures, including two home games against teams tipped as promotion contenders.