Leicester City

Mid-season report: Leicester City

By Joe Fish, Reporter | 02 January 2014

Sports Mole reviews Leicester City's season at the halfway point, which sees them sit top of the Championship at in pole position for promotion.

Leicester City end 2013 at the top of the tree and the bookmakers' favourites to win the Championship en route to promotion to the Premier League.

After four top-half finishes, two of which have ended in playoff failure, in succession, there is a real belief at the King Power Stadium that this could be the year that they return to the promised land for the first time since 2004.

Here, Sports Mole recaps how the Foxes put themselves in such a strong position.

August

It was a matter of fine margins for Nigel Pearson's side in the early stages of the season as they won four league games by a single goal, starting with a come-from-behind victory at Middlesbrough. Having found his own net on Teeside, Shaun St Ledger scored at the right end in the 90th minute to see them squeeze past Wycombe Wanderers in the Capital One Cup.

Leicester's Jamie Vardy celebrates with team mates after scoring the winner against Middlesbrough on August 3, 2013 © Getty Images

They were held by Leeds United before benefiting from a Lee Grant error in a 1-0 success over East Midlands rivals Derby County and scoring three times in the final 12 minutes to recover from a goal down and beat Birmingham City at home.

Chris Wood scored a hat-trick as City made further progress in the League Cup with a 5-2 thrashing of Carlisle United, but former player Yann Kermogrant came back to haunt them by scoring for Charlton Athletic as they inflicted a first loss of the season on Leicester.

September

The Foxes swept aside most in front of them throughout a fantastic September as David Nugent kickstarted a run of four successful penalties in six games by converting from 12 yards in a 2-0 victory over Wigan Athletic.

Leicester's David Nugent scores a penalty against Blackburn on September 17, 2013 © Getty Images

He was calm from the spot in their next outing too as they withstood a Blackburn Rovers comeback to claim three points, but they could not do the same four days later against Blackpool, who snatched a draw from under City's noses with a stoppage-time penalty of their own.

Leicester got another one over local adversaries Derby by knocking them out of the League Cup, with goals from Anthony Knockaert and Danny Drinkwater securing their passage into the competition's last 16, and Nugent was at it again in a slender victory over Barnsley which kept them within three points of Queens Park Rangers at the top of the table.

October

The clocks may have changed it October, but Leicester's form didn't as they again won all but one of their games. Another Nugent penalty proved decisive in a 2-1 win at home to Yeovil Town, who gave the hosts a late scare with an 83rd-minute spot kick.

Their only setback in the month came in the shape of a surprise defeat at Doncaster Rovers, courtesy of Kasper Schmiechel's freak own goal, but consecutive 2-1 victories, a scoreline which went in their favour nine times prior to Christmas, over Huddersfield Town and Bournemouth got City back on track.

Kasper Schmeichel of Leicester City during their Sky Bet Championship match against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium on August 3, 2013 © Getty Images

Qualification for the League Cup quarter-finals was a welcome bonus to go alongside their impressive league performances, and it was Fulham who were the Premier League scalp that Pearson's men claimed in a seven-goal thriller, as Lloyd Dyer bagged the winner one minute from time.

November

Dyer was on the scoresheet again in a 3-0 triumph at Watford, as was Knockaert, who was establishing himself as one of the best players in the division with a string of eye-catching displays. However, the Frenchman could not inspire them to a positive result against old foes Nottingham Forest.

Nugent showed that he could find the net from open play too with a brace in an excellent away success at Ipswich Town, while his strike partner Jamie Vardy, who was playing non-league football two seasons ago, continued to show that he was capable of scoring at this level by taking his season's tally to six as Leicester eased past Millwall.

December

Brighton's Liam Bridcutt and Leicester's David Nugent in action during their Championship match on December 7, 2013 © Getty Images

Their worst run of the campaign commenced with a defeat at managerless Sheffield Wednesday, with the Foxes losing despite taking a third-minute lead. They were outclassed by 3-1 conquerers Brighton & Hove Albion the following weekend, a result which saw them drop to third behind Burnley and QPR, who were their next two opponents in the league.

They were held by the Clarets at the King Power Stadium three days before their League Cup run came to an end at the hands of Edin Dzeko and Manchester City, but the Foxes returned to winning ways in style as Vardy fired them to a victory over the Hoops which ended QPR's unbeaten home record.

Nugent was back to his old tricks by scoring the only goal of the game from the spot in a Boxing Day success over Reading. In contrast, it was goals galore next time out as unsung hero Drinkwater netted the first of eight in a 5-3 thriller against Bolton Wanderers, with Dyer and Gary Taylor-Fletcher both scoring late on to ensure Leicester stood tall as Championship leaders at the turn of the year.