Build On Encouraging Brighton Result, Says Petty

- Leicester City’s Development Squad tackle West Ham United on Monday
- The Premier League 2 Division 1 encounter is a 4pm kick-off at Rush Green
- The Foxes won the reverse fixture against the league leaders in Seagrave
- Coach Ben Petty wants to build on Monday’s victory over Brighton & Hove Albion

City’s coach was particularly pleased with the second-half showing against Brighton & Hove Albion at LCFC Training Ground on Monday evening, which saw the Foxes turn a one-goal deficit into a 2-1 triumph, courtesy of goals from Will Alves and Wanya Marcal-Madivadua.

It was a welcome win and a first in 2022 for Leicester’s Under-23s, moving them up to 10th in the league standings. The manner of that victory, with the winning strike arriving late on in the game, can serve as a momentum-boost for their upcoming fixtures, Petty believes.

“When you win a game from being a goal behind, I think it gives the team a lot of belief,” he reflected to LCFC.com. “It’s shows magnificent character and with this young group, we need to try and build that and the team spirit and the unity.

“I thought you saw that at the end, to win the game late on like that, you definitely get some confidence and belief from that, and I think that’s what this young squad needs.

“We talked straight after the game about building on the result and it would be really nice to put back-to-back, or three wins together and really push ourselves away from the bottom half of the league.

“I think everyone who has played us this season would say we’re a really up and coming side. But we probably lack that clinical touch in the games and hopefully it comes in the second half of the season.”

West Ham United welcome the Development Squad to Rush Green Training Ground on Monday afternoon (4pm kick-off), with the two sides meeting for the second time this season.

Marcal-Madivadua again scored a last-gasp winner in the reverse fixture in Seagrave, which ended 2-1 to inflict one of just three league defeats on the Premier League 2 Division 1 leaders.

“We’d take the same result,” Petty commented on the latest challenge. “I think it’ll be a really tough game. They will obviously want revenge for their defeat in Seagrave and we need to be prepared for that.

“We know that the table doesn’t lie, they are the best team in the league at this moment in time and they are probably where we want to be in 12 months’ time, so it’s a brilliant test for the players and the staff.”

All times GMT.